Category: Resources

03/1/15

Backchannel Web Tools

This semester I am teaching a course on integrating technology in the classroom and at the start of the semester one of the students asked if I would be requiring the use of Twitter.  When I responded that we would not be using it in the class the student responded with relief because they just didn’t see how Twitter could be used in the classroom.  Twitter to these pre-service teachers is social media and not a teaching tool.  While Twitter has great value and connection to classroom practices I will concede that it is sometimes hard to see.  So instead of trying to convince anyone of the specific merits of Twitter I instead focused on the value of backchannel conversations and how they are more effectively fostered using technology.

Picture this, you are in a classroom where the instructor is using the Fishbowl teaching strategy to engage students in a discussion.  Observe the students outside of the fishbowl.  What are they doing?  Some will genuinely be paying attention to the discussion going on; others will appear to be paying attention but the vacant stare will indicate otherwise; still others will be doodling on paper or thinking they are slyly using their cellphone without the instructor noticing (note to students: you aren’t that subtle, the instructor always notices.)  When the instructor invites other students to join the discussion or offer observations the room is mostly silent with the same students who always participate raising their hand.  The instructor ends the class frustrated wondering how can they implement the strategy differently to get better results.  Here are two options that take advantage of those cellphones and puts them to good use (and yes, one of the options is Twitter)…

todaysmeet

 

 

TodaysMeet is best described as an internal Twitter-type web tool. You can use it in a number of ways in the classroom.  A colleague of mine shared with me that they use it often during student presentations.  Students listening to their peer’s presentation can comment, pose questions to each other, and offer feedback that can be shared with the presenter when done.  It allows those listening to engage with the presentation in the moment instead of being passive observers.  Plus, as my colleague mentioned, when you have a good rapport with your class you can call out students dosing in class over TodaysMeet and the person sitting next to them are kind enough to give them a nudge…

And if we go back to our fishbowl scenario, TodaysMeet offers an excellent opportunity for students to extend the conversation going on in the center of the fishbowl while posing different questions and creating side conversations that complement and go beyond what they are listening to.  Professor James Chisholm recently presented at AACTE his research showing the benefits of using TodaysMeet for these types of backchannel conversations to promote critical thinking and analysis as well as integrate the use of digital tools  in a high school English classroom.

 


Using Twitter for group discussions has become so ubiquitous that it even has its own phrase, Twitterchat.  There are many pros and cons to using Twitter for group discussions rather than a private channel like TodaysMeet.  Twitter is a more common tool that students are likely to already be familiar with.  The use of hastags is also a common social practice so connecting comments is easy for students to do – you just need to make sure students are aware of what the discussion hashtag is ahead of time.  It is also a great way for students in different sections of the same course to interact with each other for a larger discussion using the course hashtag.  Given the open nature of Twitter some cons for using it can be that students may get overwhelmed by the number of tweets associated with a hashtag.  Hashtags are also open to trolling or spamming however Alexis Lothian’s amusing and informative story on her experience using twitter in the classroom offer some tips and strategies to deal with it.

Going back to our classroom discussing using the Fishbowl strategy, picture it in your mind again.  This time, the students listening to the discussion are using TodaysMeet or Twitter, including you.  Instead of seeing students mentally checking out they are able to have a voice in the discussion.  When students in the center circle move to the outside circle they can continue to participate and see feedback from the outside circle while they were in the center.  The energy in the classroom is also different, instead of stale and quiet, even those tapping away on TodaysMeet or Twitter give off an air of buzzing activity.

09/15/14

Mobile Tech Mistakes

I recently stumbled across a list of 5 common mistakes to avoid when using iPads in the classroom.  I found the list of mistakes to avoid to be right on target except for one major thing – why are they only focusing on iPads?  If this article had been written two or three years ago and not in 2014 I would understand why the focus would be in iPads.  Yes, the article was specifically looking at school iPad initiatives and not BYOD initiatives but that is just it – the mistakes to avoid are not specific to iPads but to any initiative to bring mobile devices into the classroom.  So here is the new common iPad mistakes list remixed to make them applicable for any school mobile device initiatives, regardless of the operating system:

  1. Failure to communicate a compelling answer to: “Why iPads?’
    I kept #1 on the list the same as the original, but my annotation is different. The Android operating system is the most prevalent system out there for mobile devices (this includes smartphones and tablets.) Parents and taxpayers will need to know why the most expensive brand tablet out there is being required for a mobile device initiative versus a less expensive but similar device. Let’s go even older than this July 2014 article to one written in September 2013 – Beyond the iPad: Schools’ Choices in Tablets Grow – even a year ago there were a number of alternate options to the iPad and that list continues to grow as the tablet market becomes more competitive. Whether the school wants to have the same device used by all students or takes a BYOD approach, there is no need to purchase the most expensive option out there without a very good reason.
  2. Not understanding why tablets vs. laptops
    This could be seen as an extension to the first mistake “Why iPads?” and I could have phrased it in a similar fashion. However, I see this as a distinct mistake in and of itself. Mobile devices offer new opportunities in the classroom that are, well, mobile. But too often people forget that laptops are mobile. Again, laptops have changed a lot over the years and they come in many shapes and sizes. The netbooks offer a lightweight way to access the internet and can oftentimes be used much in the same way a tablet can be used. But a tablet cannot be used as computer…well, technically it can but the experience is not as smooth as a laptop and there are limits to what the tablet can do. So if you are thinking about a mobile learning initiative for your classroom or school district, make sure you can answer why a tablet? (I purposefully did not throw smartphones into the mix because I feel the phone and texting functionalities are obvious distractions and would ultimately interrupt the learning more than the mobility of the smartphone would add to it.
  3. Focusing on content apps
    I think the originally article sums this up nicely so there is not much more to add. Mobile technology is not just about learning content but also about creating. Looking to the Maker/Tinker culture can provide inspiration and purpose for integrating mobile technology in the classroom.
  4. Lack of teacher prep
    This is a HUGE mistake for teacher in general, not just with introducing technology in the classroom. When I first saw that on the list I thought, “So it is ok to be unprepared for a low-tech lesson?” Of course not and if bringing technology into the classroom uncovers who does prep and who doesn’t, than I see this mistake as a blessing in disguise so those unprepared teachers can get the help they need before it is too late for them and their students.
  5. Assuming this generation of so-called “Digital Natives” knows technology
    I probably should have put this as #1. Yes, today’s students have likely been clicking and swiping away since they were toddlers; but that does not mean they understand what they are doing and can make connections in different situations. The same skills that were important pre-digital age are even more important to teach today. Skills like how to evaluate the legitimacy of a source; how to search; how to cite; etc. are even more valuable to students that have not only print sources but the whole world wide web to search. They need the skills to know that Google is not a source but a search engine. Don’t get fooled into thinking that the skills you learned are irrelevant today, but they may need some polishing so they match the context that today’s students are in.
  6. Thinking that mobile devices can only have 1 user
    This is where I really start to differ with the original list. Yes, apps will use logins and may store settings for students. But again, if you look beyond the iPad you will find mobile devices like the Kindle Fire that allows a multi-user experience so you can log one student off and log in another to access the apps under their name. If the device cannot support multi-user logins then when evaluating which apps to use check to see if when installed they will allow different users to log-in/log-out. If the mobile device and/or app is restricting what you want to do definitely take time to reflect if a tablet is the right solution to your mobile learning needs.