Tech on Tuesday: Today's Meet

This summer I spent a WONDERFUL two days completely immersed in all things technology at the Upstate Technology Conference in Greenville, SC.  I can honestly say that this conference is one of my favorites to attend and I make it a point to either present or attend every year.  I've gone for the last 6 years and each year it gets better and better.  I've learned countless ways to effectively integrate new technologies into my classroom each time.  It helps to know a good portion of the presenters and the group of amazing leaders who organize and put this conference on each year.  I'm blessed to be a part of this great group.

While at the conference this year, I learned about a new Web 2.0 tool to utilize in my classroom or in any professional development that I may have throughout the year.  Today's Meet is the EASIEST tool to use.  It is FREE and students can easily navigate it as well. It is essentially a message board that allows users to post comments. 

It is a no frills kind of site, which makes it easy to use.  Sometimes I have found that the easier it is, the better so I don't get bogged down in the details.

When you first navigate to TodaysMeet, you will see this screen.

All you have to do is name your room and state when you want the room deleted.  That is one of the features that I love most about this.  I can choose to only have the room open for 2 hours or keep it open for 2 years.

Once you name your room and set the delete date, you can then join the room and begin a conversation.

Because this is SO easy to use, I anticipate using it a lot in the coming school year.  What a great way to have a discussion.  I can see using this as a ticket out the door instead of using post-it notes.  Maybe ending a reading discussion, sharing opinions about current events, etc.  The possibilities are ENDLESS.