Hybrid learning was challenging for many reasons , but the need to create more inclusive , adaptable learning opportunities is something that hopefully will impact education for years to come .
While more extroverted students did not enjoy the distance of social interactions and inability to speak clearly while masking , more introverted students often appreciated opportunities to share in ways that did not include public speaking .
Due to students learning concurrently in the classroom and on a video chat platform , students were given ample opportunities to collaborate and communicate via text through chats , messaging , and commenting .
This type of interaction provided opportunities for more students to make their opinions heard through a more comfortable medium .
There are three main ways teachers can continue backchannel communications .
The first is through the use of comments in
Google Workspace . These comments can be especially helpful as they can be assigned to email using the
@ function plus the email address , making it very easy to understand who is being addressed . These comments also work well with the
Mote extension , which allows students and teachers to leave oral comments as well asynchronously . Recordings of up to 30 seconds are free .
Similarly , students can use the comment function in
Google Classroom to make announcements , debate ideas , and answer full class questions using text , again to make these types of full group discussions more accessible to everyone . I often use these in
Spiderweb discussions , which helps to engage all students and allow them opportunities to share .
The next is through full-class group chat . Students can use the discussion features in Google Workspace ,
Padlet , and
Parlay to pose questions to the entire class . There can be back-and-forth exchanges , sharing links , and sharing ideas . These can be great for group brainstorming and collaboration .
Finally , there are opportunities for students to chat privately with the teacher . While there are fewer opportunities available to chat privately with each other , there are some great resources for teacher collaboration . There are private comment functions available in Google Classroom . There is also private back and forth communication available in the paid versions of
Pear Deck ,
Formative , and
Whiteboard . fi . Even though they are pricey , the opportunity to give students feedback during formative and summative assessments will definitely be worth the price for me to invest in Formative and Whiteboard . fi again next
year .
As we begin to think about returning to school in the fall , I hope that we continue to consider the positives of hybrid learning and find ways to bring ideas that worked well for inclusivity , such as opportunities for backchannel conversations via text during collaborative works , class discussions , and assessments to our in-person classrooms .
Maureen Lamb ( latintechtools @ gmail . com ) is the Language Department Chair and Academic Technology Coordinator at Kingswood Oxford School in West Hartford , CT . Maureen is dedicated to using best practices and creating community in language teaching and technology , and she has shared her work on teaching languages at national , regional , and state conferences . She was recognized for her work as the CT Language Teacher of the Year , NECTFL Mead Fellow , CANE Weincke Award , and the ACL Elizabeth Watkins Award . Maureen is dedicated to creating an inclusive classroom environment , to using technology to enhance the student experience , and to making Classics comprehensible .
P R I M A | 2 8