In this chapter we discussed the fact that Moodle enables students to learn from each other through interaction and collaboration. We also looked at the advantages of chat over asynchronous forums, and reviewed the fact that the chat allows students to have quick feedback and to feel they are a part of a learning community as they share their perspectives, respond to questions, engage in peer review, and share text, graphics, and media files in order to develop collaborative projects. After the chat session has concluded, transcripts can be edited and used as course material, and conversation can proceed at a leisurely pace. This gives participants time to think.
The key to using these advantages is preparation. Prepare your students by ensuring that they know chat room etiquettes and how to use the software. Prepare yourself by having material ready to copy and paste into the chat. Also, everyone should be prepared to focus on the goals and subject of the chat. More than any other...