Backchanneling


 * Backchaneling**

To "backchannel" is to carry on a real-time online conversation while a group activity or presentation is going on. Here are some examples of when students might use a backchannel to ask questions, comment, or identify the key points:
 * When the teacher or other students are presenting information
 * During a video or film
 * While an inner circle Socratic seminar is going on, the outer circle can participate in a backchannel.

In addition to discussion during a live activity or event, a backchannel can also be used for:
 * offering suggestions
 * sharing resources
 * taking notes

 There are many different tools that can be used as a backchannel, TodaysMeet, Twitter, Facebook, Yammer, Instant Messaging and Google Moderator.

TodaysMeet is a simple, free online tool you can use as a backchannel in your classroom. Instructions:
 * [|Today's Meet]**
 * 1) Go to the website:[| todaysmeet.com]
 * 2) Name your "room" ("Room" is a reference to a "chatroom," an online place where discussions happen.)
 * 3) Choose how long the room will be active and available. The choices in the pull down menu are 2 hrs, 8 hrs, 12 hrs, 1 day, 1 week, 1 month, or 1 year.
 * 4) Click on the Create your Room button.
 * 5) Tell your students the url (web address) and have them go to the site. Once there they will enter their name in the box.
 * 6) If you have a particular way you want them to identify themselves, please be clear about this before they get to the site
 * 7) When they have a comment or question, they write it in the "Say" box.
 * 8) It is a good idea to review online etiquette prior to using a backchannel
 * 9) If you want to save all the comments from a TodaysMeet session, click on the "Transcript" button below the list of messages and then save the page by either:
 * 10) selecting the whole room (click and drag or use Control-A (PC) or Command-A (Mac), copy it and paste it into a Word doc.
 * 11) use "Save Page" in the file menu of your browser
 * 12) some computers can "print" the page as a PDF