Words matter

Recently I ran across this post from Edutopia and it resonated with me. Words have such a big impact. It's amazing that a change to the question can make a huge impact. Do you spend time thinking of how you word your questions?

Reasons to Use a Backchannel

Richard Byrne recently posted this article on 7 Reasons to Try Using Backchannels in Your Classroom. His reasons include:

• A voice for shy students
• An outlet for chatty students
• To extend classroom discussions
• Post quick warm-up/"do now" activities
• Preserve the flow of a presentation/video
• Create a record of classroom discussion
• Practice good digital citizenship

Backchannel resources:

• Backchannel Chat
• Yo Teach!
• Mentimeter
• Google Slides Q&A feature (how to video, google's directions)
• Todays Meet closed doors 😔

Facebook Friends

There's been a lot of talk recently about ways to outsmart the Facebook algorithms. Take a look at this article from Tech & Learning on The Real Way to Avoid Hearing from the Same 26 Facebook Friends.