When I was presenting the EdTechConnect Widgetizing the Builders, one of the widgets I wanted to share was a chat box that could be embeded into assignments or quizzes.  Now, you might wonder why anyone would want to embed a chat box into an assignment.  After all, don’t most schools have IM’s blocked within school grounds?

So let’s brainstorm a little

    * Students can ask questions that you or their peers could answer
    * Group discussion is possible even after school hours
    * Teacher can hold evening office hours from his/her own sofa while watching Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?
    * Students can collaborate for group work
    * Chat is behind a passcode, so private to that specific class
    * Discussion can be saved and used in class the following day
    * Students can get instant feedback from each other, rather than waiting until class the next day

And so on.  You get the idea.  Unfortunately for me, the site I had chosen to show off, ChatCreator,  was down during my webinar!  Horrible example.  ChatCreator is back up, but I figured it’d be good to have a backup handy, just in case.

This morning I found GeeSee.  It’s the same sort of thing, instant chat box for your web site, blog or unitedstreaming assignment/quiz.  It’s MUCH prettier than ChatCreator, and has some nice features.  Unfortunately, it’s kinda bloated, and has a minimum width of over 450px.  This blog theme max’s out at around 370, so I can’t embed it well into this blog.  Instead, I’ll just provide you with this obnoxious smiley, which will open the chat in a new window.  But if you’re looking for a chat to embed into your own blog or website, then GeeSee is worth bookmarking!