Real-time conversations with Moodle Chat: Part 2
I’ve always enjoyed using forms of instant messaging because it’s quick, non-invasive, and informal. Moodle chat is a type of instant messaging and is especially well-suited for short messages, unrehearsed exchanges, office hours, meetings, question and answer sessions and test-preparation. Earlier this year we posted information about using chat for synchronous communication, ideas to incorporate it into teaching, and how to enable it. In further exploring the Moodle chat feature there are two things you might find useful.
Groups
Chats work in conjunction with groups. Instructors can create chat-rooms for groups to hold online meetings. Numerous Elon University summer online faculty have successfully used group chat for:
- virtual meetings
- online interviews for group projects
- peer review of work
- presentation practice
- tutoring
- brainstorming
Additionally, Moodle keeps an online record of chat-room conversations which can be used later for studying, grade evaluation, or note taking. This is my favorite feature of chat!
Chat features to personalize the conversation
Moodle chat has emoticons which are helpful in communicating emotions. Chat also can turn Internet addresses into links automatically, which is a time-saver when groups are exchanging resources. Lastly, users can insert images, sounds and colored text using HTML adding robustness to each instant exchange between chat users. This feature has unlimited possibilities for groups creating digital stories, mind-maps, documentaries, or multimedia essays for course work.
Image by Flickr user Ben Ward / Creative Commons licensed BY-NC-ND 2.0
About the author
Cheri Crabb, PhD, Academic Technology Consultant with TLT, has a career in academia focused on instructional design and development using integrated electronic media systems for blended learning.
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