Increase participation with todaysmeet

At a technology conference this past summer, I learned two ways to use todaysmeet.com

It can be used in a meeting so that everyone can participate.  This is a really easy and quick way to share a lot of information.  Links can be posted by the presenter of by participants, and if you don't have a class website, this is a very fast way to share links with your students for online resources during the class period. It is also a way to get everyone to participate and keep track.

On Friday I used todaysmeet to with my Spanish IV class to collaborate on telling a story.  I was trying to do what Matt Miller from Ditchthattextbook.com  had us do in one of his workshops at the technology conference in Lebanon, Indiana this past August.  I started five different stories on five different rooms with a story starter from the textbook.  Then I had students join that meet and take turns contributing.  This was a great experience overall even though it was confusing at first to assign the different people to the different groups and for them to understand what it was I was asking them to do.  But once they got warmed up, it was a success.  I enjoyed, and the students enjoyed.  

Also on Friday, I used today's meet with Spanish III and Spanish II as a way to share links with them and to have them participate.  This was not as much of a success and I found myself red in the face when I realized what the students had done.  Some students put fake names in on the chat and they started to joke around on the meet.  I knew I would never catch the culprits so finally I let it go.  I can either choose to engage in the negative behavior or I can make a joke myself and move on.  That is what I did.  Also, anyone who didn't put their real name in the room didn't get participation points for the various tasks to which I had them contribute so I guess the joke was on them.  I don't enjoy seeing students lose points over silly things, but it was what it was and next time I need to think it through before I use todaysmeet with a not-so mature group of learners.