Professional Learning for Busy Educators

Now the tools in my classroom match the teaching. Instead of using pencils and erasers to hide their mistakes, my students use pens to document the effort they put into their work. In math, I teach them that the changes they make show evidence of flexibility and persistence as they try different strategies to solve problems successfully. I teach my students that, in their writing, revisions document their commitment to the craft of writing. They learn that even inked corrections to simple errors like miscalculations and misspellings provide evidence of attention to accuracy and detail.

There are many Learning Management Systems out there, such as Google Classroom and Seesaw, that allow teachers to post information and questions. In return, students can make comments when prompted by the teacher. While this can be an engaging piece, it still doesn't feel very conversational. This is where using a Backchannel chat can be used facilitate discussions between your students either in the classroom or from a distance.


I know what you may be thinking... "Did he just say chat? As in a chat-room?" Yes chat rooms can have negative connotations with them, but when used correctly in an educational setting, they can be a safe discussion alternative. Two backchannel sites that I am going to suggest allow the teacher to create a virtual room that can only be accessed with a specific link shared by a teacher. This means that you have total control of who has access, keeping your students safe.