The MOO is a form of synchronous communication--participants talk in real time through computers over the internet. It is a multiple-user dimension (MUD), but more, it allows for characters to demonstrate thoughts, actions, and feelings with the "emote" command, and it is programmed with manipulatable objects--it is a MUD which is Object-Oriented (MOO). MOO-language consists of "speaking" and "emoting." To speak, a character types a quotation mark and the message to send, then presses the return key. The system displays the character saying the message. For example, in this illustration, the bolded text is typed by Joel and displays only on his screen; the plain text is what the system displays on all characters' screens:

"Welcome to the BallState Writer Workshop.

Joel says, "Welcome to the BallState Writer Workshop."

To emote, a character types a colon and a present-tense verb, a thought, or a feeling, then presses the return key. The terminals respond by showing the character performing the emotion:

:smiles and greets everyone to the BSWW

joel smiles and greets everyone to the BSWW

Together, speaking and emoting bring the virtual world to life:

barrym thinks we need to keep a clock with Eastern time by the computers

joel says, "Yes. It will look like the news rooms with clocks at different times everywhere."

barrym says, "That way we'll have a timely writing center."

joel says, "If you want to get ticky."

barrym seconds the motion

joel gives barrym a hand

barrym uses minute detail

joel says, "Hour conversation is lagging."

In this conversation, both characters use quotations and emotions to create their interactive environment.

In the past five years, computers and writing instruction has paid an increasing amount of attention to the MOO as a tool for the classroom. Some of the most important MOO research appears in archived editions of Kairos, especially in the Coverweb of issue 1.2. In this collection, Michael Day offers an overview and history of MOO use in education, and eight computers and writing scholars offer webtexts on philopsophies of educational MOOs, specific professional MOO-based projects and conferences, pedagogical stances on using MOOs in the classroom, and guides to becoming MOO-literate. Another important MOO web is Janet Cross and Kristian Fuglevik's "The Ten Commandments of MOO Pedagogy," appearing in Kairos 1.3. As the title promises, this text offers ten important suggestions for teachers in MOOs and the philosophies behind the conventions. The text also offers a comprehensive technical overview of MOO server hardware, software, security, and setup trends for those interested in starting a MOO.

MOO-based Metacognition: Incorporating Online and Offline Reflection into the Writing Process
Joel A. English