A New alternative to Todaysmeet

A New alternative to Todaysmeet

Listen to the audio version of this post at https://app.voicepods.com/services/embed?pod=2848e577-8723-48a2-b0bf-12c21570257a

Since Todaysmeet shut down in June 2018, many education practitioners have been looking for alternatives.

Well, Yo Teach! Rooms - http://www.yoteach.hk - developed by The Hong Kong Polytechnic University's Pedagogic and Active Mobile Learning Solutions project, provides an alternative that's worth a closer look.

Yo Teach! Rooms lets practitioners create on-line backchannel spaces to facilitate discussions.

To get started simply...

• go to the site and name your room. 
• scroll down the Yo Teach! site to activate the...
• admin function, 
• password function, and 
• to select "avoid search." 

NOTE: 1: The "avoid search" option will hide the room from search results so that people cannot find it without being given its direct URL.
2: The password function lets you set a password that must be entered before learners can participate in the chat.

3: The admin features of Yo Teach! let practitioners...

• mute or remove learners from a discussion,
• delete the room, 
• view statistics about the usage of the room. The admin function that reveals statistics will show the names of participants and how active they have been in the Yo Teach! room.

Learners can participate in the Yo Teach! room by...

• going the URL that is assigned to the room,
• entering the nickname that he/she wants to have displayed, and then 
• entering the password that's set for the room.

Learners can...

• type notes and questions to appear in the chat and there's the option for them to...
• draw on a whiteboard and have their drawings appear in the chat.

Practitioners can also...

• insert a drawing to aid an explanation and
• give a "thumbs up" to their favourite image and text notes in the discussion.

Richard Byrne's Tutorial Video - https://www.youtube.com/embed/EpDksD0NTSE - is also well worth a closer look.

If you give Yo Teach! Rooms a try or have already used Yo Teach! Rooms, do share your feedback, positive and/or negative, in the comments.

Thank you.