Synchronous+Technologies

Synchronous Technologies (Poll Everywhere, Wiffiti, and TodaysMeet)

===__**What is it (Definition)?**__ ===

 Poll Everywhere
Poll Everywhere is a Web 2.0 tool that allows users to take and display real-time polls. Students can input their answers via texting their responses from mobile phones, Twitter accounts, or input answers via the web if they have access to a laptop computer. media type="youtube" key="0smDH5LKoJA" height="349" width="425"

 Wiffiti
Wiffiti allows real time messages and feedback to be displayed on a screen. Teachers can respond to the feedback and provide lessons based on students specific needs. Messages can be from either a cell phone or a web application. media type="youtube" key="cu99i4J0zao" height="349" width="425"

 TodaysMeet
TodaysMeet also allows teachers to provide real-time responses to student feedback and questions. This tool allows the conversation to look like a chat room. It is better to use when you want to keep a linear record of the dialogue. media type="youtube" key="Gkl8EgFEKvY" height="349" width="560"

<span style="color: #008000; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 28.0833px;">__**Attributes/Features**__
**<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 110%;">Wiffiti **
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 110%;">This is an activity that allows and possibly increases student participation. Students aren't required to have a cell phone (they can use a computer), but it does add to the appeal of the application.

**<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 110%;">TodaysMeet **
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 110%;">According to Richard Byrne, "What makes TodaysMeet different from services like Tiny Chat is that TodaysMeet doesn't have a public gallery of chat rooms containing questionable content. TodaysMeet also doesn't place inappropriate advertising on your chat area."

**<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 110%;">Poll Everywhere **
 * Poll Everywhere makes collaborative group learning in a live setting much easier. Much like polling in a webinar virtual classroom, when learners input their answers to the poll via mobile text message, Twitter, or website, they see the answers appear live on the lesson screen in real-time. The poll graphs move up and down as answers come in, which provides an interesting way to inform the instructor and other learners about the content needs for the lesson //as the lesson is being conducted.//

<span style="color: #008000; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 28.0833px;">__**Advantages**__
**<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Poll Everywhere **
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 110%;">Data is collected in real time.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 110%;">Graphs can be downloaded for future use.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 110%;">Participation can be anonymous.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 110%;">The free version allows users to create and unlimited number of polls.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 110%;">You don't have to take out a clicker system every time you want to complete a poll (which can cost thousands of dollars per learning session to rent!)
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 110%;">You can embed the polls right into your presentation without leaving the slides
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 110%;">Takes only 30 seconds to create a poll

**<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Wiffiti and TodaysMeet **
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 110%;">Students can post their thoughts and ideas as they think of them (Byrne).
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 110%;">Posts are shown in real time so the teacher or presenter can steer the lesson or lecture in a direction that interests the learners.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 110%;">Learners participate in an engaging way.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 110%;">Some students are more likely to create a post than they are to raise their hands.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 110%;">They are free Web 2.0 tools.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 110%;">TodaysMeet allows you to print a conversation to keep for reference.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 110%;">You can close a TodaysMeet "chat room" so students cannot access it later and post inappropriate comments.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 110%;">You can embed the polls right into your presentation, website, blog, etc.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 110%;">Takes only 30 seconds to create a poll or a chat room
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 110%;">Wiffiti can track and display the location of users if they are not all in the same physical classroom
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 110%;">Data tracking
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 110%;">Wiffiti allows you to set the content rating to filter out foul language
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 110%;">Great for audiences who aren't on Twitter
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 110%;">TodaysMeet now contains transcript options

<span style="color: #008000; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 28.0833px;">__**Disadvantages**__

 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 110%;">When students text their answers, they may type inappropriate comments and/or screen names.
 * <span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 110%;">A way to deal with this is to inform students that if inappropriate behavior occurs, the class will not be permitted to use the technology. This is usually effective because students love to use their cell phones!!
 * <span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 110%;">Wiffiti allows you to set the content rating to disallow foul language, and contains content moderation options
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 110%;">The free version of Poll Everywhere only allows up to 30 responses.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 110%;">All of these tools require a learner to have access to a cell phone or a laptop within the classroom. In some classrooms, cell phone use is restricted or prohibited.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 110%;">Wiffiti is frequently used in advertising, so could possibly be opposed as "not educational". Privacy is an issue, as I don't see any way to set a room as "private" only to a small group of users. It automatically brings every post that contains a particular tag or even partial word into the chat.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 110%;">TodaysMeet can't be embedded onto a webpage or in a presentation.

===<span style="color: #008000; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 28.0833px;">__**Applications to the Classroom**__ === **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 110%;">Poll Everywhere **
 * According to Rocco Staino, "Many teachers are already using Wiffiti for brainstorming activities, to receive answers to homework questions, and to encourage students to text in languages other than English." Provides an interesting way to inform the instructor and other learners about the content needs for the lesson //as the lesson is being conducted.//

**<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 110%;">Wiffiti **
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 110%;">Check out these great blogs fore excellent ideas:
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 110%;">Five ways to teach with Wiffiti in the classroom
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 110%;">Wiffiti -- Brainstorming from Cell Phones

**<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 110%;">TodaysMeet **
 * This would be perfect for impromptu group work! When learners who are not in the same physical location need to put their ideas together and come up with a group project, they need an instantaneous, synchronous way to do it. TodaysMeet does that.

<span style="color: #008000; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 28.0833px;">__**Individual & Group Knowledge Building**__

 * These three technologies are examples of synchronous learning in either small-group or large-group settings. They can be used in either physical or virtual classrooms. While Poll Everywhere and Wiffiti are one-time knowledge input / output experiences that would then inform the content of the lesson going forward (geared more towards individual knowledge building), TodaysMeet is an interactive ongoing synchronous conversation that allows students to continue to communicate and build knowledge as a group.

<span style="color: #008000; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 28.0833px;">__**Examples**__ <span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 130%;">Poll Everywhere Web Input: media type="custom" key="9953661" Text Input: media type="custom" key="9953675"

<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 130%;">Wiffiti media type="custom" key="9953649"

<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 130%;">TodaysMeet [|http://todaysmeet.com/Try-It]

<span style="color: #008000; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 28.0833px;">__References__
<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 130%;">Poll Everywhere
 * []
 * Playing with Poll Everywhereby Joe Wood

<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 130%;">Wiffiti
 * []
 * Staino, Rocco, __Cell phones in the classroom? Wiffiti says yes.__ School Library Journal. 4/28/2010. []

<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 130%;">TodaysMeet
 * []
 * [|__Free Technology for Teachers__] by Richard Byrne.
 * [|Backchanneling with Elementary School Students]by Sylvia Tolisano