Return-Path: <nifl-technology@literacy.nifl.gov> Received: from literacy (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by literacy.nifl.gov (8.9.0.Beta5/8.9.0.Beta5/980425bjb) with SMTP id JAA11444; Tue, 10 Nov 1998 09:29:12 -0500 (EST) Date: Tue, 10 Nov 1998 09:29:12 -0500 (EST) Message-Id: <36484EB2.32DD40FA@shore.net> Errors-To: lmann@literacy.nifl.gov Reply-To: nifl-technology@literacy.nifl.gov Originator: nifl-technology@literacy.nifl.gov Sender: nifl-technology@literacy.nifl.gov Precedence: bulk From: Lynn Friendship Club <frndship@shore.net> To: Multiple recipients of list <nifl-technology@literacy.nifl.gov> Subject: [NIFL-TECHNOLOGY:437] Re: learner chat rooms X-Listprocessor-Version: 6.0c -- ListProcessor by Anastasios Kotsikonas Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 X-Mailer: Mozilla 4.04 [en] (Win95; I) We use ICQ as a chat room tool. It's free, easy to use, with lots of display options (different fonts, font sizes, colors, etc.). ICQ is available from mirabilis.com. Check it out! Chris Berg Education Coordinator, Lynn Friendship Club, Lynn, MA David J Rosen wrote: > Melyssa, and others, > > Another free -- and easy -- way to chat for students and others is AOL > Instantmessenger. You don't have to be on AOL, and you can download the > software free. You create an ID, and then whoever you want to chat with > (who also has to download the AOL InstantMessenger software) creates an > ID. Then you turn on the software and AOLInstantMessenger alerts you both > that you are available to chat. There is no lag time. You can have > several different people chatting at the same time. AND -- if you have a > MAC --you can turn on speech recognition software and the messages are > automatically read out loud (in a computer voice.) > > Another advantage -- if uou set up several "buddies" or people who you > give your online ID to, and one happens to be on at the same time you > are, you'll automatically be notified and can (don't have to) chat then > and there. > > David Rosen > > On Mon, 9 Nov 1998 Melydavis@aol.com wrote: > > > > > > > I'd like to say THANK YOU to Jackie Hamlett for the invitation to participate > > in the Adult Basic Ed Learner chats at their web site on Tuesday/Thursday eves > > (http://nsn.nslsilus.org/wkkhome/adult). > > > > Though we are open on those nights and our learners are eager to chat with > > you, our Learning Center in Brooklyn, New York closes at 8 pm Eastern Standard > > Time. Any other times we could virtually get together? > > > > Another reason I'm writing is because Jackie *totally* pointed me in the right > > direction! Beseen.com is *exactly* the kind of application I have been > > looking for now that our computer room is more substantially internet equipped > > (complete internet access on 5 computers!) > > > > We, too, have had some difficulty sustaining Key Pals between learners at our > > five Brooklyn library centers without a lot of staff support. As this is a > > part-time program, learners do not attend every day. Some may attend only > > once a week and that's a long time to wait between messages, even for > > sophisticated computer users! "Sneaker-Net" (staff members printing, holding > > on to copies of e-mail and hand-delivering them to learners when they return) > > is protocol. > > > > We have also had only moderate success with learner Chats in America Online > > private chat rooms, pre-arranged between learning groups at different centers > > (Most successful were book discussions of Tana Reiff selections!) > > > > What has typically happened is that learning groups and their volunteer tutors > > start out with the best intentions: using these real-time writing > > opportunities between groups of adult learners to encourage invented spelling > > and reading for meaning. But since we only had access on one computer at each > > center, learning groups were crowded around one terminal and not everyone had > > hands-on time. Only the fastest typists (and the most advanced readers) were > > willing to endure the pressure of keying in all the comments from excited > > fellow group members swirling around over and behind their heads! Typically a > > tutor would take over the typing duties and read aloud whatever was coming up > > on the screen from the outside. > > > > Also there was the lag time while waiting to "hear" from chatters at the other > > centers. Groups in one computer room would get restless waiting as learners > > at the other center (presumably) discussed and prepared their responses. (We > > might not know if the other center was still connected!) This discouraged > > people from becoming hands-on chat participants. > > > > These old opportunities were nonetheless very rich. My feeling is there's > > nothing wrong with exposing people to Chat Room technology and letting them be > > involved without actually typing! Also, printing the Chat Log (text that was > > generated) and handing it out to all participants stimulated some of the most > > interesting student self-generated reading activities I've ever seen. > > > > But these events don't compare to the success at my center today setting up > > our own Chat Room at Beseen.com and typing and sending messages to one another > > in our own room. Everyone is involved now, beginners to advanced…..we can see > > each other and communicate orally, face-to-face, and online. Students can help > > one another more readily, and there's just far less down time. > > > > Today I saw the kinds of smiles all the way around the room that say "Wow, I > > learned that fast and I learned it myself!" And, "Boy, what I've been working > > so hard to learn has really paid off!" > > > > I found it simple to set up our own Chat Room and there was no downloading of > > additional software necessary (sometimes a concern when you don't have > > complete autonomy over what's installed on your computer network, as at the > > library where we have tech support from another department). > > > > We will certainly use the shared Chat experience we're gaining to broaden our > > community outside our learning center very soon. (I know some students are > > already planning to share it with their families and at work tonight) But I > > appreciate this opportunity to all start "on the same page"…. > > > > Thanks again Ms Hamlett - I had a good day > > Melyssa Davis, Literacy Advisor > > Eastern Parkway Learning Center > > Brooklyn Public Library > > > > > > > > > > > > \ > > > >
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