Backchannel Programs --Has anyone actually used them in class? What do you think?

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Permalink Reply by Michiel Klonhammer on October 6, 2011 at 9:00am

Hi, I was involved in a European funded project called LEAD that developed and researched "computer-mediated communication during face-to-face discussions within the existing school setting" .

Basically students could use a software platform to have discussions. One of the most interesting results of the whole three year project was that students that were less dominant in the class, had a much stronger role in the discussion when they used the software. Of course they need to learn to discuss out loud and verbalize but in our current world, they need to be able to interact through online media as well. And people simply have different strengths in communication (writing versus speach, slow versus fast etc) so it actually will give some students new opportunities.

I went on to develop MaxClass - (see MaxClass.com) which is a private social network and we're seeing that children really do need to learn how to use social media so it's a good thing to do so in the classroom or in closed social networks. And the nice thing about forums of any sort: they are so much faster than turntaking in the classroom - which can be very slow and boring for some students.

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Permalink Reply by Michael on October 6, 2011 at 8:42pm

Those results certainly make sense, Michiel.  Using software like yours or the ones that facilitate backchanneling, gives everyone in the classroom a voice.  In that regard, it's not that different from what the Internet did over twenty years ago.  Everyone is given a means of expressing their thoughts and feelings.  

 

I, myself, have been doing some additional research on the matter, and the more I look at the premise the more I like it.  As you said, children in this day and age have to learn how to interact through online media as well as in face-to-face interactions.  

 

Like I said, though, my only concern would be the distraction element.  There are plenty of students out there who can only do one thing at a time.  I'm afraid that if I introduce something like this and ask them to use it during a lecture, they're going to be too focused on typing and not on the material that I'm teaching.

 

Have you, or anyone else, experienced this problem? 

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Permalink Reply by Blair Kessler on April 16, 2012 at 8:45pm

To your point that a teacher runs the risk of his/her students being distracted by bringing this type of technology into the classroom with intent to facilitate backchanneling and increased student participation, I agree that it is a plausible concern.  However, as an employee of GoSoapBox, I have spoken with several teachers who have implemented our technology into their classroom and have found that this concern is dissipated once students familiarize themselves with the product.  In fact, by providing a virtual platform that allows a student’s voice to be heard, teachers have found that GoSoapBox has increased students confidence, seeing that they are not alone in their thoughts and opinions.  With this new found confidence, teachers have found these same students more likely to participate in the traditional classroom setting, when not using the technology.

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Permalink Reply by Larry Blodgett on October 6, 2011 at 10:18am

I work with an English teacher who observed that by using Wordpress, she drew out a lot of introverts.  But, the whole concept of "backchannel discussions" is new to me--at least in so far as it uses technology--I seem to recall passing notes in class.  Anyway, seeing as this is new to me, I'll be interested in what other people have to say about it.

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Permalink Reply by Irene M. Sclafani on October 8, 2011 at 9:49pm

Backchannel discussion is a new concept for me.  Is is just like a word document that the students post on or is it more like a social networking running post?  Does it let the teacher see what the students are working on on their computers?  Or is it used only for comments on lecture type classes?

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Permalink Reply by Michael on October 8, 2011 at 10:24pm

As I understand it, Backchannel discussions are a type of microblogging platform that enables students to comment and ask questions in real time while a discussion is occurring.  Think of it as the modern version of passing notes in the class.  Only now, the teacher can see what is being said in these notes, and can respond accordingly.  

NYT wrote a nice are article on the matter if you're interested.   

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Permalink Reply by Larry Blodgett on November 22, 2011 at 8:33pm

Irene, Michael has it right.  Since my reply on Oct. 6th I've applied for, been accepted, and set up an account at soapbox.com  To "take a tour" and get a much better idea of how it works than I can get across here, go to http://gosoapbox.com

 

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Permalink Reply by Donna Murdoch on November 24, 2011 at 12:54pm

There are a couple of other backchannel options.  One is Twitter, with a hashtag for the class you are teaching.  Another is Google Moderator, which helps the teacher/instructor see the most important questions as they rise to the top.

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Permalink Reply by Larry Blodgett on December 11, 2011 at 6:59pm

Both sound like they would require an adjustment to our filter/system administrator--but they sound like they are worth looking into --thanks.

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