Oct
2014
Using technology in the classroom: BAND phone app
Hi everyone!
Have you heard of the phone app called BAND. It is a social media platform specifically for groups. You can create a group for each class. Every group that is created has its own ‘wall’ for group posts and members can upload photos, videos, documents etc. It’s a great platform for sharing ideas and posting questions for student responses. Students can respond to you, other students and further classroom discussions. It’s also a great way to keep the communication lines between teacher and students active. Another great feature is the calendar function which can allow the teacher to share academic calendars, assignments and such. A coworker told me about it and said it was an excellent way to communicate with all students and to encourage communication between students. If you want to learn more about BAND you can read about it on Wikipedia.
Jared
December 2, 2014 at 3:50 am (9 years ago)This is a great idea! previously I had students sign-up for and use a “class” facebook account to receive homework and comment on class. They seemed apprehensive to share any fun extra things like photos, links, etc.
I think it may be more appealing and easier for them to use this app to create a cohesive classroom group. Thanks!
christyinkorea
December 10, 2014 at 2:51 am (9 years ago)I’ve been using this app this semester for one of my classes here in Korea.. and I love it!
I give students homework assignments which they post in the group e.g. a youtube video of your favorite song, a restaurant recommendation, a review of a film, book etc.
Students then comment on each others posts.
So far the response has been great! They love chatting in English in the same way they interact in their own language, and it’s great to see them using English outside of the classroom in their free time.
I’ve also found it an invaluable resource for getting in touch with the class and posting updates about upcoming tests or assignments.
Hooray for BAND!