Back-channel communication is a secondary conversation that takes place at the same time as a conference session, lecture, or instructor-led learning activity. This might involve students using a chat tool or Twitter to discuss a lecture as it is happening, and these background conversations are increasingly being brought into the foreground of lecture interaction. Digital technologies allow background discussions-which have always been a component of classes, conferences, and presentations-to be brought out of the shadows and, perhaps, incorporated as a formal part of learning activities. Instructors and presenters alike should be aware of this dynamic and the opportunity it presents to add another dimension to learning.
Google Wave is a web-based application that represents a rethinking of electronic communication. Users create online spaces called "waves," which include multiple discrete messages and components that constitute a running, conversational document. Users a
The formation of professional learning communities (PLCs) is a recent strategy in academe designed to better engage faculty and professional staff in order to stimulate collaboration, synthesize solutions based on multiple perspectives, and identify opportunities to further the major goals of the postsecondary institution. Join representatives from Eastern Kentucky University as they deconstruct a recent PLC that emphasized instructional technology and brought about new awareness, consensus building, and a shared vision of the future of classroom pedagogy.