The Discussion Chat offers a convenient place for all participants in a debate with Writer rights and higher to chat about the discussion. The chat can be opened and closed by clicking the ‘two speech bubbles’ icon at the top-right of a discussion, located to the left of your profile avatar.
Type your message in the text box located at the bottom of the Discussion Chat window. Clicking on the ‘+’ symbol will allow you to either paste the claim in your clipboard (which can also be dragged and dropped into place; see Moving/Linking a Claim) into the message or mention another user (which can also be done by typing ‘@’ on your keyboard followed by the user’s name; see Mentioning Other Participants). To send your message, press ‘Enter’ on your keyboard or click the blue arrow in the text box.
If you wish to edit or delete a chat message after sending it, open the Discussion Chat and click the three vertical dots to the bottom-right of your message. You can then choose to either edit the chat message by clicking the ‘pencil’ icon, or delete it by clicking the ‘bin’ icon. Note that deleting a message cannot be undone.
Near the top of the window, you will find the avatars of all users currently active in the discussion - clicking on this will open an ‘Online Participants’ window where usernames will appear next to their avatars. Click the left-pointing arrow at the top-left of the window to return to the Discussion Chat.
The Discussion Chat is a good place for:
- Planning the discussion with your group, such as when you are considering adding new branches and are unsure where they would be best located.
- Considering structural changes to your discussion, which can sometimes be necessary as a discussion develops.
- Coordinating workload, such as what sections of the discussion individual users would prefer to work on.
- Sharing useful resources which you think may benefit others collaborating in the discussion.
- Asking questions about the assignment and goal of the discussion.
- General chat about the discussion - sharing interesting links you’ve found about the topic, talking about what interests you about it, or thanking others for their efforts!
Note that messages in the Discussion Chat are visible to all participants in a Kialo Edu debate, not just those with Writer permissions and higher.