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Internet Relay Chat (IRC) |
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Synchronous, or real-time, internet discussions add an exciting dimension to telecollaborating. Students respond enthusiastically to meeting and discussing topics "in person" with other students via this text-based format. Most students are familiar with this format already, especially from using instant messaging software and cell phone text messaging. Conferences which are preceded by teacher preparation sessions can provide advance training and work out problems for participants. In order to participate in this type of event, some advance class preparation is generally needed to review conference materials and IRC procedures. Chat is perhaps the easiest way to conference, since client shareware is available on the internet and there are relatively few commands to learn. Basically, using IRC software, you connect to an IRC server and join a channel in order to "meet" others. You type and send messages which are posted to the viewing windows of everyone connected to your channel. Learn to IRC Conference Chat adds an exciting dimension to traditional classroom discussions. Individual differences disappear and ideas take the forefront. The anonymity of IRC can stimulates self-expression and increases self-confidence. When done in a private channel with an experienced moderator, IRC is a safe, stimulating environment for sharing ideas. Educator Training: To get the most out of your study oriented chats, experience with IRC tools is important. Kidlink offers one totally education oriented IRC server. Student Training: To get the most from a conference, students should be familiar with IRC and with conferencing procedures. Practice will help students maximize their learning experience. We will provide specially arranged school day training and practice session for your students in a private channel. . Top IRC Software Test drive: You may use any IRC software. Be sure to test your software ahead of time so that you can work out any problems in advance. Some commercial internet providers include IRC software as part of their package. WWW Browser Chat: Some IRC groups provide chat which can be accessed via your WWW browser. There is no separate software to download but the download of the Java script may require a few minutes. Browser chats using JAVA are available with Windows 95 and Netscape 3. Macintosh: An excellent multifuctional chat program is IRCLE, which provides a wide range of tools in well-arranged panels. This nominally priced shareware is avaialbe from The official Ircle home page. Other useful programs include macIRC and ChatNet. Instructions for using IRCLE. Windows: Two shareware programs which offer multiple command options are mIRC and Pirch98, which are available at CNET Download.com or ZDNet. Top Connecting to the IRC Server and Channel How: Most IRC server names look like : chat.here.com or irc.now.org Your chat program needs to be given this location and the port number, which is usually 6667. Channels, also called chat rooms, are designated (preceded) by a # in front of the name. Participants should practice getting into the "chat room" before the conference, especially if new to chat. Security and a Positive Experience: : Check out your chat server for rules and regulations. Some sites have discussion moderators and other staff to ensure that your chat experience is positive by dealing with rulebreakers. Other servers allow total freedom of expression. When students are involved. It is a good idea to choose a safe site. Of course, when you are working in realtime, there is no guarantee against a spontaneous, x-rated response. However, students trained in advance and supervised are unlikely to be inappropriate. An ideal spot for student participants to learn IRC is in a hidden room, since there will be no unexpected "guests". Deciding How to Particpate Number of computers: : The absolute maximum participation in any room is 30-50 "names" or computers. However ideal conversation maximum is about 20. Number of computer accesses per classroom my be limited based on conference size. For example, with 5 classes, at most 4 computers. However, if classes opt for fewer participants, you can increase number of classes or limits for other classes. Classroom Configuration: Decide ahead of time who will participate. You may choose to have one student per computer, or a team of 2-5 students per computer. You may also use one computer with an LCD projection screen to allow other class members to follow the discussion. Strategies for involving entire classes are suggested. Top Preparing your students Learning Conference Procedures: Conference procedures should be provided to participants upon registration, to allow plenty of time for teachers and students to practice. It is a good idea to have chatted informally online before the conference. Practice and private channels: A safe way to practice beforehand is to have your IRC server set up a private channel, which no one else will see. Only those who know the channel name can enter. When security is a concern, the channel may have a password requirment for entry. Since the room is hidden, you will have no unwanted visitors or unexpected dialog. Only other conference participants might be there. Explore Discussion Topics: Providing a set of questions or topics for classes to consider before the conference can increase conference interaction. Preparing students before hand will help them to focus their ideas. In addition, it will increase their confidence to participate. It is very important that students be familiar with the conference discussion topics. Reviewing the chat questions individually is not necessary--that could make the conference a rehash. Organizing: Organize information on cards, or in folders by issue (i.e., health care, balanced budget, etc.) where they can access it quickly. They can also cross index by party, and by candidate. No Speeches: : However, prepared speeches are discouraged. This is a conference, not a debate. Spontaneity will lead us to exciting explorations. In addition, a student is automatically ejected by the system for making long entries. Top Conference Procedures Format:
Nicknames: Use a reasonable, appropriate nickname and the two-letter abbreviation for your state. Joe Everyone from Missouri would be "joeMO". If there are two Joes from Missouri, add the first letter of your last name (joe-eMO). Introduction: We "introduce the topic and any featured speakers" (YEA/todd Kaercher, you) and let students introduce themselves, with their name location and grade level. Then we let them chat to warm up for a few minutes. Raising Topics: Moderators will then begin to pose questions and get audience participation. They will introduce premise/question pairs: run a short statement of information, then ask a question to go along with it. This method provides a starting point for discussion, informing and inquiring. Generating Discussion:
Flow of conversatio: Be prepared to free associate and tie bits of conversation together when doing a spontaneous chat. Courtesy and practice are especially important here. Message lengths: Try to be brief. If you post too much to the screen at one time, you will get knocked off the system for what is called "scrolling". If you have more than a couple of statements to input, type a sentence, end it with "..." to let others know more is on the way, then continue. This procedure also helps the flow, since messages take a little while to reach everyone's screeen Here to learn and share: This is an educational event. Remind them that they are representing their class, school, city, and state! It's also helpful to review your Internet use rules with them, or your school district's Acceptable Use Policy. Students should know that flirting, age, or gender inquiries, and private unwanted messages are not allowed. Spelling Doesn't Count: The type flies quickly in IRC, so don't worry about misspelled words. Your idea is the important part. There will be many typos made and forgotten in this conference. Top Classroom Management Consider how your students will chat: one student per computer, teams of 2-5 students per computer, one computer and an LCD screeen or TV monitor. Teamwork: Having students research or prepare in small groups ahead of time will increase their involvement. If everyone has different information to input, they can help each other. This tactic is particularly helpful if these students will be working as a team at a computer during the conference. Maintaining Interest: Using one-computer for the class, or more than two students per computer-kids may lose interest if they are not themselves interacting... Try these support activities during the conference:
Top Conference Rules Chatiquette:
Where discussions are moderated, offenders may be kicked or banned. During an educational conference, these are appropriate penalties: warned in a private message; if continued, input will be "gagged", no longer visible to anyone else at the conference, teacher notified. Online Jargon: A set of anagrams have developed to speed certain exchanges common in chats, since it takes time to type and to exchange messages. These are common: A longer list is available from some IRC servers, such as Kidlink. Back to index Transcripts Conference can be logged, so that all participants have a transcript of the session. Generally, you can request and receive a transcript of the discussions from the moderator. Some IRC software, such as IRCLE 2.5 for Macs, will allow you to log the session. Or, you can simply copy the information from your session window at the end of the conference and paste it into a word processing page. Top Using IRCLE for Macintosh: 1. Download IRCLE. 2. Double click to install IRCLE --you must have StuffIt Expander to decompress the IRCLE file. 3. Open your Internet connection if you have a dial-up Internet account. 4. Open IRCLE. 5. In the Connection Window, bottom right of screen, click the top entry to highlight it. 6. Click Edit. A window will open. Enter your nickname and username (they can be the same). You do not need to give a real name. Click OK to close the window. 7. Click server. Select the server you have been given for the project. If the server is not listed, click Add. Enter the server and port you have been given. If you have been given the network, add it also. 8. Click Connect. When you connect to the IRC server, the information will appear in the console window. If you lose or accidentally close any of your windows, you can find them again in the Windows pulldown menu at the top of the page. 9. To join the correct conference room, type this into the Inputline: /join #roomname The roomname is the name you have been given for the conference. The "/" slash should be the first entry on the line, it tell the program you are giving a command. 10. To talk, just type in the inputline and hit Return to send your message. Remember it takes time for your message to get to everyone else and for them to reply. 11. You can log a session, that is make a transcript, by accessing the pulldown menu in the bottom left corner of the console or chatroom window and selecting Start Logging. A window will appear for you to select where to save the transcript. You can also automatically log all chat by selecting Preferences in the File pulldown menu. In the window that appears, click the logging tab and select auto logging and click OK. 12. When you are done chatting, click Disconnect in the Connections window to close the session. 13. Quit the program using Command-Q. Save your preferences. Sample IRC Projects These projects incorporated chat as part of the: Playwriting-in-the-Round: Student playwrights discussed the playwriting process after five weeks of collaborative authoring. State of the Union: after analyzing the U.S. President's State of the Union address, students shared their analyses. Back to index Other Resources Conferencing on the Web By David R. Woolley, 1995 Educational Chat Rooms tips and resources from Tammy Payton at Logootee Elementary West. eModerators: a growing set of resources for moderators and moderators-to-be of online discussion in both academic and non-academic settings. Authors Nancy Schubert, Telecollaborate! Leni Donlan, Library of Congress Mary Todd Kaercher, Educational consultant. Debbie Dembecki, Liveworld, Inc. |
