MOO reflections

I promised a reflection of my presentation in the MOO room, so here it is:

MOO is such a strange medium! The presentation pretty much emphasized the feelings I’ve been having with MOO throughout the semester. They’re much stronger now. Here’s a quick run-down of my thoughts:

It’s (obviously) text based
Pro: Text allows specific facts to be stated in a way that everyone can have access to them. In a traditional classroom, a participant may drift off into a daydream for a minute and snap back, but by the time the participant is paying attention the missed information may not be repeated.
Con: I really rely on nonverbal cues when I present to a group. I ask for head-nods; I look for eye contact; I use this information to determine if it’s alright to move on or if I need to stay on topic. There is none of this in a chat room, so the presenter has to hope that the audience is providing accurate information through comments.

Everyone talks
Pro: This is great for folks who are shy in traditional classrooms (like me). It’s more democratic, because there’s no stopping the comments as there would be in a traditional classroom.
Con: Whoa, everyone talks. A slide that might only take thirty seconds to go over in a traditional classroom might last for five minutes in a chat room environment. (This can be really nice, though, as tangential information might come up that would have otherwise seemed irrelevant… which is another Pro.)

There is “less time”
Pro: Since everyone is talking, there is “less time” in the class for the lesson plan. This allows the audience involved in the discussion a lot more freedom in the direction of their lesson. It allows conversation that the audience is actually interested in, rather than just what the instructor wants to teach.
Con: Sometimes (like in state-mandated curriculums or assigned presentations) there is specific information to cover, and this format doesn’t allow the presenter to have control over time the way a traditional format does. The instructor really must pay attention to the clock at all times to get all the information in.

Transcripts!!!
Pro: It’s great to have a transcript to study by or to use if a participant was absent. I imagine it would also be useful for the instructor to keep track of how students are doing.
Con: People might be hesitant to write in if they know they are being recorded. Permanent documentation is threatening if a person isn’t entirely sure if they want to make the comment or not.

So, that’s my overall feeling. I’m glad to have presented in this format, and I’d do it again in an appropriate context. I’m glad that my classmates are good co-MOO-participants, too… it makes it easy for the person presenting!