You smile, tap a few buttons on your keyboard, and drop a 16-ton weight on the culprit's head. Class settles down and you're ready to begin. Except for the 16-ton weight, it very well might. Although this is a somewhat oversimplified description, a MOO is a highly sophisticated chat room with capabilities and possibilities for education that go far beyond mere banter. The possibilities for their use are amazing.
Nothing beats real-time communication for building relationships, both personal and professional.
Last year at Richmond High School, I mentored a group of fifth graders from a nearby elementary school. I taught them the basics of moving around in a MOO, and used the VSPO commands to help facilitate the process. The students met online once a week with students from schools on the East Coast. The most rewarding aspect of this experience was seeing the students excited, motivated, and having fun . My own pedagogy stresses the need for students to become self-motivated learners, with the teacher acting as facilitator in this regard.