Hi Moodlers,
I've just published an article titled, "Using chat to facilitate more interactive classes." http://blog.matbury.com/2014/03/13/using-chat-facilitate-interactive-classes/
Can you think of any caveats, issues, etc. that this might raise?
Looking forward to reading your thoughts and comments.
In the spirit of sharing.
Matt
Hello Matt,
I find your post very informative and clear. I like this methodology and it has been showed that through written Computer-Mediated Communication shy students participate more.
My only caveat is the tool: I find Moodle Chat really unattractive. I like Twitter more, and there are a lot of Twiiter apps or complements that allow to see the whole conversations or the conversations with a determined tag. I know there are many privacy issues about Twitter - but I also know it exists the feature "Groups". I am not an expert in Twitter but may be it would be a possiblity.
Thanks for your article!
Beatriz.
Hi Beatriz,
I've been reading up on research and there are some legitimate uses of Twitter for learning under some circumstances, but there are also a lot of drawbacks and if oversight and accountability are priorities or requirements in your organisation, then public services like Twitter present an insurmountable challenge.
Depending on your organisation's and learners' needs, there may also be more appropriate and productive platforms, e.g. http://elgg.org/ is free and open source, can guarantee privacy, and has a range of options for microblogging and real-time multimedia posting and interactions. And there's https://buddypress.org/ , an extension of Wordpress for social applications. There are also alternative chat client plugins available for Moodle.
Hi Matt,
thanks for your information! Yes, I am aware of the drawbacks of Twitter for academic use. I used identi.ca, an open-source microblogging service for my MA thesis and it shut down some months ago . So I think your proposals are better. I did not know buddypress, but I have read very good things about elgg (for example from Stephen Downes). I would like to try it. Do you know if there is a "sandbox", so I can have a picture of it?
Thanks and regards!
Hello Beatriz,
please can I have a copy of that reading: elgg by Stephen Downes? +1 for the sandbox request.
much appreciated,
Dawn
Hello Dawn,
it is not an article. Stephen Downes writes in his blog quite often about elgg. Here some of his posts:
http://www.downes.ca/post/57187
http://www.downes.ca/post/54329
http://www.downes.ca/post/54267
If you search in his blog for "elgg", you can see a lot of posts about it.
Regards,
Beatriz.
BTW, if you want to experiment with free and open source web apps. LMS', social networking platforms but aren't particularly "techy" and don't want to commit to running a website, it's getting easier to install web software on your personal computer all the time. I've outlined how to install a fully working Moodle on your PC here:
Update: Do you want to get started with Moodle?: http://blog.matbury.com/2014/03/31/update-want-get-started-moodle/
This is the easiest method I've found yet. If you go for option #2, you can then install any of these with equal ease: https://bitnami.com/stacks Unfortunately, doesn't include Elgg.org. There is a way to install it and other software not provided on BitNami but it gets a bit too techy for most.
If you want to try out BuddyPress, you can install Wordpress and then install the extensions on top of it to convert it to BuddyPress, through the built-in Wordpress administration panel.
You can also make your BitNami installed software accessible publicly if you can find out your IP address; as long as your computer is turned on and your BitNami server is running, people you've sent your IP address can access your it as if it's a website. How well it works depends on how fast your ISP is. I wouldn't recommend doing this on a regular basis or for large numbers of learners; most ISPs don't like you running your own websites from home/work.
Hi Beatriz,
identi.ca used http://status.net/ as their software. It's free and open source, written in PHP and runs easily, even on shared hosting accounts. I haven't used it for a while (2 years?) but as I remember, it didn't have very good user management tools. Perhaps they've improved since then.
At least if you have your own installation, you won't have someone else pulling the rug out from under your feet while you're in the middle of a project/semester.
Good luck!
Update: Just checked... apparently https://identi.ca/ are using http://pump.io/ now. Looks like it runs on Node.js which not all servers support. It's in an early stage of development so there may be some stability issues... looks like there are some security issues too.
Another option is Diaspora* https://diasporafoundation.org/ which runs on Ruby. It's modular and installations can join up to create distributed networks, and users have control over their own data, can close their accounts, export their data, and move it to a new installation of Diaspora* and still keep in touch with all their contacts/friends.
Eat your heart out Facebook users! :P
stability issues.........nevertheless, tip of the hat to you.
Dawn
Hi Matt:
I was thinking on using Google´s chat but in a different scenario, not in class but when I was logged in the course and students were also there, so I could answer any questions they might have. This due mainly to google´s notification feature, and also because it seems to me faster.
The type of use you suggest in your entry looks very promising and I will try it. I think something that makes easier to implement your idea is arranging the chat window and the course window so everybody can be working and at the same time see what is posted in the chat.
Thanks,
Jose
Just a question/suggestion regarding Moodle´s chat: Shouldn´t the chat window be a block instead of opening in a separate window (version 2.6)?. This would be a very useful feature.
It might not be a problem with every audience but for the age group I teach, 11 to 14 years of age, I have to really pay attention to make sure the chat does not degenerate into idle chit chat. Seems that if I ignore more than one off-topic comment it spreads like wild fire to the rest of the participants and then the wheat gets lost in the chaff. Now-a-days , I only use chat when I am out of class, as I know that a substitute teacher usually will not be able to answer my students cries for help.
