Using Chat and Whiteboard Rooms — Instructor Version
To
use the Chat and Whiteboard feature in
Remember, students will see all rooms available to them from this link if the link is available to them.
To access a room from the homepage or an organizer page, click the Name or Icon link.
Again, you can also include a room in a Learning Module or in the action menu of a Learning Module.
After you select the room, you will see all the settings for that particular room. To enter the room, click the Room Name.
Instructor Features
Everyone will be able to see a list of participants. If you are the Instructor, “Ins.” will appear next to your name.
As the Instructor, you receive certain privileges. You can turn Handraise Mode on or off. This setting makes the students raise their hand to chat. To facilitate this mode, the instructor passes the microphone/pen.
You can also mute individuals by selecting their name(s) and clicking Mute. Muted students will not be able to talk or raise their hand, so they can only view (or “lurk”). You can also deny an individual access to the room. Clicking Deny Access drops individuals from the Chat or Whiteboard room.
It is important to explain to students that Chat and Whiteboard rooms are synchronous tools, which means students are communicating in real-time. If students show up late, they will not see what has been previously sent. It is a good idea to have guidelines and rules for class chats. For example, there should be no profanity; everyone should be respectful; and questions should be sent to the facilitator (as opposed to broadcasting it to everyone). It is also helpful to have students decide what they think is important within a chat and have them draft the policies and procedures. This also helps with buy-in and participation from the group. |
Chat Feature
The chat feature is a way for you to talk with students and allow them to communicate with each other in real-time.
Enter text in the bottom box and either click Send or press the Enter key on your keyboard. Notice above the window that you can hide the chat room. If you hide the chat room, there will be a button to show the chat room so you can view this part of the room again. This feature is only available if you choose to allow students to hide or show the chat room. Also, this feature is only available in combined Chat and Whiteboard rooms.
Whiteboard Feature
The whiteboard feature allows you to draw, share images, and create slideshows.
You can upload a file through Load File, create slideshows with Slide Shows, print the board, type directly on the board, and create lines and other shapes or draw freehand. You are also able to change colors and fonts. As with the chat feature, you can hide the whiteboard with the Hide Whiteboard button above the room. When you hide the whiteboard, you will see a button to show whiteboard and open it up again.
Enjoy communicating!