Here are some snippets and little notes of some of the programs being tested throughout this series.  This is by no means meant to be an exhaustive summary – or an extensive investigation into the available programs – but ideas and comparisons based on a variety of programs and tried within the structure being evaluated.

Well reality bites - we had a ball again today. The introduction sessions on Monday and Tuesday did not go to plan ……  did not have a structure to them - and deliberately offered that way so people could have a opportunity to just look and feel about the chat environments. The planned 1 hour sessions slowly evolved into 2 hour sessions where external influences forced people to leave what was an enjoyable experience in networking and experimenting.

Moodle Text Chat

In Moodle - the text chat is like many others with a nice little touch that if you have uploaded a profile picture into the system, then that picture is displayed each time you enter any text.  Most people commented during both days that it gives you a feeling of connectedness with the individual sending the message.  I believe this is extremely important if people have never met F2F before. Moodle chat is easy to use and although it lacks  a couple of nice features, is still a great and useful tool within Moodle.

Compued Voice Chat

The second chat room we used on both days was a Voice chat provided to us by Compued Australia for the AFLC Community  Project Support Team and the Community Journey into Flexible Learning. It has proven to be a major hit and has brought great life for those participating. If you have a sound card and no mic, you can still participate via the text box and listen to the conversations.

On the two days the systems were used, and keeping in mind that these were informal sessions, designed to introduce people to the available technology with both sessions going well over time for no other reason than people enjoyed the experience.

What were some of the Lessons Learned from this small experience?

Advantages and disadvantages and some experiences in terms of rules and etiquette

Text Chat

• everyone can and should participate
  
• maximum of 3 agenda items can be covered in 1 hour
  
• maximum of 20 people to a room if interaction is to happen between participants (10 is the ideal number I believe)
  
• an experienced moderator needs to be in the room

Voice Chat

• maximum of 5 agenda items per hour
  
• maximum of 20 people in the session for interaction – however can be larger numbers if only a few are scheduled to give a presentation

Both styles of chat

• an agenda needs to be strictly adhered to
  
• people need to ensure they are logged into the chat before it is due to start and socialise before the due start time. Experience has shown that people entering a room after a session really sidetracks the flow with people jumping and welcoming them and carrying on their own agendas – think about your F2F classes – would you allow it to happen? Same principles apply in a chat room as in a classroom.
  
• an experienced moderator / facilitator is a must – if you are inexperienced – then find a mentor to assist you in your presentation.
  
• allowance after the scheduled meeting – again to socialise
  
• etiquette needs to be established – they can be hectic fun if one does not maintain a semblance of order

A suggestion of protocol

!     for want to make statement
?     for want to ask questions
...     at the end indicates you have more to say
ga     at the end means you have finished.

• Please wait until you are called on to 'speak' and keep to the agenda item.
  
• Keep to general business and other items near the end of the session.

These are just a few of the key points that have been identified throughout various chat sessions. This is not an exhaustive list nor a right/wrong – just thoughts. The best advice I believe I can pass on as an educator is that you use commonsense when you enter a chat room and act as if you were inside a F2F class room if you are a participant. If you are a facilitator – open your rooms 15 min beforehand or even 30 min if you have the time and book your room (if you need to book one) for 30 min after the scheduled meeting completion time to allow for socialisation.

People attending a one hour chat should allow about 2 hours for the activity – at least 15 min before to login get settled and all the welcome socialisation and 30 min afterwards for that important networking that happens. The last 15 min is to tidy up – get your thoughts back together, grab a cuppa and settle back into your job routine. Anything less than that then you are not giving the chat session the undivided attention that your job demands and the chat session needs. Both will be half hearted for about a two-hour period around the scheduled chat session. (there is a hint for managers) I have noticed a significant job performance drop off when people are getting ready for a chat and juggling past deadlines (we have all experienced that) for information that was required yesterday. If you are in that situation – forget the chat and continue your work. There are generally summaries and transcripts available if you find that there was an important issue that needed to be reviewed.

I hope you have found this useful.