Backchanneling Remarks

Recently, I have considered the pros and cons of using back-channeling within the classroom. While there is a tremendous potential for enhanced learning, I am curious as to whether the cons outweigh the pros.

Let us first consider the pros which as any of you that have used back-channeling I'm sure are already aware of.

• Promotes discussion in an otherwise quiet classroom.
• Promotes questions which otherwise may not be asked for fear of embarrassing oneself.
• Allows the student to take an active role in not only the learning of the material, but also the teaching.
• Promotes technology within the classroom rather than just the educator expecting the students to be knowledgeable in it.
• Can create a permanent log of information for students to review for later purposes.
• Allows the absent to be part of the discussion as the discussion is happening.
• Students can take their notes in the back-channel, therefore allowing a searcheable electronic set of notes for the student.
• Students can share resources such as websites or notes from the textbook to enhance the discussion.
• Students are able to vote on specific questions within the back-channel.
• Minimal set up.
  

While I'm sure there are many more uses for the back-channel, only continued research on my part or discussion from you will help me discover them all. Contrastly though and no less important are the negative or potential negative issues that arise when using a back-channel.

• Privacy CAN be an issue if the back-channel is not closed to only the class you are teaching.
• With some back channels, individuals can enter the channel from outside the class which can be a hindrance to the discussion. This however can supplement the conversation depending on the individual who has entered.
• Moderation, in my opinion, is necessary while the discussion is taking place to keep students on track, to answer difficult questions directly, and to keep inappropriate material from popping up in the discussion.
• Has limited use in a school where not every student has the means to a computer, phone, or wireless network.
• On some services, you cannot delete inappropriate material as the discussion is taking place. You must close the back-channel and delete the entire session. Once again, this requires moderation in case the educator is lecturing while the back-channel is going on.
• If you do not have a moderator, the educator must take breaks to answer questions on the back-channel which may be answered later in the lecture or to keep the discussion on track.

While many of these cons are significant, I don't think they're unmanageable. Through the use of a good private back-channel program, I think you can take care of many of the privacy issues. As for moderation, many of the students can moderate the discussion themselves with quotes from the textbook and a change in teaching style. You certainly wouldn't want to teach the same old way while a back-channel is going on because it would make the back-channel almost worthless. The back-channels are meant to enhance the degree of learning, not hinder it. The main difficulty that will come into play will be the issue of means. Not all students are afforded a computer or have a personal phone which has unlimited minutes. Not every school has wireless internet. While times are changing and schools are attempting to do all they can to resolve the technology issues, it will be our job as educators to resolve those issues as best we can. It's simply a case-by-case basis.

While there are hundreds of websites out there discussing back-channeling, these are a few that I found helpful when researching them more.

• A Classroom Back-channel Gone Wrong
• Back-channeling During a Class Viewing of Glory
• Try TodaysMeet for Back-channel Chat Without Distraction
• How To Make A Back Channel Light Up Like Clark Griswald's House
• The Backchannel by Cliff Atkinson
• Backchannel in Education - Nine Uses
  

Video Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WvSW1ENl7Yk