Chatting it up online, by Pamela Livingston
In the article written by Pamela Livingston, she explains how using chat can be educational for students by getting them interested in the subject being taught. For instance, at Chestnut Hill Academy, a class had the opportunity to be able to use chat to receive more insight on an author they were reading books from. The set up was not easy; the teacher had to investigate first and learn everything she could about chat. Then she had to sign-up which took longer then what they expected, but the advice the teacher gives is to not tell the students about what one is doing, in case the project does not turn out well. By doing this, it avoids disappointment among students. After the teacher received confirmation, the teacher went to class and told the good news to the students. Immediately the teacher and students went to work, the teacher had to get the set up and inform the technician in case of complication, and the students prepared by coming up with open ended questions. The author goes on describing how chat was a success among the class and how much they learned about not just about the books, but about the author who wrote them. By learning the inside story and the reason of why the author writes, I think this gives students more than just a lesson to learn, but an inspiration in that one day they too can become authors they want to be.
This idea about chat is something I think I would be able to adopt into my classroom one day. Of course I would have done a demo first just to give the students a firsthand feel first, so when they go home-if they have a computer available-they will be able to do it themselves. I might try to do chat as a weekly assignment, but an assignment that would be done in class as a group. I would split the student into groups so they can work together. I would also give a lesson about how to use chat and the different types of chat that are available, and how to chat appropriately when chatting with others/strangers. This will give them a firsthand experience of technology, communicating with others and learning more about the subject being taught at the same time. Also by working in a groups this will make the students interact with each other.
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The way you want to implement chat into your classroom is an effective way to enhance the students' learning experiencing. I think it would be a great idea to have the students practice chatting at home because most students already have access to a computer and the Internet. For students who do not have the means or resources to practice chatting outside the classroom, faculty should make special arrangements for those students at a the school's computer lab. Livingston's chat was successful because, as you summarized, she was well prepared. It was wise of her to filter out the students' questions; what a waste of time it would have been to allow students to ask "yes" and "no" type of questions. The students definitely benefited from asking open-ended type questions because they were given answers they could not have had answered without the chat.
ReplyDeleteHaving the groups of students chat online with eachother is a really good idea. This will give the students an opportunity to experience Instant Messaging if they have not already experienced it. Having a talk about safety on the internet is also important. Teachers should be talking to their students about safety online just incase the parents of the students aren't. One very simple, yet important, part of Livingston's story is that she did not tell her students about the live chat until she was sure that it was going to happen. By waiting to tell her students about the live chat, she avoided a lot of disappointment if the authur was unable to do the live chat.
ReplyDeleteI think having students learn to chat first before a classroom experience is great preparation. And I appreciate that you did mention talking about the safety risks involved with chatting and that it isn't always just fun and can be dangerous.
ReplyDelete