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Sakai Help Document
Chat Room

Includes
Description
Examples of use
Using chat
Customizing the screen

Description
Chat is a tool for real-time,
unstructured conversations with users who are signed on to the site at
the same time.
By default, Chat messages are saved and visible to all users so that
all site participants can benefit from clarifying conversations and
questions and answers.
The Chat tool allows for more than one "Chat Room" which an instructor
or site owner can create for specific kinds of Chats. These additional
chat rooms can be created using the Options feature.
The Chat tool alerts users on the Chat page to the other participants
who are also viewing that page. This way, users know who is available
to talk in Chat.

UM Above:
Chat screen showing a
conversation between students signed on to the site. By default all
Chat messages are shown for at least three days.

Examples of use
Instructors can easily create an
"Online Office Hours" Chat room for student questions and answers.
Dispersed collaboration groups
can
use Chat as a space to have conversations across distances or catch up
with conversations they may have missed.

Using Chat
1.
To see who is presently online with whom you can chat, check the "Users
in Chat" box on the right side of the screen.
2.. Click Chat on the
menubar.
3. Type your comment or response in the
text box.
4. No one will be able to see your
message until you click the Send button. Once you click Send, only an instructor or a
participant who has been given special permission can delete your
message.
If you would like to discard a chat
message that you have not yet sent, click the Clear button.

Customizing the screen
Changes that an instructors makes to
the Chat display also apply to how the Chat features appears to
students.
Hide Date button: Click the Hide
Date button to hide the
date next to each respondants name. Click again to reverse.
Hide Time button: Click the Hide Time button to hide the
time. Click again to reverse.
Options button: Includes Options to choose how many
messages will be displayed.
September
2,
2004
©2004
sakaiproject.org