AN INTRODUCTION TO: Chatzy Rebecca Young

What is Chatzy? Chatzy is a website ( that allows you to quickly and easily create a private space to chat with people you know. To join a chatroom, you must first receive an invitation by or be given the link to that room.

Advantages: No installation or registration required Free No popup ads Works with all major browsers and in all languages Simple layout - easy to use Private and safe

More about Chatzy... A basic chatroom is called a Quick Chat. Users also have the option of creating a Virtual Room. With a Virtual Room, there are a few more options: - A password for the administrator and for users to enter the room -Option to change the title/subject of the room after it is created -Deny/allow other users the options to clear the chat, send invitations, etc. Virtual Room also allows Chatzy to be used as a blog or message board. Users can save or print off a transcript of all messages in the chatroom. If you register as a Premium user ($2-3 per month) you can get rid of the small ad on the screen.

Implications For Education Chatting, texting, “facebooking”and instant messaging, etc. have become highly popular means of communication in the lives of adolescents today. Although sometimes controversial, chatting can be used for educational purposes in several different ways.

Online Help With Chatzy, teachers could set up an online review session or forum for homework help. Teachers can inform students that they will be logged in to Chatzy at a designated time. Unlike a phone call, this provides a way to help multiple students at once and is much quicker than .

Collaborative Work Students can use Chatzy as a safe, online place to work on group projects without having to physically meet. This helps overcome the barriers of travelling and busy schedules, and also appeals to the popularity of chat as a mode of communication among today’s youth.

The Backchannel What is a “backchannel?” -A secondary or covert route for the passage of information. 1 -In a classroom, the backchannel is everything going on in the room that is not coming from the teacher. 2 -Student conversations, passing notes, exchanging glances, etc. during class. 1. The new Oxford American dictionary. New York: Oxford University Press, "What is the Backchannel? « TodaysMeet." TodaysMeet. (accessed May 26, 2011)

The Backchannel Some educators have experimented with chat programs as a way of attempting to turn the backchannel into a more useful and productive aspect of the classroom (See Links) Chatzy can be used to facilitate an online discussion while other activity is going on in the class. For example: Students could share their thoughts while watching a video in class. The teacher could also post questions for students to consider as they watch. Of course, each student would need a computer or internet device such as a phone, iPad, etc.

The Backchannel Possible Advantages: -Students could chat using an alias, diminishing the fear of speaking out in class or asking a “dumb question” -Could keep students more engaged and interested in what is going on -Gives teachers immediate feedback on what students are thinking and allows them to assess student learning Possible Disadvantages: -Another distraction for students in class? The maturity level of students must be considered. -Demands that all students have a computer or Internet device -Students might pay more attention to the backchannel discussion and less to the material being presented.

Links “Backchannel in Education: Nine Uses” Free Technology for Teachers: “Five Platforms for a Classroom Back-Channel Chat” “Backchannelling in Middle School Social Studies” ml ml

More Uses for Chatzy Other fun, interactive writing activities -Ex: a “story circle” where students/groups each write a line to a story into the chatroom, which can then be printed. To create a class blog or message board using a Virtual Room. To communicate with a guest speaker who cannot be physically present.

Ideas for Assessment The teacher has the option to save/print all messages and read them later. -Formative assessment: Backchannel discussions allow the teacher to determine if students are learning and address their concerns. -Online help sessions also help determine student understanding of material. -Teachers can evaluate student postings about assigned topics; students can also give feedback on other students’ posts.

Thank you for watching my presentation on Chatzy! ☺