Major Training Exercise 3

Discussion Webs, Listservs, Newsgroups and Chat Rooms

Background Information

DISCUSSION WEBS, LISTSERVS, NEWSGROUPS AND CHAT ROOMS. All of these Internet facilities are used for communication between groups of people. They all have different strengths, weaknesses and capabilities. However, discussion webs are probably best suited to a flowing professional discussion between principals, in that they allow time for considered responses.

WHAT IS A DISCUSSION WEB? This is a discussion which takes places on a web site, and is sometimes managed by a 'moderator'. Discussion web participants enter their comments directly onto a web site. Discussion webs are 'threaded', which means that an initial comment is made, and then other participants can respond to that particular comment, even though other comments on different subjects may have been made in the intervening time. In other words, the content of the discussion is sequentially organised.

A good example of a discussion webs can be found at
www.sofweb.vic.edu.au/discuss/

WHAT IS A LISTSERV? A LISTSERV is a program whereby information is disseminated via regular emails to people with a common interest, e.g., Teaching Year 12 Info. Tech. in Victoria. People add their email address (subscribe) to a mailing list, and receive emails on that subject until such time as they choose to have their name removed (unsubscribe). Be very careful about how many mailing lists you subscribe to, since you may be flooded with emails daily, and have no control over the quantity. This can be a real problem when you go away on holidays and come back to find your mailbox flooded or even full.

HOW DO YOU SUBSCRIBE TO A LISTSERV? There are many, many, mailing lists available. To get some idea of the range, look at:
www.rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet/news.answers/mail/mailing-lists

Here you will find a huge list of mailing lists on nearly every subject imaginable, and instructions on how to be added to the list/s you are interested in. For example, a mailing list for people interested in pet hamsters is described in this way:

'hammies-r-us'

CONTACT: simon@dylan.org (Simon Chapman)

PURPOSE: This list is for everyone interested in keeping, breeding and showing hamsters.
www.dylan.org/hammies-r-us.html

To subscribe, send email to majordomo@lists.i-way.co.uk and in the body of the message, put subscribe hammies-r-us

Here are some education-related listservs, which can be found on the following web sites:

ECENET - Early Childhood Education
www.ericps.ed.uiuc.edu/eece/listserv/ecenet-l.html

MIDDLE -L- Middle Level Education
www.ericps.ed.uiuc.edu/eece/listserv/middle-l.html

REGGIO-L - Reggio Emilia (Italy) Approach to Early Education
www.ericps.ed.uiuc.edu/eece/listserv/reggio-l.html

Below are some general listservs, which may be of interest to some individuals and/or their staff.

'Her Health'

CONTACT: info@health4her.com (Louis Silberman)

PURPOSE: A newsletter for today's active women

Features information to help women feel good, look good and stay healthy. Learn effective health tips from our online doctors.

URL: www.health4her.com

TO SUBSCRIBE: Send email to subscribe@health4her.com

'4childcaretips'

CONTACT: pageone@kawartha.com (Ann Douglas)

PURPOSE: A free monthly newsletter for working parents who are interested in learning more about childcare. The list owner is Ann Douglas, author of 'The Unofficial Guide to Childcare'.

URL: www.onelist.com/subscribe.cgi/4childcaretips


'AADD-FOCUSED'

CONTACT: aadd-focused-request@maillist.net

PURPOSE: A focused discussion list for adults that have ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder). Although there are other forums available for discussion of ADD-related topics, we found that they are often too inclusive and therefore get so many messages per day that we couldn't stay focused long enough to read them all. Therefore we created this list specifically for those who wish to read fewer messages per day on the subject of adult ADD.

URL: www.maillist.net/aadd.html

TO SUBSCRIBE: Send email to
[unrecognized tag: [unrecognized tag: {eamil aadd-focused-request@maillist.net}]] and on the 'Subject' line, put 'subscribe'.

'educatorslunchbox'

CONTACT: educatorslunchbox-Request@educationu.com

PURPOSE: A twice-weekly message of wit, wisdom and tips that will help all educators be better at the end of the day than they were at the beginning.

URL: www.educationu.com/

Send email to:
majordomo@web.webcoach.com and in the body of the message, put

'SUBSCRIBE EDUCATORSLUNCHBOX'.

'EDRES-L'

CONTACT: EDRES-L-request@LISTSERV.UNB.CA

PURPOSE: Educational Resources on the Internet. A moderated forum to announce, describe, and evaluate educational resources available on the Internet. The list is done in partnership with Industry Canada's Community Access Network, ERIC, and the University of New Brunswick.

TO SUBSCRIBE: Send email to
listserv@LISTSERV.UNB.CA and in the body of the message, put 'subscribe edres-l'


'fishing'

CONTACT: justin@bds.com.au

PURPOSE: This list is for all people interested in fishing. The emphasis is on Southern Hemisphere but all are welcome.

TO SUBSCRIBE: Send email to
listcaster@bds.com.au and in the body of the message, put 'subscribe fishing'

The list owner can be contacted on
justin@bds.com.au (Justin Martin)

'school-management'

CONTACT: school-management-request@mailbase.ac.uk

PURPOSE: For discussion of education in schools, in particular, their management and government and the curriculum.

URL: www.mailbase.ac.uk/lists/school-management/

TO SUBSCRIBE: Send email to
mailbase@mailbase.ac.uk and in the body of the message, put 'subscribe school-management Firstname Lastname' (i.e., your first name and last name!)

The list owner can be contacted on
(Mike Fuller)

The International Confederation of Principals' ezine, 'ICP Online', also contains a useful list of education-related listservs. See
www.icponline.org/connect/web_sites/listserv.htm

*IMPORTANT ADVICE ON SUBSCRIBING TO LISTSERVS. Whenever you subscribe to a mailing list, and you first receive confirmation of your addition to the list, you will generally also receive information on how to 'unsubscribe'. Don't EVER lose this vital information unless you want to receive emails from that particular mailing list from now until eternity!

WHAT IS A NEWSGROUP? This is a misleading name in that newsgroups rarely contain regular 'hot off the press' news. Rather, they are electronic noticeboards which focus on a particular (usually very narrow) topic. Individuals 'post' unedited messages (sometimes containing a hyperlink to a web site) onto what is really just a simple list of notices, an electronic bulletin board. Usually, no one manages the comments that are posted onto the list. This means that the 'discussion' (if indeed the comments can be elevated to that rank) can wander off (sometimes completely off) the subject. Sometimes newsgroups are referred to as Usenet.

HOW DO YOU ACCESS A NEWSGROUP? Newsgroups are free. You subscribe to newsgroups through your web browser. Your ISP (not you) decides which newsgroups it will host, and you can choose to subscribe to one or many of these. All ISPs offer different selections of newsgroups - some newsgroups will be popular and offered by many ISPs; others may be rare and hosted by just one or two.


WHAT SORT OF TOPICS DO NEWSGROUPS FOCUS ON? Newsgroup topics range from the technical/functional (e.g., providing an update on cable modems) to the hopeful (e.g., cures for paralysis) to the quirky (e.g., dead actors or Wednesday Adams, from 'The Adams Family'). Many newsgroups focus on topics that mainstream society would find offensive. Newsgroup titles can sometimes be misleadingly innocent, so beware.

HOW POPULAR ARE NEWGROUPS? Some of the world's most popular newsgroups have a daily readership of tens of thousand of people, from all over the world.

NEWSGROUPS FOR SCHOOL PRINCIPALS? Finding a useful professional newsgroup for principals is a challenge. Please advise the Online Conference Manager at brydon@bigpond.net.au if you know of one, or happen to find one.

HOW DOES A NEWSGROUP WORK? To access the newgroups that your ISP offers, open your browser. Arrangements/terms used will vary from browser to browser, so you may need to consult the 'Help' section. Those who use Microsoft Internet Explorer should go to the 'Mail and News' section. Click on 'Read News' and a list of the newsgroups available through your ISP will show up. Select (click on) the newsgroup/s you want to subscribe to. Doing this allows you to post messages onto that newsgroup's bulletin board, and also provides quick direct access to it until such time as you want to 'unsubscribe'). To post a message onto a newsgroup bulletin board, click on 'New Post', enter a 'Subject' (describing the main point of your message). Type your message in. and click on 'Send'. You will be told that your message has been forwarded to the newsgroup but may not appear immediately.

ARE NEWSGROUPS MODERATED (CONTROLLED)? Most are not. Only a small number of newsgroups are moderated, which means that each message must be approved by a 'moderator' (controller) before it can be posted on the newsgroup bulletin board.

WHAT IS A DISCUSSION WEB? By far, discussion webs are the most useful for the considered development of educational ideas.

WHAT IS CHAT? Chat is one of the most popular activities on the Internet. It involves people of all ages, nationalities, backgrounds and interests 'talking' together (via their keyboard) on the 'Net in 'real time'. Internet Relay Chat, one of the most popular forms of chat, can be compared to CB radio.

WHAT IS A CHAT ROOM? There are literally millions of chat rooms, many of which focus on a particular subject, some public, some private. You can enter a chat room in a number of ways. One simple way to visit a public chat room, if you've never done so before, is to go to Yack.com at www.yack.com and click on the 'Chat' icon. Work your way through the hyperlinks to an area of interest that appeals to you, e.g., music, film, health, technology, The Pub, etc. Enter a user name and password (make up both of these; don't use your real name) and select a chat room from the list. Once you have made your selection and clicked on this, click again to register and enter the chat room. Previous chat from other people will appear on the screen and you are free to type in your comments and responses in the appropriate place. You will then 'post' or send this text to the chatroom and it will appear on the screen for all to see.

Don't expect an intellectual debate on a public chat room. Many public chat sites contain long flowing lists of inane, boring, meaningless or even obscene comments submitted by bored, troubled or criminal persons around the world. Never express private or sensitive information in a public chat room, and NEVER identify yourself or provide personal contact details. Publicly accessible chat sessions are inappropriate for school students, in that they may be exposed to offensive or criminal people or inappropriate material.

ARE THERE MORE PRIVATE PLACES TO CHAT? There are many less public specific interest web sites which contain chat rooms. Often you don't need to download special chat software to join in these chats. For example, many associations, clubs or hobby groups have chat sites devoted to a very specific area of interest, e.g., fan clubs.

WHAT IS INTERNET RELAY CHAT? There is an excellent tutorial on IRC and how to use it at www.mirc.com. With Internet Relay Chat, using mIRC software, principals can establish private chat rooms where entry is controlled.

WHAT IS A MODERATED CHAT ROOM? Using software like mIRC (for PCs) or Ircle (for Macs) you are able to set up your own private chat room. In moderated chat rooms the organiser (called the operator, or 'op') is able to 'moderate' the chat room, i.e, control who has access to it, and whether or not they can stay. Operators can eject unruly/unwanted chatters if they break their rules, or for any reason at all (fair or unfair).

WHAT ABOUT CHAT ROOM ETIQUETTE? In cyberculture there are certain polite protocols to use, especially when using IRC (Internet Relay Chat). One of the realities of chat is that all sort of people, holding all sort of opinions, can enter into the discussion. Chat rooms, especially if not passworded, provide global real-time common space for the expression of free speech on almost any subject (decent or indecent). The following 'netiquette' rules should be observed:

1. Don't 'flood'. This is when you write so much that you fill the other chatters' screens with a lot of text. If you have a lot to say, break up your message into smaller parts.

2. Don't ignore people unless they are being offensive. If someone asks you a question be courteous and reply.

3. Sign off. Say goodbye when you leave a discussion, so the people you've been talking with know that you're no longer part of the group.

4. Don't use all capital letters. This is considered to be 'shouting', and therefore rude.

HOW CAN YOU KNOW WHO YOU'RE CHATTING TO? You can't! In public chat areas, people mostly use 'nicknames' or 'user names', rather than their own name. Sometimes, instead of text-based names, chatters identify themselves graphically - these icons are known as 'atavars'.

Even if a bona fide name is used (e.g., Bill Clinton) you can't be sure that this is the actual person who is chatting. Nor can you be sure of any descriptions of themselves that chatters provide. You might be told that you are chatting to fifty-year-old Bob the taxi driver from Texas but, in reality, you might be unwisely sharing your personal thoughts and contact details with thirty-year-old Helen, an uncaptured serial killer from your own home town. While 'real time' communication has its merits, its potential for inappropriate contact being followed through in real life (as has already happened) makes it generally unsuitable for unsupervised use by minors.

ARE THERE ANY PROBLEMS WITH CHAT? Perhaps the major drawback of chat is that its immediacy means there is little time for reflection. Often the quality of the discussion or debate is poor. Another further drawback is that the necessary typing in of text makes for slow progress, compared with the speed of verbal communication.

WHAT IS NETMEETING? Netmeeting is a standard Windows software package suitable for large Internet chat conferences.

Vocabulary

CHAT. This is 'live' real time (happening now) communication on the Internet, via an Internet Relay Chat (IRC) service. Chat occurs in 'real time', and participants are able to 'talk' to each other via a keyboard, just as if they were having a real conversation (albeit slower due to typing time). IRC allows people from all over the world to talk to each other electronically. Some 'chat rooms' are publicly accessible; others are not.

LISTSERV. This is software which allows email discussion lists to operate.

LURKING. This applies to people who, after joining a new Internet discussion group, prefer to watch the discussion 'silently' for a while before they begin to actively participate.

VIRTUAL PLACES. These are sophisticated and very entertaining chat rooms where you are represented by a graphic icon (chosen from a range of 'atavars' on offer). In virtual places, the messages you post are depicted inside cartoon-like bubbles, and become part of a landscape or cartoon. Sounds and animations are provided on these predominantly entertainment sites. This type of chat is sometimes known as 'Comic Chat'.

E-Challenges Group 3

1. Enter the discussion web at
   www.sofweb.vic.edu.au/discuss/ and log on as a user for twenty minutes.


2. Subscribe to a listserv of your choice and then deliberately 'unsubscribe' after three days.


3. Subscribe to a listserv you might want to remain on indefinitely.


4. Check out three listservs that may be of use to your teaching staff and if appropriate, recommend them for their consideration.


5. What is the most useful listserv for school leaders? Why was it better than the others?


6. Work through the Internet Relay Chat tutorial at
   www.mirc.com


7. Assess the varying value of newsgroups. Subscribe to these by opening your browser, going to 'Mail' (if you have Internet Explorer) or its equivalent and go to 'Read News'. You then obtain a list of newsgroups (you may need to configure your newsreader - consult your ISP for assistance). Note the huge number of newsgroups available and the range of titles. Subscribe to (if you can) a newsgroup (for instance, alt.education.research, if available through your ISP) and browse the wide-range of comments. These will range from the obscene to the weird and/or the inane to the professionally useful (this is despite the appropriate and 'solid sounding' title of this particular newsgroup).


8. Check out 'Net Meeting' on the Microsoft web site at
   www.microsoft.com/windows/netmeeting/


9. What is an 'atavar'?