{"id":998,"date":"2014-10-07T09:30:22","date_gmt":"2014-10-07T08:30:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/?p=998"},"modified":"2015-08-11T11:08:49","modified_gmt":"2015-08-11T10:08:49","slug":"todaysmeet-embracing-the-backchannel-for-learning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/2014\/10\/07\/todaysmeet-embracing-the-backchannel-for-learning\/","title":{"rendered":"TodaysMeet: embracing the backchannel for learning"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"TodaysMeet<\/a><\/p>\n

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TodaysMeet is designed to enhance learning by embracing the backchannel; the \u2018secondary or covert route for the passage of\u00a0information\u2019 (Oxford Dictionary<\/a>) that runs alongside learning.<\/p>\n

TodaysMeet for learning and teaching<\/h3>\n

TodaysMeet allows for shared thoughts, questions, and ideas to run alongside a presentation or discussion, in \u2018real time\u2019, just as it is happens.<\/p>\n

For those already familiar with Twitter<\/a>,\u00a0TodaysMeet is similar in that it enables people to \u2018talk\u2019 in a threaded conversation using mobile devices. However, there is an important difference between TodaysMeet and Twitter. TodaysMeet is a virtual private room where only those who are invited can comment, and only those in the virtual room can read. It is a tool that is inspired by a teacher and created for education. Twitter is a public conversation where anyone can read and join in with a thread (unless the settings are altered) and it has not been built with education in mind.<\/p>\n

For those interested on the differences between using Twitter and TodaysMeet, you might like to read this teacher’s experience of using both Twitter and TodaysMeet<\/a> in teaching.<\/p>\n

\"Ten_dot_image\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Students can access TodaysMeet without registering for an account, so there is no time in your session lost to the process of registering. Students too won\u2019t feel \u2018out of it\u2019 by having to own up to not owning\u00a0the latest account in the social media whirl.<\/p>\n

Safe as virtual houses<\/h3>\n

TodaysMeet is safe too. Students can experiment with using their voice and communicating with others in an online forum, without being inhibited by the knowledge that they are potentially exposed to the public. Not everyone engages easily with social media. TodaysMeet is ideal to allow inclusive communication around learning to occur in a safe and educational setting.<\/p>\n

TodaysMeet features also include:<\/h3>\n
\"TodaysMeet_pic<\/a>

TodaysMeet is a private conversational space<\/p><\/div>\n

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