Solvr

Solvr is another web application which can help list and share; similar to Todaysmeet but with a few more functions. It can record every idea, comment, or problem the participants post, with a voting system to show whether the post was helpful or are agreed by others. 

How do we use it?

The video above pretty much shows most of the functionalities in Solvr. As you can see from the early of the video, without the URL that it provides on top of every "problem" users create, others will not be able to enter this discussion forum.

Two functions that the video does not mention are voting and editing. Unlike Todaysmeet, where once you post your idea its there set in stone. Solvr allows participants to edit any comment/idea/problem, hopefully to simplify and clarify what the original poster wrote.

"Votes", as I mentioned before, can be used to show agreement/acknowledgement, which is also not present in Todaysmeet.

How can we use this in classrooms?

I think this tool will be particularly useful when used before a class debate projects. Students from each side of the debates could create their own Solvr discussion page and go through possible problems that they need to discuss and find solutions, and even discuss how to present their thoughts, what kind of data they need to collect and so on. 

However, this tool is not limited to discuss ideas on debates; students can use it to outline a role-play task, presentation projects, and many more. 

Another way Solvr could be used in a classroom is brainstorming vocabulary around a theme, making the students add definitions, example sentences etc. Teachers can assign different themes to different groups, and have their results sent to the teacher via e-mail, or even present it to the whole class in the lesson if possible.

Also, Solvr can be more useful than a form with pre-defined questions when getting anonymous feedback, as it allows more interaction between the students. By utilising the vote function we can easily tell how many people feel the same way on a certain issue, for example. 

Benefits and Limitations

• Quick and simple to use
• Encourages interactive exchange of ideas
• Great for interactive homework
• Full editing enabled
• No word limit when posting
• Anonymous, so shy students can come forward more easily, and be honest
• Encourages critical thinking skills
• Each problem is given an individual "branch" for corresponding solutions/ideas
• Open to abuse because its anonymous
• Still undergoing tests, so prone to bugs
• Difficult to fully manage an online debate
• No other way to save than printscreen

Todays Meet

What is Todaysmeet?

Todaysmeet is a great web application useful for mainly brainstorming and discussing ideas. One can create a room which others can join and everyone in this room can post their ideas - it pretty much is an internet bulletin board. 

How do you use it?

When you open the site, you are able to name and create your room straight away.

You can also set the time in which the room will be kept open. Once you have decided on the name and how long you want this room for, you can click on the "Create your Room." button and you will be sent directly to your room.

Above is what the chat room will look like. You will now have to choose your 'name' which will be displayed to other people inside, by typing on the blue text-bar. Once you have done this and click on join, you will be able to type your message for your room.

For other people to join your room, they will need the name of the room you chose when creating it. For example, if you chose your room name as "Classroom", then the URL address(website address) for the room will be "www.todaysmeet.com/Classroom". So now you are all set for your class to discuss and share ideas. 

The most recent messages will be displayed on top of the message box, and this causes the older ones to disappear below the border of the box. However, you can click on either the "transcript" or "projector" button, and it will display all the memos written by everyone in the room. You can then proceed to save this as a webpage - unlike the room, once saved as a webpage this file is in your computer permanently(unless you decide to delete it, of course).

Benefits in the classroom

• Very easy to use
• Great tool for brainstorming activities 
• All students(even the shy ones) can participate in sharing and expressing their ideas and opinions
• Teachers can collect and save everyone's ideas
• Many students like using computers in a classroom - especially in classrooms of East Asia, where the idea of using computers in a language classroom is still new in most schools
• Students can also use the room to practice writing skills while participating - for example if you instruct them to write in full sentences only, they will need to think about the linguistic aspects(such as grammar) while participating in the discussion

Limitations

• There is a character limit of 140, so it is inappropriate to have long sentences or paragraphs
• There is a risk of some students trying to do something else with the computer(accessing facebook, games, etc)
• Control of students can be difficult - students could easily create an alias and spam useless messages
• There are other applications/websites that can easily do what Todaysmeet does(facebook, skype group chat) for smaller groups