The first question you
may be asking yourself is what are moos, muds, and mushes? After that you
will of course wonder why you need to know about them and what pedagogical
value they can have for us as Composition teachers. These are questions
that I hope to answer for you. If you are already familiar with M**s that
is great, if not relax and I will attempt to make you more familiar with
them in the time that we spend together.
What is a M**?
MUD = Multi-user Domain
MOO = MUD, Object Oriented
MUSH = Multi-user Shared Hallucination
MOOs are Internet-accessible, text-mediated virtual environments well
suited for distance learning. MOOs offer students the opportunity to construct
spaces and objects and to write code that in some way augments or increases
the functionality with these virtual spaces. In this sense, MOOs are constructed
social spaces in a dynamic process of continual evolution. For users, MOOs
can be described as "rooms", where multiple individuals can congregate
and interact. Room to room movement is possible by typing in directions
(i.e. east, west, south, etc.), or via "teleporting" (i.e. @go Harlem/
go to Harlem), which allows immediate transport to rooms not adjacent to
one's present location. But there will be more on that later.
Why Moo??
Why should we use Moos rather than programs like Daedalus Interchange?
Simply because they tend to hold student's interest more so than general
synchronous chat programs. MOOs have a more "architectural" space and uses
beyond simply communicating. There are hundreds of MOOs of varying topics
on servers all over the world and anyone with telnet access can use them.
Some educational MOOs (like Connections)
may require that teachers first ask permission to bring in classes but
many MOOs (like LambdaMoo)
make no restrictions. And the underlying code
to build your own MOO (with a little expertise) is available for free
downloading on the Internet.
Many MOOs already have programming in place (via generic objects) to
allow for such virtual reality features as blackboards and slide projectors,
moderated panel discussions, and more. In addition, MOOs allows teachers
and/or students to build and customize the environment to suit their needs
(or their mood). In essence, the "difference between a MOO and IRC [or
Daedalus] boils down to the richness of the environment. If you want free
synchronous conferencing with a richer, more flexible virtual environment
within which to write, play, and experiment, then using a MOO is probably
better".
How in the Heck Can I Use A M** in the Classroom?
Some of the main uses for M**s are:
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In language learning situations it gives students access to peer audience,
gives students the opportunity to focus on content over form (to a certain
degree since some fairly strict rules have to be followed and commands
given in order to move about and build in the Moo), and it encourages high
levels of interaction with many other people (thus giving them more opportunities
for class participation and critical thinking/evaluation).
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In literature and creative writing classes it offers students the opportunity
(or even forces them) to do close reading of texts, practice rich description,
actualize figurative language, and to spatially organize their authoring
(so that their "rooms" make sense).
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In the professional realm we can use Moos in order to bring together colleagues
who live and work in remote locations, participate in virtual conferences
(An online CCCC?) and online discourse communities (like the Netoric
Project that brings together teachers of writing in computerized environments),
and to keep an archived transcript of real time sessions (better than a
phone call and takes up less space than multiple emails).
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So What Do I Need to Get Started?
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Well, first you need access to the Moo. This can be gained by using telnet
(which is not always pretty or readable) or by downloading a free Moo-client
which can support graphics and clickable links for some of the enhanced
Moos. My favorite is Pueblo
which is for Windows machines. Lists of other available clients are available
here.
Or, you can do a search for the latest clients available. After that you
have to choose
a Moo for your initial adventure. Many clients have built in lists
of M**s that are categorized and fairly extensive. I suggest looking at
both academic and social Moos, but for the faint of heart the academic
Moo can be more of a safe space especially if students are present. While
academic Moos are monitored social Moos are kind of a free for all where
people are not required to watch what they say or do (so they usually don't).
This can sometimes lead to less than positive experiences.
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Links that Deal With MOOs and Education:
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Links that Tell You Where to Go and How to Get
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Compiled by Samantha Blackmon on 8/24/00
Last Updated 8/06/01
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