Profesorado de Lenguas Vivas

ICTs
Instructor: Mr. Gustavo Zaplana
Students: Jimena Ferrario, Paola Saravia, Azucena Vega
2 C - 2016

Chapter 6: How to use chat

CHAT IN LANGUAGE TEACHING:

Chat in the classroom can link up classes and groups in different locations. It
can also be used outside the classroom, where learners in the same class chat
together (with or without the teacher) to improve their English as part of their homework
or self-study activities.

TYPES OF CHAT

Text chat: communication takes place via typed text.

Audio or voice chat: communication takes place via audio
Video chat: It is possible thanks to current applications like Skype.
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 and they may decide to use an alias instead of
their real names.
Private chat: It is also known as instant messaging. Some of the most
popular are: Whatsapp, Skype, Facebook Messenger, Line and Telegram,
within others. Many of these offer not only text chat, but voice chat and also
video and web conferencing facilities.

One way of classifying educational chats, suggested by practising teacher Daphne

Gonzales, is set out here:

Free topic chats: there is no topic or agenda set for the chat.
Collaborative, task-oriented chats: here, learners meet via chat out of class to
complete a real task, such as preparing a PowerPoint presentation which they
will then present to peers in the classroom.
Informative or academic chats: to disseminate information.
Practice chats: to practise a specific function or form of language, or a specific
skill or strategy.

CHAT PROGRAMS/APPS

There are sophisticated programs available for free, which allow video and
audio conferencing alongside other tools. Skype allows communication via text, voice
and video on the Internet. It also allows special phone calls to a low cost between
computers.

Whatsapp Messenger is the most popular instant messaging application with a

user base of one billion. It uses the Internet to send text messages, documents,
images, video, user location and audio messages to other users using standard cellular
mobile numbers.

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 Profesorado de Lenguas Vivas
ICTs
Instructor: Mr. Gustavo Zaplana
Students: Jimena Ferrario, Paola Saravia, Azucena Vega
2 C - 2016

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 improve their English?: Studies to date seem to
point to text chat providing opportunities for negotiating meaning, a key to
language acquisition, 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.
What kind of English should learners use in chat? : We recommend that
students use standard written English conventions.
What technical skills do teachers and learners need to be able to use
chat?: The basic technical skills needed are knowing how to type comments in
a chat window for text chat, and how to use a microphone and speakers, or a
head set, for voice chat.
What benefits does the use of chat bring to the classroom?
contact with other cultures use of a new medium in the
real communication with a real classroom
purpose a chance to practice written or
spoken English

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. We would suggest starting
out with text chat, and the moving on to voice chat, or video chat once learners have had a chance
to practice with text chat.

Step 1-Install and learn to use the software: Download and install a popular instant messaging
program. If you are not familiar with it, get a colleague to practice using the program with you.

Step 2- A practice chat class: Run a chat session with your learners on the computer.

Step 3- Contact with another class: Through an international teachers network make contact with
teachers who would like to link up their classes via chat, and together decide when you will chat.

HOW TO STRUCTURE A TEXT OR VOICE CHAT LESSON

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.
b) If there are enough computers available for learners to work in small groups or in 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.

Any chat lesson, whether using text and/or voice chat, should include the following broad stages:

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Profesorado de Lenguas Vivas
ICTs
Instructor: Mr. Gustavo Zaplana
Students: Jimena Ferrario, Paola Saravia, Azucena Vega
2 C - 2016

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.
The main content of the chat: This may consist of one main task, or a series of short tasks,
which learners need to complete.
A closing stage: In this stage learners may summarise what they have covered or achieved
in the chat, and say goodbye.

A SAMPLE TEXT CHAT LESSON PLAN

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. 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.
During the chat
First, hand out worksheets, which your learners will need to complete during the chat itself. Learners
chat to their partner in the other class, and make notes on their worksheets.
After the chat
Each learner now has information about an individual in the other class, and can draw up a profile of
that individual.

A summary of issues on using text and/or voice chat with learners

Try the software out in the computer room with the class before setting up the real chat.
When using chat between your class and a class in another country, allow them to first
make contact with the other class.
Set a clear task, or series of tasks, for the chat.
Ensure that it is clear to learners what the purpose of using chat is.
The ideal group size for a text or voice chat is small! The bigger the group the harder it is
for participants to contribute, and for the moderator to keep things on track.
Record the chat. Most text programs will allow you to log (record) the text conversation as a
transcript, which can then be used for analysis and/or a reminder of the content/topics
covered in the chat.
Have a contingency plan!