ON DEMAND: KakaoTalk Messenger: A way to keep real-time communication and build a community with students

Abstract

Due to the covid-19 pandemic situation, classes are offered either online or hybrid at Mason Korea campus, and even though synchronous zoom and blackboard Collaborate are actively serving, students have limited chances to communicate or socialize with classmates and instructors. To overcome this limitation, presenters decided to include the KakaoTalk messenger application, the most popular and common communication tool among Korean on mobile phones, lap-tops and desk-tops, for class tools for live communication in and out of the class.

KakaoTalk is a free messenger service that most Korean mobile phone holders use every day, and it is also available to international users for free. K-12 teachers as well as university professors are recommended to use this messenger to actively communicate with their classes particularly in the period of pandemic in Korea. Instructors organize group channels for their classes, in which students and instructors can immediately exchange and share text messages, phone calls, video conferences, and quick surveys as well as documents, images, audio, and video files replacing classic functions of the ‘discussion board,’ ‘individual/group emails,’ and uploading feedback on the blackboard. This application helps instructors and students to communicate all around the clock as it is comparatively simpler than logging in to the university account and getting into the blackboard system for communication

Reviewing users’ survey data, testimonials and comments on the functions and activities of this tool for the class community, participants will find ideas how this tool can support class communication and exchange of information among the class community members, through which they can invent ways to build up strong sense of community and belonging to each other. Presenters suggest that the university IT team provide an application with which each registered class members can immediately exchange conversation around the clock.


Key take-aways:
Through review of how this messenger application is used for different areas of the academic discipline, English for Academic Purpose, Chinese language, and Conflict Resolution, participants will be able to notice the real-time communication functions that this application offers and will formulate ideas how they can utilize this type of application for their class communities. In addition, the university IT team will be motivated to add a mobile application that could be linked directly to the registered class communities.