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| Teaching in Action Chatroom Discussions
Chatrooms pose a special challenge for the teacher because the interaction taking place in them often appears chaotic and confused. In her first excerpt, DeRuyver emphasizes that a strong ability to facilitate discussion is as important in the online environment as it is in a face-to-face classroom. She describes some of the typical processes of a chatroom and how they may be overcome with skillful moderating. In her second excerpt, DeRuyver points to some advantages of chatrooms and online conferencing over classroom-based (or f2f) delivery.
Debra DeRuyver is an advanced Ph.D. student in American Studies at the University of Maryland, writing a dissertation on virtual exhibition. Her research interests also include technologies of the body and modern dance. She co-founded and acts as a managing editor of The Public History Resource Center. She has also designed and taught her own Web-enhanced American Studies courses at the University of Maryland, including Performance and Cultural Identity and Electronic Publications and Virtual Exhibitions, which was featured in Module 1 of this resource site. For more information, please see Ms. DeRuyver's Web site at http://www.wam.umd.edu/~toad/. This project is a joint initiative of the Center for the Virtual University and the Center for Teaching and Learning at UMUC. © 1996-2005 University of Maryland University College |
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