“Chat” in Online Learning
Chat can provide an excellent environment for education, especially when used in conjunction with other forms of communication including asynchronous discussion forums. For many of us, text-based chat is a very different way to communicate. Read any chat archive and, at first glance, it looks like a bunch of random thoughts without rhyme or reason. As you take a closer look, however, the threads and themes begin to emerge and you can see a number of productive exchanges taking place at the same time.
Crowd Control
For those of you involved in chat as part of an educational experience, there are a number of ways to reign in the randomness and engage a class in a more focused exchange. Here are some tactile approaches that can be used.
“h” can signify that someone would like to “speak.” The instructor can go back and invite that person to participate when the current discussion topic is complete.
“d” can indicate that you are finished saying what you wanted to say.
“…” an ellipsis is a good way to indicate that you are in the middle of what you are saying and currently typing more information to contribute.
Planning Ahead
Set the meeting time and the agenda a week in advance. If you give folks enough time to plan, they might be able to attend. Knowing the topic of discussion ahead of time will help to make the exchange more informed and productive.
Say it with Symbols
Chat symbols are short abbreviations, (think shorthand) for chatting online.
Say it with Emoticons
Emoticons are a good way to clarify the feeling attached to a message. If you are going to joke with the other party, a smiley 
is a good way to clarify humor rather than sarcasm. Think of emoticons as facial cues that you would make for clarification while talking.
Of course, the best use of technology in education is when the tools of technology are invisible to the experience. For more good tips on how to use chat as an instructional tool, please review this article by Ruth Reynard.
Happy Chatting!
