About
Participating in the Debates on this Site
What's the difference between a debate and a seminar? A debate is live. Therefore it requires that more than one person is connected at the same time. Seminars can happen over a period of time. You would use a debate as a less formal opportunity to discuss with fellow students and tutors a particular topic. To participate in the live discussion it is not expected that you can verify an opinion, instead it is hoped that you will respond to the live conversation with ideas and thoughts as they occur to you. Whitehall On-line Debates take the form of web-based Chat. There are various Internet Chat systems around. The system used here is deliberately simple and not sophisticated. This is because we recognise that many people who use Whitehall On-line are new to the Internet. To participate in a Debate you must first announce yourself by typing your name in the login. Click the Enter button. Your arrival will be announced so that anyone else who is present is aware of your arrival. You are then presented with a line where you can type your contribution. Pressing Send submits your comment to the live discussion. Using the other buttons you can discover who else is logged in and obtain more detailed help. You should announce your intention to leave the discussion when you have finished. How do I know when a debate is taking place? Because debates are live they need to be scheduled. If a tutor thinks that it would be a good idea for students to debate an idea the tutor will inform students either directly or by posting a message to the Seminar. In addition a Debate Schedule page is available to announce forthcoming debates. Can I practice using the Debating system? Yes. To do this Whitehall On-line provides the Cyber Cafe. If you want to practice or meet others for an informal chat post a message to the Seminar called Meet Me in the Cyber Cafe setting a time. If there's a demand Whitehall On-line will provide a regular time slot for get togethers in the Cyber Cafe. |
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