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

By: Angela Voerman

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Peter I'm so glad that you've brought up the idea of integrating more students into the learning in classes. I have been using LAMS to support Aboriginal students studying Community Management. There is a wide range of ages(from early 20s through to 70 or so) and a wide range of different experiences of both education and of computers. The most exciting thing to me is the informality of chat. Students have such fun playing with chat especially when they are not familiar with it, and it eases their way into more focussed and formal examination of the topic(through q&a for examle) in a really effective way. It's great for encouraging free writing. But the most important thing about it in the classroom environment is the quality of the f2f discussion that accompanies the keyboard chat. The interactions become more dynamic in relation to the topic, and the chat does seem to function as a way of integrating more reluctant or shy people to participate in face to face discussion. I will certainly be making this social dimension of learning around LAMS the focus of more research!

Posted by Angela Voerman