Education is a social process.  Education is growth.  Education is not a preparation for life; education is life itself.  John Dewey
  Education is a social process.  Education is growth.  Education is not a preparation for life; education is life itself.  John Dewey
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  • Welcome
  • Educational Technology
    • Connect
    • Create
    • Listen
    • Organize
    • Visualize
    • Write
  • Professional Development
    • Operation vs. Application
  • Blog
  • Work Examples
    • Ethics of the Atomic Bomb
    • History of Communication Learning Model
    • Mashups
    • TPACK Teaching Case
    • Visual of Production Cycle
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Tech Tip Tuesday: Using Backchannels in the Classroom

4/18/2017

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What is a backchannel?
A backchannel is a digital conversation running concurrently with a class activity.  It creates an outlet for students to engage in class discussions in a variety of ways.  A backchannel does not replace classroom discussions but enhances them for all students.

Why use a backchannel?
​You can use a backchannel to capture your students' curiosity.  Use a backchannel to ask your students what they are curious about, what makes them skeptical, or if they have a burning question about the content.  You could even use the information your students provide to help guide personalized projects based on students' interests, resulting in authentic learning opportunities

Use a backchannel to connect the conversation.  Students become more engaged when they have to monitor the backchannel while in class.  You can keep it running at all times, or you could consider pausing in class to check in with the backchannel as a group.  Encourage students to answer other students' questions; once they are teaching something, you know they know the concept!

Use a backchannel to create ubiquitous opportunities.  When students are asked to communicate over multiple modalities, they are able to develop their thoughts over time and engage in authentic learning.  Learning is then no longer tied to a desk in a brick and mortar classroom; students can learn and contribute at any time.

What tools can I use to start a backchannel?
There are so many tools out there that you can use to create your own backchannel.  I'm only going to highlight a few below and link you to them directly.  These are tools I've used to create a backchannel in my classes, plus they are free!

*click on the images below to visit the websites directly
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Below is also a great infographic from the Langwitches Blog explaining backchannels in even more detail as well as some helpful websites for your own reference.  

So, how do you use backchannels in your classroom?  Please leave a comment below!

Resources:
10 Ways to Use Backchannels in Your Classroom
The Backchannel: Giving Every Student a Voice
Five Platforms for a Classroom Backchannel Chat
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Tech Tip Tuesday: Screencastomatic

2/14/2017

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In my current professional role, I make A LOT of videos.  Probably about one video a day for the last six months.  I have a number of tools that I use to make these videos, but sometimes I just want a quick video that covers specific content in a quick and easy way.  In comes Screencastomatic to save the day!
Screencastomatic allows you to capture video on your computer screen, with your webcam, or a combo of those two.  It is easy to use...just follow this tutorial!
If you want to think through your resources and find different tutorials to help walk you through how to use Screencastomatic, Joel Speranza created a great flow chart for you to follow:
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How are you using Screencastomatic in your classroom?  Please leave a comment below.
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Tech Tip Tuesday: Using EdTech to Create a Backchannel

11/15/2016

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Many educators today are doing their best to move away from the traditional lecture format in their classrooms.  This shift is a positive one in order to support student-centered learning.  However, there are still times when it is necessary to focus the attention back to the front of the room, whether for a video or a traditional lecture.  How do we make sure our students are still engaged even when they are asked to sit and listen?  You can create a backchannel in your classroom to ensure their engagement and regularly monitor their formative learning.

Creating a backchannel is easy using educational technology.  There are a number of tools you can use to create a backchannel, and I offer links to a handful below.

So, really, why use a backchannel?  Won't that just distract my students?  Well, no.  Your students are already using a backchannel in your classrooms, whether it is whispering, texting, passing notes, or even jumping on social media.  So why not offer them a structured backchannel to refocus the conversation on the content information and give them productive ways to collaborate?

Backchannels offer ways to have a more organic conversation with your students.  Instead of having students raise their hand and interrupt lecture, they can type their questions in the backchannel.  The conversation becomes more relevant and happens more organically.  The answers to the questions also become more relevant because you can encourage students to collaborate and help each other out by answering other students' questions.  This takes some of the work load off the instructor and puts the onus of learning back on the students, where it really should be anyway.  

You can use a backchannel on most devices that connect to the Internet, so you can encourage your students to bring their own devices or technology (BYOD/BYOT).  As a secondary form of classroom communication, the backchannel is a way for the instructor and other students to clarify and collaborate simultaneously with class instruction.  Students are constantly engaged and encouraged to take part in an active discussion.  It gives students different options for their voices to be heard.

Backchannels are a great use of formative assessment because the instructor is able to immediately see if students understand the content, or if it is necessary to go back over material that students don't seem to understand.  Students can also go back to the backchannel after class and use that conversation as part of their class notes, providing another way for them to review the content material.  

Finally, if you are flipping your classroom, you can create a backchannel that is used asynchronously by your students to continue the conversation.  Students are encouraged to challenge one another and answer each other's questions.  The instructor can jump in when necessary to clarify any misunderstandings, but the learning and active discussion really falls to the students.  

Below is a list of popular tools you can use to create a backchannel in your classroom.  Many of these tools allow the instructor to monitor and delete responses in real time, allow for class privacy, and can easily be shared as links for the students to access.  You can click on the links below and explore each tool individually to get an idea of what would work the best for you and your students.
  • TodaysMeet is probably the most popular tool for creating backchannels in the classroom.  You can watch a tutorial video at the bottom of this post.
  • Verso is a great way to create class-specific backchannels for your students.  Read more about Verso here.  
  • Google slides is a way to present your content material while students type questions in the slide note area.  This captures the conversation, and students can use the backchannel within the slides as class notes for studying.
  • Socrative is a great way to visualize student understanding.
  • Padlet can be used to organize information around a specific concept.
  • Poll Everywhere could be used to set up synchronous or asynchronous polls.  You could use the Q&A feature to find out what students are unsure about, and then students can upvote items they need clarified.  For a Poll Everywhere tutorial, go to this page and click on the logo.
  • Twitter is another way to create a backchannel.  The one caution here is that your discussions can be seen by the public.  This is a great way to connect with others in your content area though.  So create a class hashtag and ask that students use the hashtag in their tweets.  Encourage students to tag other people outside of their class as well as organizations and institutions involved in what they are learning to broaden the scope of the discussion.  

So how do you use backchannels in your classroom?  Please leave a comment and let us know!
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Tech Tip Tuesday: Using Verso to Engage Students

11/8/2016

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What does discussion look like in your classroom?  Do you normally see one student dominating the conversation?  Do you have other students who are too shy to join in the conversation for fear of being wrong?  Often our classroom discussions can be lopsided due to dominant students or even derailed by students introducing an off-topic to the mix.  We want all of our students to be engaged and feel empowered to join in a class discussion.  We also want to give students time to think in order to provide deeper answers.  

​Verso can help you create dynamic class discussions by offering a safe, anonymous space for all students' voices to be heard and valued.  

Overview of Verso:
  • The instructor sets up a question or prompt for the students
  • The students then respond by typing in their thoughts
  • Students can use any type of device that connects to the Internet to respond
  • Students can see others' responses after they submit their own response, though every response is anonymous
  • Students can then comment and even upvote on others' responses, adding another element of engagement to the discussion

While student responses are kept anonymous, the instructor can see everything on their own dashboard, including who is typing and commenting.  The instructor also has the ability to remove any inappropriate responses immediately.  Students can also flag inappropriate comments and responses.

For more information on using Verso, please watch the video below:
Want more resources?  Check out the links below!  Also, be sure to leave a comment on how you use or plan to use Verso.  
  • ​Verso and Google Docs
  • Verso Sample Activities
  • Verso Case Studies
Now, go get started with Verso!
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Tech Tip Tuesday: Tools to Support QuickWrite Assignments

11/1/2016

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We all want to find different ways to get our students to reflect on their learning.  One way to do this is to have students do a quickwrite.  You can use this type of assignment as a weekly, in-class exercise, or you can ask students to do this in preparation for class.  The quickwrite is designed to encourage students to reflect on the week's content and revisit their notes to review what they learned.  It is a way to ask questions about course concepts without having to do a review in class.  Quickwrite also helps the instructor to identify areas of review; for instance, if many students mention they are still confused about a concept, the instructor can follow up with review immediately instead of waiting to see students miss certain content questions on the exam.

Here are five questions you can use in a quickwrite assignment, though feel free to create your own as well:
  1. What terms were the most important in this week's content?  Define any important terms in your own words.  
  2. What was the muddiest point for you (what did not make sense)?
  3. What would you like to know more about and why?
  4. How does this lesson relate to your other classes and/or experiences you've had outside of this class?
  5. Why do you think you were asked to learn this content?  How does it connect to what you've learned so far this semester?

When giving instructions about the quickwrite, be sure to point out that students should focus on the content information and not the operation of the course (i.e., grading).  Also point out students should write in complete sentences and answer each question thoroughly.  While they may not have an answer for question #2 (great!), they should definitely have answers for the other questions.  You can assign points to each question as a graded assignment, or you could leave it open as a participation and process grade.  Choose whatever method makes the most sense for your course and your students.  The quickwrite never needs to be a high stakes exercise; instead, it should be a way to ask students to reflect on their learning and give you information on what content needs to be reviewed.  

The quickwrite can be done on paper, or you can ask your students to do the quickwrite digitally (it all depends on your objectives, but be sure to consider TPACK!).  If you choose to go the digital route, you can give students options to complete the assignment.  Below are some great tools that your students can use to complete the quickwrite and easily share with you in a digital format:
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  • Evernote - Your students can create notebooks where they add their quickwrites and then share with you.
  • Google Drive and Docs - Google Drive is a great way to store and share documents.  Your students can create their own Google Doc and send to you via email, or you could create a class folder and share with your students so they can share their documents with you.
  • ​OneNote - Similar to Evernote, your students can create their own notebook for your class where they add their notes, assignments, and quickwrites and then share with you.
  • ​Padlet - (formerly Wallwisher) allows users to create their own virtual wall where they may post sticky notes with text, images, or other media.  Padlet is good for brainstorming and organizing during the writing process and may be used individually or in groups, either in real-time or asynchronously. 
  • Penzu is a free online diary and personal journal.  Students can write in their own diary or journal and keep it private or share it with their class.  

For more writing ideas, check out this list of writing tools!  Want to share how you use quickwrites with your students, please leave a comment below!

​Happy writing!

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Tech Tip Tuesday: Flipping the Classroom

10/18/2016

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According to the Teaching with Technology survey conducted by Campus Technology (2016), the majority of faculty in higher education are either flipping their classroom or plan to flip their classroom.  The flipped classroom is a pedagogical model where traditional lecture and homework are reversed.  Many flipped classrooms include short video lectures from the instructor in order to cover content knowledge before students come to class to discuss and practice the content through projects and exercises.  The flipped classroom focuses on active, student-centered learning and has shown an increase in student engagement inside and outside the classroom.      
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Flipping the classroom allows instructors to offer more interactive and applied practice to help students reach higher level learning.  At its core, flipped learning really is a form of blended learning because it incorporates both face-to-face and online elements.  Flipped learning can be used to modify learning to best support students' needs and learning interests.  Flipping the classroom will be a change for both instructors and students.  Instructors will move away from the Sage on the Stage model toward a Guide on the Side model (though carefully considering what that means and not leaving students to fend for themselves, but instead use their sage-ness to help guide student learning).  Students will have more choice and responsibility for their learning.  The collaborative and cooperative nature of flipped learning can be uncomfortable at first for instructors and students alike, but supporting students in their learning by offering more hands-on practice is worth it when we see students go beyond basic understanding and instead show mastery of content.      

Resources to Explore

Things You Should Know About Flipped Classrooms
Six Ways to Flip Learning and Teaching
Flipped Learning Community
Flipped Classroom Infographic
Five Ways to Flip Your Classroom with the New York Times

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Designer Information

Julie K. Marsh is a long-time educator, a PhD candidate at The College of William and Mary focusing on curriculum and educational technology, and the Coordinator for Distance Education and Instructional Design at Bon Secours Memorial College of Nursing in Richmond, Virginia.  Her current research interests include Design Thinking, Community of Inquiry, Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), creativity in the classroom, open sourced educational resources, and participatory culture.  

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.