Backchanneling... into the future

Watching the video on backchanneling in the classroom was very similar to our classroom environment. Although our class does not have 90 students, we each function differently when it comes to using the internet. For example, this is the third Communications Studies course in which I have taken that requires blogging. I do not know what is more surprising: the fact that blogging is catching on as a social networking site for individuals of various ages or the fact that blogging has only been incorporated into three of my Communication Studies courses? The courses for which I have blogged have not been required courses for the major. That being said, when do you think blogging will become the most integral part in learning about Communication Studies?

The students at University of Texas at Dallas seem to enjoy using Twitter as a vital part of their classroom environment. In a class of 90 students, I understand how difficult it can be to put your two-cents in on class discussion or ask further questions in relation to the classroom topic. The teacher was able to use Twitter as an experiment in the classroom to find it had great results. A notable implication of Twitter in relation to the lecture hall was full participation from the class. Individuals may feel it is better to write out his or her comments, and especially in less than 150 characters, because it allows the individual to think about the central idea. It allows the student to concentrate on the topic at hand and focus on the main points.

At the same time, individuals were able to get out of their comfort zones when using Twitter in the classroom. They were able to post what they felt and have others comment or respond to their thoughts. One student mentioned how Twitter has given him the opportunity to express himself because although his message is still in text, he is expressing himself to audience larger than himself.