Chatting in the Classroom

Social networking and online chatting are part of our everyday lives. It is our responsibility to teach our children how to use these tools responsibly and respectfully. The challenge falls when the well known social networking sites are blocked in schools, which is done with the best interest of the child in mind.

How do we overcome this hurdle? http://todaysmeet.com allows this to happen. The students are able to create a room in 30 seconds and share it with one, or more, members of the class. From here, all members will join the room and begin chatting. Once the students are comfortable doing this in one location, consider chatting with another classroom, local school or across borders.

Possible uses in the classroom:

digital citizenship
book reviews/group
historical decisions that affected countries
discussion on solving Math problems
impact of online chatting
proper use of grammatical skills through conversation
proper use of written tone

There is the concern of keeping a record of this type of conversation. TodaysMeet offers the ability for all transcripts to be printed. Simply scroll to the bottom of the screen and select Transcript. A new window will open where a document will display the entire conversation. (It may be on more than one page.)

Below is a list of ways that this site was used in the classroom:

Category: Language Arts, Science, Social Studies | LEAVE A COMMENT

December 9

Power Point Karaoke

Need a new review game? Do you want to work on public speaking and thinking quickly on the student’s feet? How about a new twist on a review game? This activity may be it! Get ready for laughing, a little panic and a whole lot of fun.

The teacher will first create a slide show of about 15-20 slides, or whatever number is appropriate for your grade. Set each slide for 15 seconds. Next, create a list of topics the “presenter” will need to discuss. Now choose your presenter. This person will not know the topic or see any pictures until you begin the show. He/she can can present on his own, tag other members of the class when he needs help or work with a partner.

The pictures for the slides can come from pechaflikr – but be sure to preview for grade appropriateness – or use your own slides.

How can this be used in the school? Liven up a faculty meeting for a great ice breaker activity. Create a show of random slides on one topic. Create a list of trendy topics that may come from curriculum, school improvement plans, school wide discipline plans, national hot topics, etc. Select a teacher and let the fun begin.

If you are a classroom teacher, why not create slide show about a story you have read or a History or Science review?