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Technology Managing The Digital Classroom - Using A Backchannel

In my get-go post inwards this serial - Getting students' attention - I mentioned the piece of employment of backchannels. This post should give you lot to a greater extent than information close the piece of employment of backchannels inside the classroom.

If you lot are working inwards a classroom where your students direct hold network connected devices, either through wifi or their mobile phone, using a backchannel tin flaming direct hold a transformative comport upon on the agency you lot tin flaming piece of employment technology scientific discipline with your students.

“Backchannel is the practise of using networked computers to maintain a real-time online conversation amongst the primary grouping activity or alive spoken remarks.”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Backchannel


Most backchannels are text based as well as many-to-many, pregnant that anyone tin flaming type inwards a message as well as it is seen past times everyone who has access to the chatroom.



Back channels are specially useful if you lot are working inwards a facial expression upwardly to facial expression upwardly surround where all or pairs/groups of students are working at a reckoner or if you lot are delivering alive online classes using exactly about shape or spider web conferencing or webinar platform.

Backchannels aid to solve a discover of mutual classroom problems

Distraction
  • I oftentimes depict a backchannel every bit the communication that happens betwixt your students inwards the classroom every fourth dimension to plough your dorsum on them. The wages of using a backchannel tool is that you lot tin flaming capture the intercommunication, endure business office of it as well as drib dead far a constructive rather than a distracting business office of the class.
Democratisation of learning
  • Backchannels democratise the classroom or lecture room, at to the lowest degree for periods of time, as well as enable everyone to contribute what they know close the indicate or topic beingness discussed.
Giving students links to online resources
  • If you lot desire students to investigate a website, produce an online task, scout a video or consummate a digital worksheet, you lot merely piece of employment the dorsum channel, glue inwards the link as well as they tin flaming access the materials merely past times clicking the link as well as opening it inwards a novel tab. This saves a lot of fourth dimension as well as gets students straight to the sites you lot desire them to access rather than leaving them struggling to write downward long URLs as well as type them into the browser address bar.
Getting all students to response to questions
  • You tin flaming type inwards questions as well as acquire students to response through the backchannel. Using this method all students are able to participate as well as response to questions rather than the get-go i to set upwardly their hand. This also gives less outspoken students the chance to respond.
Setting as well as reinforcing clear task
  • When you lot laid tasks for students to produce you lot tin flaming dorsum them upwardly past times also typing your instructions into the backchannel. This gives them something to refer dorsum to as well as also helps to reinforce your verbal instructions. This tin flaming bring down wasted fourth dimension going circular the bird helping weaker students acquire on task.
Brainstorming
  • You tin flaming acquire students brainstorming ideas, suggestions, vocabulary, opinions or anything else through the dorsum channel. This agency everyone's contribution tin flaming endure collected, shared as well as acknowledged.
Enabling students to part knowledge
  • Students acquire part what they know close whatsoever topic or inquire a inquiry at whatsoever indicate during lesson, fifty-fifty when you lot are presenting, without disrupting the stream of the class.
Socialisation with students
  • Students tin flaming socialise as well as you lot tin flaming socialise with students inside the dorsum channel. Just spending a few minutes at the start of the lesson bespeak questions as well as finding out what students are upwardly to tin flaming actually aid to engage with your students.
Developing written fluency
  • Interacting with students inwards a chatroom also gives students an chance to railroad train their written fluency through genuine communication.
Saving notes from the class
  • The script from a backchannel tin flaming endure saved as well as downloaded, thus this is a slap-up shape of collaborative depository fiscal establishment complaint taking. At the destination of the bird each pupil tin flaming edit their ain version of the text to ensure they maintain the parts that they experience are relevant.

Some problems with dorsum channels

Safety
  • As e'er nosotros should direct hold our students' online security rattling seriously  when using whatsoever shape of reckoner mediated communication that allows students or others to communicate with our students.  Some dorsum channel tools require registration as well as this adds a greater chemical component of security to the platform every bit users are to a greater extent than traceable, though pupil registration tin flaming add together an extra layer of fourth dimension administration as well as friction to the setup process.
  • If you lot create upwardly one's heed to piece of employment a dorsum channel that doesn't require registration as well as then it's improve to brand certain you lot create a novel i each lesson as well as solely acquire out it alive for solely a brusque time.
Behaviour
  • When you lot get-go start to piece of employment a dorsum channel you lot may direct hold exactly about initial demeanour problems, especially with younger less mature students. Try to remain bird headed when you lot bargain with this. As the piece of employment of the dorsum channel becomes to a greater extent than mutual house your students volition acquire used to using it inwards a to a greater extent than responsible way, especially if they realise their comments tin flaming endure traced dorsum to them.

Class size
  • If you lot direct hold actually large classes as well as lots of students are contributing comments it may acquire difficult to maintain upwardly with all the interaction. Having a to a greater extent than complex backchannel tool similar Backchannel Chat tin flaming aid you lot to create produce this to a greater extent than effectively.
Chaos
  • Reading dorsum through the text from a dorsum channel tin flaming seem similar reading through chaos to someone who wasn’t at that spot at the time. Backchannel records volition demand to endure edited to endure useful, but  this is a skillful review activity for students.

Backchannel tools

Here are a discover of tools you lot tin flaming piece of employment to create a backchannel inwards your classroom.
  
TodaysMeet: https://todaysmeet.com/
TodaysMeet is i of the simplest as well as easiest to piece of employment tools, as well as also i that’s gratuitous as well as rattling reliable. It doesn’t require registration past times you lot or the students thus it’s actually quick to prepare as well as acquire students into, but if you lot desire that extra security you lot tin flaming register for a gratuitous account, which volition also enable you lot to relieve your chat transcripts.
You tin flaming locomote inwards an event room here: https://todaysmeet.com/exampleroom1

Backchannel Chat: http://www.backchannelchat.com/
Backchannel Chat is a fleck to a greater extent than sophisticated as well as enables students to direct avatars for the chat as well as to a greater extent than importantly it enables you lot the instructor to pivot a inquiry or message to the transcend of the chatroom current thus that it doesn’t disappear every bit students respond. There is both a gratuitous version (which is express to xxx students) every bit good every bit paid versions which direct hold larger limits as well as other features similar file adding attachments as well as personalising avatars with students’ ain picture.

You tin flaming locomote inwards an event room here: http://backchannelchat.com/chat/7x82l

Chatzy: http://www.chatzy.com/
Chatzy offers 2 options; H5N1 quick chat room which you lot tin flaming prepare quite speedily as well as merely (more similar TodaysMeet, or a to a greater extent than complex virtual classroom which you lot tin flaming configure to permit students to add together diverse types of online media too, such every bit images as well as videos.



You tin flaming locomote inwards an event room here: http://us21.chatzy.com/55961595316533

Find to a greater extent than tools to piece of employment inwards the digitally connected classroom past times downloading my ebook - Digital Tools for Teachers

Check it out

I promise you lot uncovering backchannels useful with your students as well as that they aid you lot to integrate technology scientific discipline into your classroom inwards a to a greater extent than meaningful way.

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Nik Peachey

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