Article: Learning Technologies
Making Use of a Text Chat Backchannel
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Derek wrote this post in 2010 after reading a book on the notion of a backchannel. It was Derek's most viewed blog post in 2020 when teaching moved online and instructors were looking to make use of Zoom's text chat. The uses described here will get you thinking about creative ways to make use of that text chat in your classes.
What are some other ways that backchannel might function in educational settings? Cliff Atkinson describes some common and uncommon uses of the backchannel in Chapter 3 of his book. Here are my thoughts on how Atkinson’s uses might map over to educational settings:
- Notetaking: Students can take their notes during a class in the backchannel. This provides an electronic (and thus searchable) set of notes for the student. Moreover, students can read and use each other’s notes more easily. You might even select two or three students each day to be official class note-takers, freeing other students up for more engagement in class.
- Sharing Resources: Students can also look online (or, call me crazy, in their textbooks) for information that supplements the lecture or class discussion. It’s easy to share links in the backchannel thanks to all the URL shortening services, and students can be very good at finding useful and relevant information online. And if a resource shared by a student isn’t useful or relevant, it creates an opportunity to discuss with students how to find and evaluate online information resources.
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