10 Sites for creating a Backchannel

"Backchannel is the practice of using networked computers to maintain a real-time online conversation alongside live spoken remarks. (Wikipedia)" It is a term that has been around for awhile but not something I really looked into until I had the chance to use it at the WEMTA tech conference. This is such a useful way to collaborate w/ educators/students when introducing a new idea, presenting in front of a large crowd, or even when watching a video and you want to engage the students.



*This list is in alphabetical order

10 Sites for Creating a Backchannel

1. Answer Garden - A nice little free solution for education to poll students and and gather feedback via a chat.
2. Back Channel - A great solution for education to create a chat and increase participation while assessing student's learning.
3. Chatzy - Create a private room and invite via email or URL, includes advanced features such as the ability to use commands.
4. Google Classroom - Probably one of the most popular ways for an educator to create a back channel chat using the "stream" feature which allows educators to chat w/ students in a safe environment.
5. Padlet - One of the most popular online bulletin boards where users can create digital post-it notes in real-time to create a chat.
6. SoapBox - Create a virtual room where students can interact through polls, Q/A, discussions, and more.
7. TinyChat - Create a room that integrates directly w/ Twitter, as well as the ability to do video/audio chatting.
8. Twiddla - One of the best collaborative whiteboards for commenting/drawing in your own "sandbox". Users also have the ability to chat via text/audio in real time.
9. Unhangout - An interesting new site from MIT for creating back channel chats w/ the ability to host videos and have breakout sessions, and more.
10. Yo Teach - One of my favorite sites around for creating a back channel back w/ lots of features for educators.

I highly recommend checking out Monica Burn's excellent blog post on how to get started w/ Back Channel chats by clicking here.

interactive.i

interactive.i is a site I just found out about from Free Technology 4 Teachers.  This is a fun site for creating a room that others can chat (via text) and draw.  It's simple to use and is easy to share w/ others once a room is created via a unique URL.

I recommend checking out interactive.i by clicking here.

HipChat

HipChat is a site I've known about for quite sometime but decided to give it a look.  This is a great site for creating a chat room.  These rooms can be set to public or private, are very user friendly, and has a nice polished look to it.  As w/ most chat rooms, people can send private messages to an individual user, attachments, and even do video and voice chatting.

I highly recommend checking out HipChat by clicking here!!

For a brief demo view below..



For my top 10 sites for creating a backchannel chat click here.

SoapBox

SoapBox is an excellent website I found out about from Free Technology 4 Teachers. This site acts as a backchannel chat for audiences/students. A teacher can use this to go along w/ a lecture and get instant/real-time feedback. Best of all, there is a filter that blocks out inappropriate language.

I highly recommend checking out SoapBox by clicking here!!

SimpleMeet.Me

SimpleMeet.Me is a site I found out about from Free Technology 4 Teachers. This is a simple (ha) site for creating a private chat. This is done by sharing a unique code w/ others that lets them enter a private room for chatting.

I recommend checking out SimpleMeet.Me by clicking here!!

For my top 10 sites for creating a back channel chat click here.

HipChat

HipChat is a site that is a cross between file sharing and chatting. This is done by creating a private room and the ability to share/upload files. Also, there is a desktop and mobile app which is a nice plus. FYI, this is not a free site.

I recommend checking out HipChat by clicking here.

For my top 10 sites for creating a backchannel chat click here.

Watch2gether

Watch2gether is a great site for watching YouTube videos w/ others. This site allows users to discuss YouTube videos via a text chat that opens up on the right side of the window. All a user has to do is create a session, enter a URL of a YouTube video and then share the URL of chat that is created.

I highly recommend checking out Watch2gether by clicking here!!

For a more detailed review check out Free Technology 4 Teachers.

Faceflow

Faceflow is a great site for creating a live video chat w/ up to 4 people. To start a chat just register and share the unique URL that is generated. As well as chatting a person has a screen for texting as well.

I recommend checking out Faceflow by clicking here!!

Thanks to Larry Ferlazzo's amazing blog for the tip.

Caffein

Caffein is one of my favorite new sites for creating a chat room. This is really easy to use and also allows for video chatting. A user can then invite others via a URL or link it directly to FB or Twitter.

I highly recommend checking out Caffein by clicking here!!

Thanks to Larry Ferlazzo for the tip!!

For other sites to create a backchannel chat, click here.

Mister Thread

Mister Thread is a new (beta) site that is one of many for creating a back channel chat. It is very easy to do an creates a unique URL (that you can password protect) to share w/ others who want to invite into your chat. What makes this a nice site to use is that no registration is required.

Click here to give MisterThread a try!!

Thanks to Larry Ferlazzo's blog for the tip!!

For my list of top 10 Back Channel Chat sites click here.

Convore

Convore is one of many nice new sites for creating a backchannel chat such as backchan.nl. Also, what makes Convore so appealing is that it is ideal for creating chats for groups that are real time.

I recommend checking out Convore by clicking here.

Thanks to Larry Ferlazzo's blog for the tip!!

Here is my list of top 10 sites for creating a backchannel chat.

BoostCam

BoostCam is an excellent site for creating a simple 2 way video chat. All a user has to do is click on the start chat now button and then share the URL w/ another that is generated.

I highly recommend checking out BoostCam by clicking here!!

Top 10 Sites for Back Channeling

"Backchannel is the practice of using networked computers to maintain a real-time online conversation alongside live spoken remarks. (Wikipedia)" It is a term that has been around for awhile but not something I really looked into until I had the chance to use it at the WEMTA tech conference. This is such a useful way to collaborate w/ educators/students when introducing a new idea, presenting in front of a large crowd, or even when watching a video and you want to engage the students.



I'd like to thank Naomi Harm for her resources/help in compiling this list!!

1. Donut Chat - Quite simply the best most robust site for creating an easy to use chat room. A user has the ability to filter words, manage multiple rooms, and even embed it into their site!
2. Neat Chat - The easiest/best site for creating a fast/simple chat room to use as a back channel. Also, has the ability to print out chats and upload files!
3. Chatzy - Create a private room and invite via email or URL, includes advanced features such as the ability to use commands.
4. BackNoise - Very user friendly, w/ the ability to mute/hide a text
5. TodaysMeet - Is an excellent site similar to Twitter in that u can chat w/ up to 140 characters, great for printing out transcripts!
6. TinyChat - Create a room that integrates directly w/ Twitter, as well as the ability to do video/audio chatting.
7. Twiddla - One of the best collaborative whiteboards for commenting/drawing in your own "sandbox". Users also have the ability to chat via text/audio in real time.
8. Skrbl - An easy to use interactive whiteboard where people have the ability to chat/text/draw all in the space place.
9. PinDax - Is an innovative way for online note taking. Plus, it gives the user the ability to chat and post images in real-time.
10. Google Wave - Create "waves" for people to join and chat/upload files in real-time.
    

Chatzy

I've never really written about back channel applications before until now. Chatzy is a great free site for creating a safe/secure chat room. This is ideal for an educator looking for a quick easy way to create a quick private room to host a chat. The one feature that I think would be nice is if they made it available to embed your chat into a site.

Give Chatzy a try by clicking here.