Following are some frequently asked questions about the discussion area. If your question is not answered here, please e-mail us and we will work together to solve your computer problem.

• What is the difference between the discussion board and live chat? How do I use each in a classroom?
  

Discussion boards are dialogues, divided into specific subjects, and act like virtual bulletin boards. Messages are posted and answered whenever a user is online, and all previous messages are archived and readily available to users. Discussion boards are preferred for two basic reasons:

1) Research Capability: On a discussion board, you can read original messages in topic areas of interest, then read responses to those messages - i.e., all participating users have the ability to read all messages. Acting as a database of questions and responses that accumulate over time, discussion boards are ideal for researching discussions that have previously taken place.

2) Time/Schedule Flexibility: Discussion boards allow a message to be posted by a particular user at any time, and someone else can answer/read it any time thereafter - i.e., users don't have to be online at the same time to correspond to one another.

Live Chat is a vehicle through which you can talk (type) back and forth in real-time with someone else on the Internet. In our site, this is used to interview authors during scheduled times. Questions and responses are posted immediately on the screen. Chat rooms are preferred for two basic reasons:

1) Interactivity: Users interact directly with one another, creating an exciting, personal environment on the computer.

2) Real-time: All chats are live, and thus there is no wait for responses. Chats call for creative, improvisational responses and work well for interviews.

• What is the Teacher Lounge? Student Lounge? What do we do there?

Professors who adopt Sarabande titles are able to share and discuss their best practice and concerns with each other without the cost of long distance telephones or the time spent waiting on postal mail. This is done in the Teacher Lounge discussion area where the content is password protected, and each question and the responses that follow are sorted by subject.

Students are able to talk to one another via the Student Lounge where they may discuss particular issues or further challenge fellow students into critical thinking about a selected author of study and their writing. Student discussions will be sorted by author. Once again, the content is password protected for only those students participating in the Sarabande in Education program.

• How do I schedule an author interview on the live chat with my classroom?

Contact Nickole Brown, Marketing Director of Sarabande Books, by e-mail, phone (502) 458-4028 or fax (502) 458-4065.

• One of my students has posted a question on the discussion board, but it has disappeared. What does this mean?

Sarabande in Education's lounges are moderated, meaning you cannot post directly to the group. Our moderated discussions are censored by an administrator who posts only those messages he/she thinks are acceptable for the group. Obscene, irrelevant, or repetitive questions are not posted. Once the message is posted, anyone can respond.

If you do not feel as if this is the case, there may be some technical difficulty. Please contact Nickole Brown, Marketing Director of Sarabande Books, by e-mail, phone (502) 458-4028 or fax (502) 458-4065.

• How do I acquire password/ log-in information for the discussion areas?

Included with your desk copy are site passwords for both you and your students. Log in information is obtained by registering your username and password once you enter the Discussion Area with your password.

If you would like to receive your Adoption Welcome Pack, please call 502/458-4028, fax 502/458-4065, or e-mail us.

• I have lost my password. What should I do?

Contact Nickole Brown, Marketing Director of Sarabande Books, by e-mail, phone (502) 458-4028 or fax (502) 458-4065.

• I have lost my username and log-in. What should Color I do?

Your username and log-in was sent to you via e-mail after you registered in the Discussion Area. If you have lost that confirmation e-mail, simply re-register and send an e-mail to Nickole Brown, Marketing Director, letting her know that you had to register twice. (Note: You may not be able to use the same user name again if you have to re-register.)

• I have tried the live chat in my classroom, but it takes a particularly long time for messages to appear. What can I do to improve the speed of my Internet connection?

It is best to use at least a 28.8K, 33.6K, or a56K modem for live chat. Providing your modem is working fine and there are no technical problems with the computer network within the classroom, there may be some other technical difficulty - either within the phone lines or at the server which hosts the Sarabande in Education site. If you are in the middle of a live chat and it is not working, contact (do not e-mail) any of the staff at Sarabande Books at (502) 458-4028.