Internet Chat Groups

Educational Chat Groups

Educational Chat Groups | Going Further

Teachers are warned that chat groups often are free-wheeling, and they can easily stray into topics that may not be appropriate for young children. The rules of Internet Safety are probably more critical for chat groups than for any other area of Internet use. In addition to this concern, one may question the educational value of most Internet chatgroups, which are often oriented more toward recreation and "killing time" than educational dialogue.

One solution may be to use chat groups that are specifically geared to students. Epals.com is an online classroom community that includes a private, password protected chat room.

Real-Time Chat

Chat room conversations take place in "real time", making them particularly useful for live coverage of world events, especially in times of crisis when standard communications channels may be hindered. K-12 teachers may wish to consider setting up regular communication with another classroom or students from another part of the globe ---- just so they can get another perspective from a different part of the country or world.