Does WiZiQ have the private chatting option for the chat box?

I for one wish private chats were available in public classes.

I for one wish private chats were available in public classes.

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That function is available in the "private" classes. I have never heard a reason as to why not in the "public" classes.

I am of two minds. I have experienced enough very bad behavior on other portals that I would be concerned about security and safety issues (primarily for younger students) when I cannot see what is going on in my classroom.

I also know that there would be benefits to allowing students to talk without interrupting class publicly. Even for "breakout groups" this would be nice.

I think the tough part for WIZIQ is to balance so many ideas/desires of the community with their programming resources and portal goals. This idea isn't exactly a good example, but I would accept WIZIQ's answer if they simply said we do not feel that this (or some other) idea is conducive to our community's "classroom" objective.

PS Welcome to this forum "Little Wind"

That function is available in the "private" classes. I have never heard a reason as to why not in the "public" classes. I am of two minds. I have experienced enough very bad behavior on other portals that I would be concerned about security and safety issues (primarily for younger students) when I cannot see what is going on in my classroom. I also know that there would be benefits to allowing students to talk without interrupting class publicly. Even for "breakout groups" this would be nice. I think the tough part for WIZIQ is to balance so many ideas/desires of the community with their programming resources and portal goals. This idea isn't exactly a good example, but I would accept WIZIQ's answer if they simply said we do not feel that this (or some other) idea is conducive to our community's "classroom" objective. PS Welcome to this forum "Little Wind"

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For what it is worth, I lean on the better safe than sorry side. I want to be a libertarian but one must walk carefully as anarchy is just two steps past a completely free market.

At some point we must agree on the starting place to meet. I think that we must let WIZIQ make some of the structural decisions and let the game play for a while. We should not silence our concerns or opinions but we should also not let those differences cloud the obvious, that being we have an excellent starting point to grow from.


Unless it is one of my "Hot" points then they should react immediately ;-)

For what it is worth, I lean on the better safe than sorry side. I want to be a libertarian but one must walk carefully as anarchy is just two steps past a completely free market. At some point we must agree on the starting place to meet. I think that we must let WIZIQ make some of the structural decisions and let the game play for a while. We should not silence our concerns or opinions but we should also not let those differences cloud the obvious, that being we have an excellent starting point to grow from. Unless it is one of my "Hot" points then they should react immediately ;-)

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@Marcus

We feel that this option of private chatting is just not good when a teacher is taking a public class. In a public class all should know what is happening. We strongly feel that this feature can be misused.

Having said that this feature is available to a premium member only if he takes a private class. However this feature needs to be activated before the class starts and cant be done while you are in the middle of one. Here is how one can activate this option.

1. Click on the class that you wish should have the capability to private chat.
2. The Page that appears after you have clicked on the class, view towards the left side of the screen. You will have 8 options listed under "Quick Links".
3. Once you are done just click on "Class Recordings and Settings" (the forth option) and you will be routed to a page that will have this option of private chat. Check on Yes.

I hope this answers your question, if you still have any doubts please do not hesitate to shout back.

Take good care

@Marcus We feel that this option of private chatting is just not good when a teacher is taking a public class. In a public class all should know what is happening. We strongly feel that this feature can be misused. Having said that this feature is available to a premium member only if he takes a private class. However this feature needs to be activated before the class starts and cant be done while you are in the middle of one. Here is how one can activate this option. 1. Click on the class that you wish should have the capability to private chat. 2. The Page that appears after you have clicked on the class, view towards the left side of the screen. You will have 8 options listed under "Quick Links". 3. Once you are done just click on "Class Recordings and Settings" (the forth option) and you will be routed to a page that will have this option of private chat. Check on Yes. I hope this answers your question, if you still have any doubts please do not hesitate to shout back. Take good care

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@Kapil Mehta,

"We feel that this option of private chatting is just not good when a teacher is taking a public class."

That should be up to the student to decide shouldn't it? In the end, the customer is right. Your customer might be the teacher who pays you for membership, but their customers are the students. It should start at the GRASSROOTS level. You hearing what I am saying mon?

"In a public class all should know what is happening. We strongly feel that this feature can be misused."

Well, if you make a mistake on a test, should I correct you? Some would say it is cheating. Each person has the responsibility to use and misuse.

@Kapil Mehta, "We feel that this option of private chatting is just not good when a teacher is taking a public class." That should be up to the student to decide shouldn't it? In the end, the customer is right. Your customer might be the teacher who pays you for membership, but their customers are the students. It should start at the GRASSROOTS level. You hearing what I am saying mon? "In a public class all should know what is happening. We strongly feel that this feature can be misused." Well, if you make a mistake on a test, should I correct you? Some would say it is cheating. Each person has the responsibility to use and misuse.

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Yes, maybe they could move the chat area to the bottom and have a section on the right to display private messages. This way you can follow open chat when you aren't on mic, and then your private messages will be stored on the right to prevent loss. You can then go to mic when it's your turn and address them or reply in text.

Yes, maybe they could move the chat area to the bottom and have a section on the right to display private messages. This way you can follow open chat when you aren't on mic, and then your private messages will be stored on the right to prevent loss. You can then go to mic when it's your turn and address them or reply in text.

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People can post their MSN or Yahoo account name, and they can make all sorts of weird comments about the teacher behind his/her back.

I don't quite see the point in preserving a false image that students won't be able to communicate when they can.

I can understand and appreciate personal info like email addresses or phone numbers being hidden, but if I am teaching English (or any other subject using English) and 2 people come in, one might not understand me because their English level isn't good enough to enjoy the lesson.

If a friend came with them and acted as a translator, then they could talk privately without it interrupting the main chat area (text will be flying and hard for the teacher to keep up with if all comments can only be put in one window). Having to sign on to MSN or Yahoo to achieve this is too cumbersome. Also, it uses up computer resources.

To recap:

1. People can already message each other by using another messaging program like MSN or Yahoo.

2. Students can help each other out while the teacher continues their lesson without interruptions.

3. There is a lot of text in chat, but if they could private chat then there wouldn't be as much. Only important comments could be made and this would be easier for the teacher to monitor.

Another idea is that when I teach, sometimes I like to make games using vocabulary or something else. Students can team up and private message without another team seeing their answers.

And, my mind is still coming up with reasons, so I'll mention yet another one. If the teacher mutes text then no one can communicate. If sound stops working or some other technical difficulty occurs, then the students have no way to communicate this.

This can also be used with screening interview questions. People could PM a student who screens questions. Those accepted would be posted in chat. Since we are worried about inappropriate content, then wouldn't this help in filtering it out?

People can post their MSN or Yahoo account name, and they can make all sorts of weird comments about the teacher behind his/her back. I don't quite see the point in preserving a false image that students won't be able to communicate when they can. I can understand and appreciate personal info like email addresses or phone numbers being hidden, but if I am teaching English (or any other subject using English) and 2 people come in, one might not understand me because their English level isn't good enough to enjoy the lesson. If a friend came with them and acted as a translator, then they could talk privately without it interrupting the main chat area (text will be flying and hard for the teacher to keep up with if all comments can only be put in one window). Having to sign on to MSN or Yahoo to achieve this is too cumbersome. Also, it uses up computer resources. To recap: 1. People can already message each other by using another messaging program like MSN or Yahoo. 2. Students can help each other out while the teacher continues their lesson without interruptions. 3. There is a lot of text in chat, but if they could private chat then there wouldn't be as much. Only important comments could be made and this would be easier for the teacher to monitor. Another idea is that when I teach, sometimes I like to make games using vocabulary or something else. Students can team up and private message without another team seeing their answers. And, my mind is still coming up with reasons, so I'll mention yet another one. If the teacher mutes text then no one can communicate. If sound stops working or some other technical difficulty occurs, then the students have no way to communicate this. This can also be used with screening interview questions. People could PM a student who screens questions. Those accepted would be posted in chat. Since we are worried about inappropriate content, then wouldn't this help in filtering it out?

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