Synchronous Chats
Years ago, when I did my Bachelors of Computer Science, I was with a group of people that (putting it nicely, myself included) have "God" complexes. We were working in the field already and we believe we had the "Real World" ways of doing it. Many of the talks were dominated by this group.
There was a small group that rarely got a chance to speak. Did they learn, maybe? But some always had a problem speaking out. They were afraid they were going to get trampled, but some actually said they liked see us debate. Not a very good learning experience for some of these students.
In what category do you think you would fall under? Why?
ROSA,
Yes, the current chat room set up has confused many communication channels during class meetings. I have seen in recent years that many LMSs are beginning to use audiovisual forums like Wimba, AdobeConnect, WebEx and others. These newer platforms for synchronous chats often provide for a richer experience in the online classroom.
Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
My position would definitely depend on the course and the apparent knowledge of the other students. However, I like to take charge in groups because I know it is my grade too and do not want to leave it up to someone else on whether assignments will be turned in on time or not. The online forum for meetings is a bit difficult though because sometimes you do not know who is talking or an answer has already been given, and another person is trying to type something that was answered several minutes before. Sometimes lots of thoughts race through your head which you can dominate the conversation, making others uncomfortable.
David,
As you continue to participate, I think most people understand the enthusiasm. Thank you for your contribution.
Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
Honestly, I tend to come on kind of strong, but then I quickly realize the error of my ways and reset to the appropriate level.
I mean no harm by it---for me its just simple enthusiasm for what I do and my desire to share that with as many folks as possible.
Dave
Thank you. When I use previous experience in life, I feel capable of giving spice to the conversation.
Antonio,
This is a good metacognitive question to get the learners to think about their participation in class. My answer would have to be "an in-between" category.
When I came across this situation I would usually sit back an try to think of one-liner, thought provokers - questions to the talkers to get them to spill information that may be helpful to me and would sometimes turn the conversation to a more productive path. Nevertheless, it would usually revert back to the norm in a relatively short period.
Nice job - good thought provoker.
