Expert Trainer Assignment #7

Submitted by:

Kevin Brady, PhD

The Mayor's Commission on Literacy

Philadelphia, PA

Using Online Chats to Create a Network of Literacy Practitioners

This Assignment is divided into two parts. The first section is a sample lesson plan designed to introduce adult literacy practitioners to World Wide Web chat mechanisms, and to suggest some ways in which these mechanisms might be used to create an interactive forum for instructors. The second section of the assignment goes into greater detail on the subject of chat mechanisms and makes same suggestions about creating broad-based opportunities for adult literacy practitioners to share ideas.

Objectives:

• To introduce instructors to World Wide Web based chat mechanisms through Yahoo Chat.
• To familiarize instructors with chat rooms, chat registration procedures, etc.
• To suggest ways in which communities of practitioners might use chat mechanisms to share ideas.

Necessary Equipment:

• Macintosh (68040 + ) or PC (486 +) capable of running Netscape Navigator 3.0 + or Microsoft Internet Explorer 3.0 +. The Internet browser MUST be JavaScript enabled.
• Three or more dedicated telephone lines or a networked computer lab which will allow multiple users to access the Internet simultaneously.
• A Printer available to all users participating in the exercise.

Procedures:

• Assemble a group of adult practitioners in a computer lab and explain the steps involved in becoming connected to the Internet.

• Have the participants in the group connect to the following URL -- http://chat.Yahoo.com -- Explain that this webpage will create a account which will allow individuals to chat in a number of different subject areas.

• The first goal of the presenter should be to explain the registration forms connected with Yahoo Chat. The registration form for the Web site will look like this:

• Once you have led the practitioners in your group through the registration process, you will want everyone to proceed to the Yahoo Chat page on which they will be given the opportunity to choose a room.

• Have ONLY ONE of the practitioners choose "General Chat" by filling in one of the radio buttons. This will allow that individual to edit the chat options and create a private channel.

• Again, only one of the practitioners should begin the process of creating a private chat channel. -- The other practitioners in the group should watch this individual. If more than one individual opens up a private channel, the exercise will become chaotic - so be careful.

• Begin the process of opening the private channel by clicking the highlighted text at the lower left hand corner of the screen. The page that will appear will look like this:

• When you have your practitioner move to the private chat room utility, make mention of the bar in the upper left hand corner. This is the section of the page in which an private chat room name will have to be entered. Have the practitioner enter "ABE Discussion Page" in this field.

• Now have the instructor hit the "Create My Room" button. -- The workshop participants will now have a freshly created room in which they can gather.

• All of the practitoners will now be able to choose "ABE Discussion Room" by clicking on the alphabetical list at the bottom of the chat page.

• When all of the the practitioners have assembled in the chat room, the discussion can begin. The ABE practitioner leading the discussion has the option to focus the conversation by having the topic for discussion listed at the top of the chat interface.

• Have the practitioners engage in a discussion on this page for fifteen minutes; then, discuss the possibility of instructors from all over the state or country meeting in a similar chat room.

Project Evaluation Criteria

• Were the instructors able to log-on to the Yahoo Chat page successfully?
• Did they manage to register correctly?
• Were they able to create a private chat room?
• Did the successfully gather in the private chat room?

Section II -- Suggestions for Creating a Permanent

Literacy Chat Interface

A. Choosing the medium - Although a direct presence on the web would certainly lead to the Literacy Chat becoming extremely visible, the existing chat utilities on the web can be problematic.

• HTML-based chat interfaces are very slow, and many practitioners would undoubtedly become frustrated by the necessity of manually refreshing the HTML-chat page every few seconds.
• JavaScript-based chat interfaces are far smoother than the html variety. But an individual creating a JavaScripted chat interface would have to possess a certain degree of technical know-how.
• IRC-Chat - This seems to be the perfect solution. IRC means Internet Relay Chat, and although it uses the Internet to transfer data, it is not dependent on a web-browser. Interested practitioners could contact the system operator of an IRC server and for a nominal fee (sometimes NO fee), have a chat channel created completely dedicated to issues surrounding literacy. IRC is conducted in real time and is relatively free of bugs. practitioners might use "Homer" or one of the other shareware IRC applications to access the IRC server. Because IRC is a text-based interface, it would also allow individuals with older computers who are not capable of using the newer browsers to communicate quite smoothly.

The advantages of the IRC system are, perhaps too many to be discussed at length within the context of this assignment. For a detailed discussion of the IRC system click here.

B. Integrating the World Wide Web - If the Literacy Chat is to catch the attention of Literacy Providers from across the state of Pennsylvania or across the country, it will have to have a "mirror" on the World Wide Web. This "mirror" would essentially be a webpage written to attract literacy-minded browsers to the IRC channel on which the practitioners interact.

The Literacy Chat Web site might also be used to catalog information that has been shared on the IRC channel, and to post times and dates for guided discussions. This point seems particularly important since one can hardly expect a chat resource devoted to adult literacy to be constantly busy. The savvy Chat manager would create very specific agendas for IRC channel discussions. A sample schedule might look like this:

CHAT DATES	CHAT TOPICS	MODERATORS
Jan. 20 ,1998 -- 8:00pm (est)	Designing Lesson Plans	Dr. Edna Verbose
Feb. 3, 1998 -- 7:30 pm(est)	Job Training	Ms. Florence Locution
March 4, 1998 -- 5:00pm (est)	New Theories in Pedagogy	Mr. Alan Brightman
April 8, 1998 -- 8:00pm (est)	Welfare Reform and ABE	Dr. Louis Clearthinker
May 1, 1998 -- 7:30pm (est)	Learners and Poverty	Mr. Carlos Verdad

Focused chat sessions like the ones listed above would add necessary structure to the Literacy IRC channel, and would increase the likelihood of meaningful dialogue developing. Advanced scheduling would certainly attract an audience for each session, and the presence of guest moderators with clearly focused questions would make the conversation active and meaningful.

C. Sustaining Participation

Like an electronic mailing list or similar resource, the Literacy Chat would only thrive if a dedicated core of individuals devoted themselves to maintaining the IRC channel and Web site and making the world aware of its existence. This is 'networking' in the truest sense. The practitioners responsible for the IRC channel and Web site might use a web-based utility like "submit it" to list the resource on all of the major search engines. He or she might also contact the Web masters responsible for literacy-related Web sites throughout the country to link the Literacy Chat.

 Questions about this lesson? Contact me at gallowglass@mindspring.com