Asking for information: educational service providers
Week 19 · Theme 3, Lesson 4 Communicating with Educational Service Providers · 3 lessons
3
Email or chat window?
ICT P6 Term 2, Theme 3: pp. 22–25
GoalCompare an e-mail with a chat window, and write a short factual report of the experience.
New words
chat window · a small box on a website where you type a message and get a replychatbot · an AI program that answers questions in a chat window; it is not a personreport · a short, true account of what happenedneutral · sticking to facts, without feelings or opinions
Explanation
Some ESPs have a chat window on their website. Writing there may be a bit more relaxed than in an e-mail, yet it must stay polite, clear and on topic. If you are not focused, the answer may not be relevant. Many chat windows are run by chatbots. A chatbot is an AI program made to answer questions online. It is not a real person, so never give it personal details. After you have practised, write a short report about the experience. A report uses formal, neutral language and only facts: what you did, in order, and what happened. It does not describe your feelings. Then think about your skills. Writing to an ESP is a little like writing to your teacher, because both need politeness and clarity, but an ESP e-mail is more formal and has all seven parts, because you do not know the reader. Which feels easier to you: asking online or asking face to face? This is your opinion, so give a reason.
E-mail
Chat window
style
formal, seven parts
a little less formal, still polite
speed
answer may come later
answer at once
who answers
often a person
often a chatbot, not a person
Worked examples
Asker
Chatbot
Hello. I am a Primary 6 pupil. Where can I find information about old coins?
Hello! Please open the page called Old Coins.
A paper role play. One partner plays the asker, the other the chatbot. Asker: ‘Hello. I am a Primary 6 pupil. Where can I find information about old coins on your site?’ Chatbot: ‘Hello! Please open the page called Old Coins.’ The asker is polite and focused.
Request
Likely answer
Tell me stuff about animals
too wide, may not help
Which animals live on a coral reef in the Red Sea?
clear and useful
Focused or not? ‘Tell me stuff about animals’ is too wide, so the answer may not help. ‘Which animals live on a coral reef in the Red Sea?’ is clear and focused, so the answer is likely to be useful.
Not a report
A report
I felt very nervous and then happy.
I wrote a formal e-mail on Monday. An automatic reply arrived the same day.
A report uses facts. Not a report: ‘I felt very nervous and then happy.’ A report: ‘I wrote a formal e-mail on Monday. An automatic reply arrived the same day.’ The report keeps feelings out and says what happened, in order.
Class activity
Chat role play and report. In pairs, act a short chat: one is the asker, one is the chatbot. The asker uses polite, clear and focused sentences. Swap roles. Then each writes a report of five sentences with only facts, in order, with no feelings. Use ‘a Primary 6 pupil’ and no real details.
Practice
1
Give one difference between an e-mail and a chat window.
For example: an e-mail is more formal; a chat window gets an answer at once.
2
Is a chatbot a person?
No. It is an AI program.
3
Rewrite ‘I felt super nervous when I sent it’ as a fact for a report.
For example: ‘I sent the e-mail on Monday.’
4
Which is easier for you, asking online or in person? Give a reason.
