How Do You Use Chatroom Technology In The Classroom?
Chatrooms have gained popularity among younger users of the Internet but, in spite of the bad press that “chatting” can get at times, there are a number of possibilities for you, as a teacher, to help your students learn more than they could through “normal” methods of instruction. Determine what you want your students to know. Plan a concrete objective that will allow you–and your students–to know when they’ve met the learning goal. For example, if you want your students to speak Spanish, you could set a goal that they find out what the words for “car,” “bedroom,” and “to have a hangover” are in a variety of Spanish-speaking countries. Direct the students to various chatroom web sites, and have them choose a “room” that corresponds with what you want them to learn. Tell students to spend a certain amount of time at the task, so as to get the maximum benefit. Prepare a form or template of some kind which can guide the students toward the learning objectives. For example, if your goal
