10 Sites for creating a Backchannel

"Backchannel is the practice of using networked computers to maintain a real-time online conversation alongside live spoken remarks. (Wikipedia)" It is a term that has been around for awhile but not something I really looked into until I had the chance to use it at the WEMTA tech conference. This is such a useful way to collaborate w/ educators/students when introducing a new idea, presenting in front of a large crowd, or even when watching a video and you want to engage the students.



*This list is in alphabetical order

10 Sites for Creating a Backchannel

1. Answer Garden - A nice little free solution for education to poll students and and gather feedback via a chat.
2. Back Channel - A great solution for education to create a chat and increase participation while assessing student's learning.
3. Chatzy - Create a private room and invite via email or URL, includes advanced features such as the ability to use commands.
4. Google Classroom - Probably one of the most popular ways for an educator to create a back channel chat using the "stream" feature which allows educators to chat w/ students in a safe environment.
5. Padlet - One of the most popular online bulletin boards where users can create digital post-it notes in real-time to create a chat.
6. SoapBox - Create a virtual room where students can interact through polls, Q/A, discussions, and more.
7. TinyChat - Create a room that integrates directly w/ Twitter, as well as the ability to do video/audio chatting.
8. Twiddla - One of the best collaborative whiteboards for commenting/drawing in your own "sandbox". Users also have the ability to chat via text/audio in real time.
9. Unhangout - An interesting new site from MIT for creating back channel chats w/ the ability to host videos and have breakout sessions, and more.
10. Yo Teach - One of my favorite sites around for creating a back channel back w/ lots of features for educators.

I highly recommend checking out Monica Burn's excellent blog post on how to get started w/ Back Channel chats by clicking here.