Backchanneling
Recently, I’ve run across the mention of backchanneling a lot in my little education-blog-twitter world. (Here and here) Prior to today, I really had no idea what it meant.
I decided to do some research. I started with this wonderful article from the Langwitches Blog. According to this post, backchannel is ” the practice of using networked computers to maintain a real-time online conversation alongside live spoken remarks.” Upon further reading here, I learned that “the term was coined in the field of Linguistics to describe listeners’ behaviours during verbal communication.” (Victor Yngve 1970.)
Check out the articles I read today for more information.
Backchanneling with Elementary School Students
What is backchanneling and How Can You Use It In Your Classroom?
Backchanneling in Middle School
I’m definitely still thinking of ways that I could use backchanneling tools, such as Todaysmeet, in my 5th grade classroom. I like the idea of using it during a test review. I really like the idea of using it during a video, and I can picture my students being far more engaged that way. I could also picture using it as a way to hold a discussion about a current events article.
If you’ve ever done anything like this, please let me know. I’d love to hear how you did it and how it worked out!
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