Forum Teaching with LAMS - experiences: Re: Re: Experiences with chat in computer labs

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	3: Re: Re: Experiences with chat in computer labs By: Robyn Philip	In response to 2	10/02/05 07:44 PM	[ Reply \| Forward ]
I think we all forget how long it sometimes takes to come up with ideas. You need to toss ideas around for a while and not feel that you will be censored at every word. Chat gives you this opportunity. We need to draft our ideas. I remember the terror as a kid when asked to write a 'composition'in one sitting, in class: no ink/biro splodges on the page, correct grammar and punctuation immdediately. How much easier it is now to type and undo, undo again, redraft several times before sending something for assessment. And if I can get more students writing and practising writing I'm really happy. : ) You have to learn to scribble before you can draw. You need to 'scribble' before you can write perfect prose. And some students think better while they talk; others think better when they write. Chat is fun anyway - more fun - more education! Posted by Robyn Philip

	5: Re: Re: Re: Experiences with chat in computer labs By: James Dalziel	In response to 3	10/03/05 06:50 AM	[ Reply \| Forward ]
We talk about chat as "synchronous" e-learning, but I think it is something more interesting than that - as Robyn notes - most chat is "near-synchronous" because you have a few seconds to decide whether or not to hit the "Say" button, or whether to change/delete what you've just typed. These few seconds of reflection make a big difference to being asked, face to face, to answer a question in a classroom. I think this is one reason chat is so popular - those few seconds for revision/rethinking. Lately I've been quoting a phrase that, for me, captures the essence of why near-synchronous chat can be preferable to fully syncronous face to face communication - "I carried a watermelon". I only saw the film this comes from for the first time a month ago, and this line cracks me up every time. Imagine if this first impression had been via chat, with the chance to type this, then delete it just before "saying" it. (The film is Dirty Dancing for those who don't know it - the scene is near the beginning when young and innocent Jennifer Grey ("Baby") first meets "uber" dancer Patrick Swayze (Johnny Castle)). Posted by James Dalziel

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