MWISD Tuesday Tech Tip for Teachers
#9 - May 16, 2017
Today's Meet
They can quickly and easily write comments or questions for anyone in the chat room to see. Since it is web based it works on any device.
And it is very easy to use.....
To create a room, just go to TodaysMeet.com, give your room a name (let’s say we named it “Science”. Decide when it closes (i.e. how long you want it to exist). Then click “Create your room.”
That’s it. Your TodaysMeet room is created.
You can immediately share the URL to the room (in our example, the room we would create is TodaysMeet.com/science) and start the conversation. Just join the room, type your name and you’re ready to post a message in the room.
Each message has a 140-character limit, so be concise. (Or just type multiple messages.)
Benefits
- Gives every student a voice. Students who aren't comfortable asking questions in class or speaking in front of their peers may feel more comfortable using this tool to ask questions or contribute to class discussions.
- Provides a way for authentic student engagement
24 useful ways to use Today's Meet
1. Have a conversation. Students can talk about anything in a TodaysMeet room, and often you’ll draw out the shyest, quietest students — the ones who would never raise their hand in class discussion.
2. Share links. Post the URL for a website you want everyone to visit. Links you post are clickable in TodaysMeet.
3. Ask questions. During a lecture, presentation or movie, if students are unclear about something, they can ask questions and get answers without interrupting.
4. Give examples. Looking for students to show how something relates to their life? Or how they would apply a new concept? Participation is immediate and much faster than raising hands to answer.
5. Take a poll. Ask for a vote among a couple choices and the results will be visually obvious in a matter of seconds.
6. Check for understanding. Ask a comprehension question and have students type the answer WITHOUT clicking “Say” (the button you use to submit your answer to the room). Then, if they all click “Say” on the count of three, you’ll see who understands and who doesn’t.
7. Gather feedback. Did your presentation make sense? Do students like changes to the school? What is really working in class? What would they like to see more of?
8. Gather anonymous feedback. If you want participants to be REALLY honest, ask them not to type their names (maybe just a letter or character, or the same thing for everyone) when they answer.
9. Create “rotating stories.” Create a TodaysMeet room with a story starter. Have each student add a new sentence to the story. (Or, have every student create a TodaysMeet room and start their own story … then have each student visit every other student’s room to add a sentence.) See where the story goes.
10. Discuss an event. The State of the Union speech. A movie relevant to class. A presentation in the auditorium. Host a behind-the-scenes quiet discussion.
11. Hold online office hours. Tell students you’ll be available at a TodaysMeet room at a certain time to answer questions.
12. Crowdsource details. When my Spanish classes and I make up stories in Spanish, I like to ask them for details to add — a character’s name, where the character goes, what a character does next. I can get suggestions from everyone in about 15 seconds (or less!).
13. Connect with other classrooms. Extend a discussion beyond the four walls of your classroom. Invite a class from down the hall, in another city, in a different country.
14. Connect with experts. Find an expert in the subject your class is discussing and see if he/she will engage with your students in a TodaysMeet room. You can have a guest speaker without the hassle of travel.
15. Host a contest. The first person who correctly posts in the TodaysMeet room wins!
16. Teach brevity. Students can easily get too verbose and use unnecessary words. Expressing thoughts in 140 characters is an exercise in simplicity.
17. Practice digital citizenship. TodaysMeet rooms are online spaces for discussion much like many social media sites. They are a safe place to post and then talk about the do’s and don’ts about engaging online.
18. Facilitate group projects. Students can post links to useful articles, relevant information and ideas they want to include in a group TodaysMeet room.
19. Create a club/team communications site. Post meeting cancellations and changes. Connect with parents. Save yourself tons of phone calls or text messages if everyone checks the group TodaysMeet site.
20. Have asynchronous staff/committee meetings. Host a discussion where participants can discuss when it’s convenient for them. Let everyone pop in to a TodaysMeet room throughout the day (or week) and wrap up the meeting at a predetermined time
21. Debate. Create 2 rooms, 1 for each point of view for the given topic. Students collaborate in the room to which they've been assigned best ways to argue their point of view. Once both sides are ready, students can debate in class.
22. Collect resources for an upcoming assignment. Give students a topic you're going to cover in class and have students find websites related to the topic. If they find one the class would benefit from, they can copy/paste it into the chat room. At the end of class you have a list of websites to guide students in their research.
23. Exit Ticket. Have students submit what they learned and any questions they have after the daily activities.
24. Watching a video? Use the chat room to post questions and engage students as they watch the clip or movie.
See the below short videos for an overview of how to use Today's Meet
MWISD Technology Dept.
Prior newsletters are archived on a web site for easy reference (a link to it is also on the main Technology Dept. web site).
Email: edtech@mwisd.net
Website: https://sites.google.com/mwisd.net/edtech/home
Phone: 940-325-6404