Learning in the 21st Century is seeing more teachers defaulting to the position of facilitator to support and develop the learner. With students embarking on personalised learning pathways with differentiated tasks, blended learning, group work and independent research all possibly running simultaneously the classroom has become a difficult place to manage, or has it? Why not create a technology based backchannel so that students, through using their own devices (via BYOD) can ask questions, get answers and perhaps drive the general direction of the lesson through an informal, possibly anonymous way of engaging with the group on a parallel level.
There are some great tools out there that educators can use for this purpose. The service that I use most regularly is called TodaysMeet. It helps you embrace the backchannel and connect with your audience in realtime. Encourage the room to use the live stream to make comments, ask questions, and use that feedback to tailor your presentation, sharpen your points, and address audience needs. I have great success using this not only within the classroom but also in staff and professional development meetings at school and whilst presenting at conferences.
