Today I read an interesting article in the Washington Post about Facebook enhancing the lives of people who consider themselves shy. Facebook has given them a way to connect with people they would not normally have a relationship with or connection to in a way that doesn't stress them out or cause anxiety. Being somewhat shy myself, I could resonate with some of the people mentioned in this article.
Last month, when Will Richardson came to talk to our e-learning group, he used TodaysMeet to create an online back channel discussion for the group while he was making his presentation. For the shy-type like me, it was a great way to ask questions, present ideas and communicate with others in the group without having to say a word. Somehow, typing my question and putting it out there was less scary than physically asking the question myself even though I'm sitting right next to other group members.
How I wish TodaysMeet (or any of the other social media tools) would have been around during my 7th grade algebra class! But, it wasn't and that's the way it goes, and now I'm math-phobic (add science to the phobic list, too).
5 comments:
Glad to hear that Today's Meet worked for you. I find it pretty interesting to see the things that come up in the chat...always appropriate and interesting and sometimes challenging. I agree...for many of my students, the backchannel would have been a great addition to my classroom.
I wonder to what extent this transparent, public online world will benefit those who feel more comfortable participating openly. Do you get the sense that online shyness may be more of a hindrance than in real life? Not sure myself...just wondering.
Only speaking from personal experience, I think those folks who are comfortable participating openly may find the transparent, public online world as just one more mode of collaboration with peers...expanding their networks on an equal plane.
I have found collaboration easier, via Twitter and Facebook, blogs, etc., because there doesn't have to be immediate feedback, I can take time to formulate questions and/or answers.
Not that I don't like conversing face-to-face...I do like a good debate, now and then!
Hi Sue! When Will used Today's Meet at our meeting, I wondered if teachers have tried using it (or another back channel tool) in a class and if they have had much success. I am a librarian and when I teach I usually only go to the class once or twice. I'll try to get an engaging discussion going, but sometimes I'm met with blank stares and wonder if some of it is due to shyness! Maybe a back channel could help.
Hi Nia! I would be interested to know the results if you choose to use a backchannel tool in one of your classes.
Speaking of....what other backchannel tools are out there?
I don't think I'll have a chance this quarter. I must admit I'm a bit nervous that the students would veer off on a tangent too, like discussing my clothes or something random like that. Haha.
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