Friday, September 4, 2009

Journal: Chatting It Up Online

"Chatting It Up Online - Students Talk to a Favorite Author" By: Pamela Livingston

This article describes how a teacher, along with some help, was able to set up online chat between some students and one of their favorite authors, Mary Pope Osborne. The author of this article found out that Osborne was going to be online via a listserv (Classroom Connect), considering a group of her students were avid readers of Osborne's books, she acknowledged the possibilities a live online chat could offer for her students. Livingston explains how she prepared for the chat for the main part of the article. After registering and sending her preferences, she waited to hear back for the approval of their request. When the approval was finalized Livingston took all necessary precautions in setting up for the chat. After reserving the computer lab and clearing any issues with the technical support team, Livingstone read and re-read the email sent to her with suggestions and some online etiquette to prepare herself.
Being sure to have a backup plan in the case of a technical glitch, Livingston was well prepared for the chat.. Although she ran into a few problems, the day of, the chat with Osborne was a success! By having prepared question ahead of time, it allowed for a better flow during the chat. An online chat is considerably different than having a one-to-one conversation, due to the constant posts from various members in the chat room. Livingston described her learning curve, and how she eventually found it easy to scroll throughout the chat to find the answers to particular questions. The chat was setup to be an hour in length, unfortunately the students were unable to stay for the whole conversation. Even though the students had to leave, Livingston continued with the list of question, and was impressed that mostly all their questions were answered. Overall, Livingston expressed how pleased she was with the outcome of the chat and describes the benefits of an online chat for her students.

After reading this article, it opened my eyes to all the possibilities technology could bring to the classroom environment. I feel the "chat" environment is a great way for students to experience things outside of the realm allowing them a unique opportunity to use technology and gain knowledge. Not only could you use a chat with authors but you could use it with other subjects as well, say for instance a biologist or a doctor for science units. Technology could also be used in virtual field trips allowing students to experience things way out of their reach. Technology has opened up so many doors in education, the possibilities are almost endless. However, throughout this article Livingston brings up some good points to think about when dealing with technology that are important to take note of. The following are some good ideas to remember - that I will for sure take along with me throughout my career as an educator:
  • Plan ahead
  • Don't tell students your plans, until you are really far along in the process (being sure not to get their hopes up, in case plans fall through)
  • Work alongside with the tech team (to remove firewalls, etc.)
  • Test, test, and test again - prior to doing it with your students
  • Check location before hand at the same time of day (check for lighting issues, etc.)
  • Make a back up plan

Those were just a few I found, that would be helpful to remember in the future. I only hope that I can incorporate activities like these in my lessons, benefiting my future students in more ways than one.

Standards: NETS4

3 comments:

  1. its great they you can have the kids connect with the author. it makes the feel like they are closer to the person that wrote it and they can even ask them questions about other books. i wish i could of done something like this when i was younger.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I think we both found this article to be very beneficial and useful. Technology can definitely open the doors to new possibilities in the classroom and elsewhere. I really enjoyed reading your section of pointers that we can all carry along with us as future teachers. I feel that as we move more in the future, this chat will be able to reach more and more opportunities. The students get a sense of communication with an author as well as working and getting to know technology. You brought up good points that I wouldn't have even thought of. Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I think it's great how you mentioned that she had a back up plan in case their was a technical glitch. I have learned from previous experiences that mistakes do happen, especially when it involves using technology. It is always a good idea to have multiple plans in case something goes awry. The classroom will break into chaos if the teacher doesn't have something else planned in case of technical difficulties.

    ReplyDelete