PiratePadDirections

__ Pirate Pad __ A quick, easy, and enjoyable way to get students to engage in written chat is through Pirate Pad. This service allows for anywhere from 2 to 20 participants to engage in two simultaneous conversations - one is a live chat, in which entries follow each other as they are entered (found in the bottom right corner of the page), and the other is very much like a live legal pad, on which participants can respond directly next to other comments as opposed to only being able to converse in real time (found on the left side of the page). In case you are starting to think that pirate pad chatting could become very confusing, realize each participant gets assigned a different color font and there is a key provided at the top of the pad. Let's take a look...

It's easy to get started - simply click the image below or go to [|www.piratepad.net] and "create new pad". Once you start a new pad enter your name in the space provided and select "share this pad". Now you should see a new window pop up (see example below.) You can share this link with your students or colleagues and start chatting.