What is backchanneling? According to TodaysMeet.com, backchanneling is anything happening in the room that isn’t coming from the person presenting the information.
Sometimes, the “backchannel” can have a negative influence in the classroom environment. Students may be zoned out of the lecture and trying to use their electronic devices for activities that ARE NOT school appropriate. Maybe (at least waaaay back when I was in high school) students are passing notes or talking not-so-quietly to those sitting around them.
So, how and when can we use the “backchannel” to our advantage?
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When watching documentaries in the classroom…
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encourage students to ask questions relating to the content of the documentary
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DIScourage students from pointing out irrelevant observations
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When watching “movies” in the classroom…
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encourage students to comment on historical accuracy of the film
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discuss the most pivotal scenes in the movie
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When viewing “flipped” videos in the classroom, or at home…
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encourage students to post problems or questions they have about the content
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During classroom presentations…
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provide students with a list of points they should learn from the presentation, and have them comment what they’ve learned
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While watching the State of the Union address…
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encourage students to post questions about major issues discussed in the speech
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sometimes we offer bonus points to students who watch the State of the Union…using backchanneling, students can prove they’ve watched the address!
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While watching the evening news…
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encourage students to comment about top stories- both local and global
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While completing a reading assignment for homework…
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students can post something they didn’t understand or an amazing breakthrough they’ve had
There are TONS of awesome ways to incorporate backchanneling in the classroom environment and INCREASE student engagement!
There are so many different tools teachers can use for backchanneling in their classroom! Below are a few of the options I think are awesome!
Using TodaysMeet, teachers create a “room” and provide students with the link to your backchannel. Teachers can adjust the time frame for their “room” to be open…AWESOME!
This is such a great backchannel tool! Teachers can create multiple choice, short answer, true/false questions, exit passes, and more to use with their students! The teacher account and student account are both FREE!
Yes, you can use Edmodo for this! Teachers create groups for each class, then provide students with a group code for that class, and can then post discussion questions within the class for each student to answer. I do this ALL THE TIME with my students. Sometimes, I have them watch a video and then answer a question on their discussion board…I also require the students to respond to each other’s posts, creating more of an online learning environment. BUT, that’s a topic for another post!
This Chrome app is just COOL! Teachers can create an account (its FREE) and customize their “wall.” Teachers can adjust the privacy settings on their wall, requiring the moderator (teacher) to approve any post before it becomes public. Use this for backchanneling OR bellringers, project ideas, note-taking, and so much more!
Twitter would be an awesome backchanneling tool…if you are able to use it in the classroom!
Twitter would be an awesome backchanneling tool…if you are able to use it in the classroom!
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