Walker’s Instant Messenger Experience
Even though I had casually used the one-on-one IM chat feature prior to this class with acquaintances of mine, using it and its other features as a graded requirement with people I didn’t know (beyond their name on the screen) had me a bit tense. Once I got beyond that I did find that it was easy to use and it did help foster interactions with classmates that were more personable. Engaging people in chats was just a selection and click away. Files and pictures that I sent out were easily accepted by classmates and described perfectly. The difficult part for me was thinking faster than I could type. Especially when comments are flying fast on the screen and you’re trying to respond to the comment before that one but the next two comments are now up. I guess you can tell I’m not a fast typist. Therefore the audio feature, once I got synced, was smoother to use for me. Earlier in the quarter I attempted speaking on my landline phone while engaged in an IM chat with a classmate. I found that difficult and awkward but not impossible to do. I did learn that hitting the “enter” key sends the message through. During one chat I was trying to put spacing in between a group of sentences and winded up chopping through my thought. I will have to continue the IM way of communication post EDUC 8823 to improve and become even more comfortable. Its very 21st century—hip and modern. I never would have imagined having a crystal clear, real time voice conversation through a computer unless I was on the set of Knight Rider. With that said, my overall IM experience has been a treat. Happy Halloween everyone!!!
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4 comments:
Hi Lori!
I also found the voice chat to be awkward and prefer the text myself.
Lori,
like you I was tense about using the IM with you guys, but actually seeing some of your pictures helped ease that tension. In fact, I found it easier to read and respond to your post after interacting with everyone live. I have also used IM before, but before taking this course, I never realized the educational benefits of it. I had no luck at all with the audio chat. You mentioned that you used a land line, I thought this would not be needed if you had a microphone set up. I guess I am in the dark about how to connect using voice (audio).
Meredith,
The awkward part for me was waiting for it to sync and having the connecting party sending IM texts wondering if I had gotten lost in the process.
Denise,
Well, I apologize for not posting a picture of myself so the ice could have been broken sooner. I do appreciate people like you who had the courage to do so. It does give one a sense of ease when you can place a face to the phantom writer in your cyber class.
Oh no! Was it your microphone or synchronization problems that has hindered you from the audio chat? Do you know? The landline that I am refering to was my house phone. I was chatting on IM with a another classmate and it decided to ring. It was a call I needed to take from an individual outside of class. Boy was that a crazy few minutes. You're not in the dark. That call had nothing to do with what's required of us.
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