A: It depends on your institution's connection and the server running the service. For chats, I have had very good success with commercially-provided web-based chat clients, and less success with the ones supposedly targeted at educators. For MOOs, etc., there's much more variability, depending on the client you are using (avoid raw telnet -- students can't usually cope with the command line being interrupted every time new information appears on the screen) and network traffic. My recommendation -- always have at least one backup plan and tell students about it ahead of time. If one site isn't working, move everyone to "Plan B."
A: This assignment is second or third in a series of five. If it's done too early, students haven't yet developed enough comfort with the technology itself to be receptive to online class meetings. If it's done too late, it's generally true that students know each other well enough, in most cases, that anonymity is compromised.
A: No, although I'd like to someday. All of my experiments have been with classes that meet face-to-face for the most part.
A: Yes, whenever the client allows. The logs are invaluable resources for instructors and students. Instructors can cut-and-paste illustrative exchanges for face-to-face discussion; students can use logs to refresh their memories about what happened in the chats, and as a resource for their essays.
A: In general, student react well. There is always some nervousness and anxiety surrounding the first online class, so I tell students that the experience will be a different way of experiencing discussion. I make sure to stress that it does not matter if they don't read every word that appears, because that's an impossible task. Instead, I stress the importance of following the threads of discussion that appeal to them and filtering out the rest where possible. I acknowledge that slow typers and slow readers are at a disadvantage in this medium. And I tell students that they are likely to feel disoriented the first time through. After the first class, most students are past their anxiety and excited about the experience; many request more online sessions, as they feel the discussions are more productive and interesting than face-to-face ones. By the third class, however, those who are at a disadvantage (slow typers, slow readers, visual/aural learners) express increasing dissatisfaction with and disinterest in further chats.
A: Without making too sweeping a generalization, I'd say that
in my experience, women are more anxious at first but end up being more
enthusiastic about the experience once they get used to the medium. Men,
on the other hand, express less anxiety but also less enthusiasm overall
about interacting via text and through machines. Men are far more likely
to say that they'd rather spend their time outside than stuck in front
of a machine, and far more likely to be suspicious of or apparently uninterested
in issues of identity in synchronous media.
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