04.+Backchannels

= 04. Backchannels =

Name of Technology Tool:
Mobile devices such as smartphones, cell phones, or even laptops using Twitter or another chat format.

===Rationale for Using this Technology Tool:=== Using a backchannel in a class lecture or presentation scenario can increase student participation, engagement, sense of community, and interest. In a large classroom lecture format, it can be difficult for all students to contribute their comments and questions; teachers may be focused on the lecture itself, some students may be more aggressive than others, and some students may feel too uncomfortable and shy to raise their hands publicly. In a classroom situation with ELL students, these students may feel more comfortable communicating through the backchannel than speaking aloud due to language fluency issues.

Description of Scenario:
An author comes to the school library to make a presentation to the students. Since an author visit is quite costly, the school librarian wants to invite as large a group as possible such as the entire seventh and eighth grade classes. While the author makes his or her presentation, the students are encouraged to participate in a backchannel discussion via their mobile devices or laptops. The backchannel can be projected for viewing and promoting discussion during the presentation as well as after the author has completed the formal section of their presentation.

===Rationale for Using This Technology Tool In School Libraries:=== The backchannel encourages participation and engagement which are certainly both high on the school library's list of goals. In a very large group, it can be especially difficult for students to speak up and participate. Even in a small group, students may feel more comfortable making comments and asking questions in a less public way such as the backchannel. Another extremely important reason to use the backchannel during a presentation would be to enable students to respond, make comments, and ask questions as the presenter makes a certain point instead of waiting until the presenter is finished and perhaps forgetting some of their ideas that were triggered during the presentation. Many author visits fall short of their expectations when students are too shy to ask questions at the end of the author's main portion; on occasion, planned questions can also be too stilted to provide a natural conversation between the author and the students. The real-time backchannel text could enrich the entire experience for the author and for the audience.

===Detailed Description of Scenario in School Library Setting:=== The school librarian has invited the nonfiction children's author Tonya Bolden to the Barack Obama Middle School library to meet with a group of up to eighty seventh and eighth graders. In preparation for her visit, the school librarian has provided activities based on the reading of some of her books. Ms. Bolden's nonfiction is noted for its engaging and accessible text on historical topics of particular interest to young people. Her recent titles include //Alphabet Soup: New Deal America, 1932-1939//; //Cause: Reconstruction America, 1863-1877//, and //W.E.B. Du Bois: a twentieth-century life//. Students will be enthused about her books and eager to meet an actual living, breathing author whose books they have enjoyed both for their wealth of information as well as for their ability to make history and historical events interesting. In preparation, the students have brainstormed a large number of questions and topics they want to discuss with Ms. Bolden during her visit.

Ms. Bolden does a lot of school visits and presentations to various audiences about her books. She comes prepared with a fascinating presentation about her research and writing methods as well as details about particularly interesting discoveries she made about various historical people and topics. She uses her personal experiences to make connections between herself, the topics, and her audiences. During the presentation, students can use the backchannel to register their immediate thoughts and questions while Ms. Bolden speaks. They can also respond to each other's questions if they have an idea or know an answer. Some students may be interested in learning more about a topic such as the New Deal and another student may be able to provide a link to a website that would provide more information for them to peruse. All of this communication would be made available to Ms. Bolden either during her remarks or directly afterwards so that the students could receive instant feedback. While some students would probably be willing to raise their hands or stand to question and discuss issues with Ms. Bolden directly, she could also use the backchannel text to incorporate more students' ideas and to keep the conversation geared towards the students' interests and responses to her presentation. It would be a valuable experience for Ms. Bolden to see how students actually responded to her comments as she was speaking them as well as to gain a deeper insight into what students were most interested in from her spoken and written words. Providing such a natural and immediate give and take between the author and students through the use of the backchannel would create a more personalized and memorable experience for all.

Please note that the librarian would have to discuss this innovation with Ms. Bolden or any visiting author in order to gain approval prior to the actual visit.

submitted by Suzanne Mathews