• How to start using text or voice chat with learners
• How to structure a text or voice chat lesson
• A sample text chat lesson plan
Chat in language teaching
Imagine a group of secondary school students in Spain text chatting to a similar group in Poland about where they live and what their town is like ... or students in Argentina and in Kuwait asking each other about the customs they are most proud of in their respective countries, via voice chat. Chat has enormous potential to link students around the world, in real time. It is a technology that many learners will often be familiar with and will use in their social lives, so it is worth exploiting in the classroom where possible. Having said that, although the types of cultural exchange described above are hugely motivating to students, they will probably take place no more than a few times a term or semester.
In this chapter we look at the use of chat in the classroom, where the teacher can link up classes and groups in different locations, as part of collaborative project work or for one-off chat sessions such as those described above. We also look at the most likely application of chat, which is outside the classroom, where learners in the same class chat together (or with the teacher) to improve their English as part of their homework or self-study activities.
One important issue to bear in mind is that using chat needs to have a clear purpose for learners. There is not much point taking a class of learners who regularly meet face-to-face to a computer room during class time simply to chat to each other via a computer when they can do so more effectively simply by turning to their partner! We will look at ways in which chat can be effectively integrated into teaching in the next sections.
Types of chat
Chat is a tool that allows for synchronous, i.e. real-time, communication over the Internet. When talking about chat, we need to distinguish between text and audio chat, and between public and private chat, all of which can take place one-to-one or between groups of users. What makes chat essentially different from other forms of synchronous communication such as mobile phone texting, for example, is presence. Chat users are able to see the status/ availability of other chat users, such as whether the user is online, away, busy, and so on. To start with, we'll look at some of the differences between text and audio chat, and then between public and private chat.
• Text chat
Communication between chat users takes place via typed text. The user types their message into the chat program, sends it, and it instantly appears on the screen(s) of the other user(s). There is still a tendency when talking about Internet chat to assume that we are referring to text chat, but with increasing access to free voice chatware, audio chat is becoming more common.
• Audio or voice chat
Communication between chat users takes place via audio, much like a phone conversation, but is conducted on the Internet. Fast gaining ground in what is known as P2P (peer-to-peer) communications software is Skype, which has the advantage of being free. We will be looking at Skype in more detail, and at other chat software, later in this chapter. For learners to use audio chat, they need to have a microphone and speakers and/or headphones.
• Public chat
There are innumerable public chat rooms on the Internet, on a huge variety of topics, which any user can join. Typically, in a public chat room users do not know each other, although regular users of a specific chat room will get to know each other over time, and users may decide to use an alias instead of their real name. A typical example of a public chat forum is Yahoo! Chat (www.chat.yahoo. com), where chat rooms are grouped into categories like Business and Finance, Schools and Education, Movies, Music, and so on.
• Private chat
This requires the installation of a client program, which connects individual users over the Internet. Alternatively, users may be linked over an intranet, for example within a company. Private text chat is also known as instant messaging. Some of the most popular instant messaging programs are Yahoo! Messenger, MSN Messenger, Google Talk, Skype and AOL Instant Messenger. Other chat programs you may come across are Qnext, .NET Messenger Service, Jabber, QQ, iChat and ICQ. Many of these instant messaging programs offer not only text chat, but voice chat, and also video and web conferencing facilities which allow the combination of video conferencing with instant messaging capabilities.
There are several different types of educational chat that one can set up with learners. One way of classifying educational chats, suggested by practising teacher Daphne Gonzalez, is set out here:
• Free topic chats
Here, there is no topic or agenda set for the chat, and no specific moderator role. An example of such a chat might be learners meeting in pairs or small groups via an instant messaging program to practise English together, for example at the weekend.
• Collaborative, task-oriented chats
With this, learners meet via chat out of class to complete a real task, such as preparing a PowerPoint presentation or putting together the results of a survey which they will then present to peers in the classroom. Typically, the learners
are preparing some sort of'product' together as part of project work, and will probably have previously emailed a document or PowerPoint presentation to each other, which they can then refer to during the chat itself.
• Informative or academic chats
This kind of chat disseminates information. For example, a learner or teacher gives a presentation on a topic via chat. This is then followed by a question and answer stage. Another example is where a learner or the teacher brings specific questions on a topic to be explored in the chat itself. This approach works well in the context of a blended learning solution, where learners meet some of the time online and some of the time face-to-face. We focus on blended learning solutions in Chapters 11 and 12.
• Practice chats
These chats will practise a specific function or form of language, or a specific skill or strategy, and will probably take place out of class time. Examples are: a voice chat practising a telephone job interview or indeed any telephone situation; practising communication strategies such as circumlocution to describe an object; practising a specific language form such as the past tense, or future tenses for predictions; and practising pronunciation features via voice chat.
Chat programs
Let's now look at some of the chat programs currently available, for both text and voice chat. On the next page is a screenshot of Skype (www.skype.com). The Skype screenshot shows both text chat and voice chat in operation at the same time.
Most instant messaging applications include webcam (web camera) facilities, so that you can not only text chat and voice chat, but you can also see your interlocutor, if they have a webcam installed on their computer.
There are more sophisticated programs available for free, which allow video and audio conferencing alongside other tools. One well-known program is NetMeeting (http://www. microsoft.com/windows/netmeeting/), which works with Windows. If it is not already installed on your computer (for Windows 2000 and XP users), you can download it from the Internet (do a Google search of'download NetMeeting'), and all you need to use it is a pair of headphones/speakers, a microphone and a webcam. Note, however, that with the advent of Windows Vista (2007), NetMeeting is being superseded by Windows Meeting Space. However, it is too early at the time of writing to state with any certainty whether NetMeeting will continue to be supported by Microsoft, and if so, for how long.
Meeting Space, like NetMeeting, includes both audio and video conferencing and a whiteboard facility, as well as program sharing and file transfer. Program sharing allows users to look at the same 'application' together at the same time, for example a web page, a photo or a PowerPoint presentation. File transfer allows users to send text, audio or video files to each other, from within the program. Programs like NetMeeting can be used to teach remotely, or as part of a blended learning solution. The video function will only display two users at once, so the video conferencing facility is less useful for larger groups of learners, but very well suited for one-to-one teaching or tutorials. It is also worth bearing in mind that more sophisticated types of software like this require a reliable broadband connection to work well.
Why use chat in language teaching?
A teacher deciding whether to use chat with learners who meet face-to-face on a regular basis will probably want to ask the following questions:
• Does using text or voice chat with learners improve their English?
• What kind of English should learners use in chat?
• What technical skills do teachers and learners need to be able to use chat?
• What benefits does the use of chat bring to the classroom?
• Is it better to use text or voice chat with learners? Let's consider these issues one by one.
Does using text or voice chat with learners improve their English?
There has been some research into how using tools such as synchronous text chat can improve learners' language abilities. Studies to date seem to point to text chat providing opportunities for negotiating meaning, seen as key to language acquisition by many linguists, but it has also been noted that online chat, especially text chat, does not follow the same rules of interaction as face-to-face conversation. Text chat can often appear disjointed: conversation threads get lost or questions are ignored; there are overlapping turns; and conventions for taking the floor are not automatically clear. Voice chat is more likely to make learners produce more fluent language.
What kind of English should learners use in chat?
There is the view that online text chat is the virtual equivalent to mobile phone texting, in which abbreviated forms, for example, CU L8r for see you later, are the norm. We would recommend that students generally use standard written English conventions in text chat and email. They are more likely to be interacting with other non-native speakers and writers, and abbreviated forms can be confusing. And, after all, they are meant to be using chat as another way of improving and practising their English. Perhaps worth teaching are:
• common abbreviations used in text chat, such as btw for by the way, brb for be right back, cu for see you, and so on.
• some basic rules of netiquette (or online communication etiquette), which we covered in Chapter 5. Netiquette can apply to both text and voice chat, and covers both how to behave online and some common conventions.
• in text chat, introducing learners to some basic conventions for turn-taking is worthwhile preparation for using this medium of communication efficiently and smoothly.
• example conventions include using'...' to show that you have not finished your turn and typing ? to ask for the floor.
• What technical skills do teachers and tearners need to be able to use chat?
• The fact is that learners are increasingly using text and audio chat in their personal lives, as instant messaging systems become increasingly common, to communicate with family and friends, so many are already familiar with chat. Current chat software is very easy to install and use, so no special technical skills are needed by either teachers or learners, apart from knowing where and how to type comments in a chat window for text chat, and how to use a microphone and speakers, or a headset, for voice chat.
• One skills area that can put learners at a disadvantage in text chat is their typing ability. Slower typists will find it more difficult to contribute, as by the time their contribution has
• been typed out, the conversation may have moved on. Also, if the teacher is using the text chat script for language analysis after the chat, it may be difficult to see what constitutes a mistake, and which learner errors are due to typographical errors (typos), or to the conventions of text chat.
• Finally, although not a 'skill', using voice chat does require a reliable broadband Internet connection. If you have a dial-up/modem connection, it is probably safer to stick to text chat because it generally takes higher connection speeds to transmit and receive audio and video data.
• What benefits does the use of chat bring to the classroom?
• Using chat in the classroom - whether text or voice chat - can be hugely motivating to learners. By using chat with learners, the teacher is bringing current technology into the language learning process, creating variety by using a 'new' tool and also opening up the possibility of contacting and communicating with classes in other parts of the world. There are increasing numbers of teachers in all levels of education using chat to connect learners at a distance, from primary students to adults. We saw some real examples of this at the beginning of the chapter.
• Chapter 11 provides you with suggestions of online teacher groups which you can join to link up with teachers who regularly carry out these kinds of projects in their face-to-face teaching.
• Is it better to use text or voice chat with learners?
• We first need to remind ourselves that text chat and voice chat are two entirely different media. Text chat requires written (typed) interaction, while voice chat relies on spoken interaction. Learners are using two different sets of skills for these two means of communication. At the same time, many chat programs combine text and voice capabilities, and some include other interactive features such as whiteboards on which to 'project' PowerPoint presentations, or to look at web pages together during a chat.
• With increasingly easy access to voice chat, it is probably worth exposing your learners to a combination of both voice and text chat, if possible. As with any tool, there are a number of advantages and disadvantages associated with each, several of which have already been mentioned above, and which we summarise in the table below:
•
Text chat
Voice chat
Advantages
• Learners may already use text
• Learners may already use voice
chat at home.
chat at home.
• Brings current technology into
• Brings current technology into
the classroom.
the classroom.
• Use of a new tool can be
• Use of a new tool can be
motivating for learners.
motivating for learners.
• Enables learners to make contact
• Enables learners to make contact
with learners in other countries.
with learners in other countries.
• A low tech option.
• 'Real' oral practice of language.
• Non-threatening and easy to
• Voice chat software increasingly
learn to use. • Chat transcript can be used later for language analysis.
easy to download and use.
Disadvantages
• Text chat can be chaotic
• Suitable for very small groups
(overlapping turns, disjointed,
only.
topic decay ...).
• Reliable broadband Internet
• Unclear whether text chat really
connection needed.
improves learners' English.
• Recording a chat may be
• Do we need to teach 'chat
complex and require other
speak'?
• Can be difficult to identify errors vs. typos vs. non-standard 'chat speak'.
• Weaker typists are put at a disadvantage.
software.
How to start using text or voice chat with learners
To start using chat in the classroom, we would suggest a carefully staged approach, which will help get both learners and teachers familiar with the chat program, how it works and what it can be used for. We would suggest starting out with text chat, and then moving on to voice chat once learners have had a chance to practise with text chat. Ideally, using chat with learners would include a 'real' use of chat, for example chatting to learners in a different country, or using chat outside of class time with learners from their own class. Initially it is a good idea to use chat in class with your learners a couple of times, to help them become comfortable with it, so that they can then go on and use it outside class.
Step 1 - Install and learn to use the software
Download and install a popular instant messaging program which includes both text and voice chat facilities (e.g. Yahoo! Messenger, MSN Messenger, Google Talk or Skype - this last is especially recommended) to your school computers. If you are not familiar with instant messaging yourself, get a colleague to practise using the program with you, and make sure you understand the basics of how to use the text and voice chat in your chosen program. Note that you will need a partner to do this.
Step 2-A practice chat class
Some of your learners may already be familiar with text or voice chat. Find out if any of your learners use chat, and if so, what for, for example to make friends on the Internet or to chat to family/friends in other countries. Also, find out how many of your learners are familiar with common instant messaging programs such as MSN, Yahoo! Messenger or Skype.
Once you have established how much chat experience and expertise you already have in the class, run a 'practice' chat session with your learners on the computer, preferably in pairs, with less experienced chat users paired with more experienced chat users. Explain clearly that the aim of the practice class is simply to encourage them to chat to each other to become familiar with the software, even if the situation is somewhat unrealistic, as learners
will be sitting together in the same computer room! Make clear to learners that the goal of using chat will be for them to use chat to practise their English outside class. Remember that before learners can chat together they will need to have created a username and password for the software, and to have invited each other to join their contact lists.
First, allow your learners time to get used to using text chat, then let them experiment with voice chat, in the same chat software. This is the time to teach and practise any netiquette or turn-taking conventions that you would like your learners to use in text or voice chat. On the next page is a brief outline of a lesson for a first text chat practice session.
Step 3 - Contact with another class
The potential of chat for linking groups of learners who are far apart, in real time, is vast. How can a teacher go about setting up such a project? Through an international teachers' network (see Chapter 11) make contact with teachers who would like to link up their classes via chat, and together decide on a time to chat. It is well worth first getting the two classes to email each other to exchange some personal information, so that learners at least feel they know each other a little before chatting online. You might even want to first set up a collaborative email exchange (see Chapter 5) or a blog or wiki project (see Chapter 7), and to use chat as part of such a project.
To make the initial contact with a class in a different country less intimidating for your learners, you may first want to set up several encounters using text chat only. Once learners feel that they know each other a little, and are more comfortable not only with the medium but with chatting to each other, you could introduce a voice chat. See the following section for how chats between learners in different countries may be structured and run.
How to structure a text or voice chat lesson
Like any lesson, a chat lesson needs a clear structure and aims. First, ask yourself what learners will get out of your chat. If the chat is to be held, as we suggest, between classes in different countries, there are, as we have said, several benefits for your learners:
• contact with other learners/cultures, and the motivation that this brings.
• 'real' communication with a real purpose.
• use of a new medium in the classroom.
• a chance to practise written and/or spoken English.
There are several possible groupings for running chats between two classes in different geographical locations:
a If learners in both classes have access to individual computers, they can simply be put in pairs, with one learner from Class A being paired with one learner from Class B.
b If there are enough computers available for learners to work in small groups on a single computer, clear guidelines for turn-taking in each group need to be provided by the teacher.
c In the single computer classroom, an entire class can use one microphone for a voice chat, with the teacher allocating turns, introducing topics and signalling the various stages of the lesson.
For text chat, we would recommend that learners work only in grouping a above, as text chat can be quite slow and unwieldy, and because only one username per computer can be used easily. This makes it ideal for pairwork, where each member of the pair has access to a computer, but a lot less effective for bigger groupings. For voice chat all three groupings, a, b or c, can be used.
Whichever of the above groupings most suits your context, it is not a good idea to simply put two classes together via chat and leave them to get on with it. Providing a clear structure for learners to follow will give them a sense of purpose and also provide security, which is especially important if your learners are communicating in a foreign language at a distance with people who they do not know very well, and if they are unfamiliar with the chat medium. Any chat lesson, whether using text and/or voice chat, should include the following broad stages:
• An introductory/warmer phase
This phase may include detailed introductions and an exchange of personal information if learners are chatting together for the first time, or it may consist of a simple exchange of information, such as 'What was the best thing you did last weekend?' for learners who have already chatted in the past. This stage serves to set the scene and acts as an icebreaker.
• The main content of the chat
This may consist of one main task, or a series of short tasks, which learners need to complete, and could be based on a worksheet which learners have been given before the chat. See the sample chat lesson below.
• A closing stageIn this stage learners may summarise what they have covered or achieved in the chat, and say goodbye. The teacher might have set a brief closing task, such as asking learners to tell each other one thing they have enjoyed about the chat.
A sample text chat lesson plan
This sample lesson describes a first text chat between two low language level secondary school classes who are geographically separated, preferably in different countries. The aim of the chat is for learners to find out things about their partner and to build up a profile of that partner.
Before the class The teacher needs to first make contact with the teacher of a similar class in terms of level, class size and access to technology. As outlined earlier in this chapter, we recommend that the learners first meet each other via an email exchange, or via a class project using blogs or wikis, and that the chat allows them to meet in real time, but not for the first time. This makes the experience less threatening for learners, and provides a context for the chat encounter to take place. If learners are able to exchange digital photos of themselves before the chat, this is a good idea, too, even if this is only a photo of the entire class, but with the names of individual learners provided. Learners also need to be confident about how to use the chat program. With the teacher of the other class, set a time for the chat, divide the learners into inter-class pairs and decide on what will be covered during the chat lesson. It is also a good idea for you and the other teacher to have tried out the chat program from the computers to be used, in advance.
Classroom management issues
Ideally learners are put in pairs for the first chat, with one learner in Class A and the other in Class B, each sitting at an individual computer. For classes with fewer computers than learners, learners can either conduct the chat in pairs, or consecutive learners can be allowed access to the same computer for a certain amount of time, e.g. 10 or 15 minutes. The logistics for conducting text chat in a single computer classroom are more complex, but could involve, for example, consecutive learners or pairs of learners, each given 5 minutes to chat, and with the chat encounters spread out over several classes. On the whole, though, we would recommend using voice chat rather than text chat in the single computer classroom, as a text chat in this context is very slow and unwieldy, and those learners not directly involved in the chat will need to be kept occupied with other activities.