How Did I Like Working With Slack?
I was all pumped up about Slack — couldn’t wait to see how it could lead to more efficient communication. I will say it took me awhile to get a grasp of “channels” and then remember to invite people to the different channels I created (as opposed to #general and #random which automatically include everyone). Once I felt like I understood the platform, the communication part was pretty simple. It truly felt like a combination of group texting and emails — but easier to follow than a thread of emails. I also liked that all attached files are saved in “my files.” Having said all that, the most frustrating part is that my conversations weren’t authentic. The people invited weren’t real educators and one of them was a fake account. So I don’t think I really got to experience Slack to fully feel its benefits. It was also really hard to toggle back and forth between my account and the fake account I created.
One Way I Could Use Slack:
If I were still teaching, I would love to use Slack with my team. I just think we’d respond to each other more quickly and be able to keep track of things that we need to do. Setting up a parent channel would be great for attaching newsletters, handouts, links to resources, reminders, etc. I could answer questions all in one place. I could also see Slack being used between my team and principal — again cutting back on emails and meetings. With students, depending on the age, I think Slack would work well within collaborative groups and committees.
Below is a screenshot of my #alphaproject conversation. It includes: a side thread conversation, a couple of emoji responses, an @ mention, 1 starred channel, a private channel, and the 5 people I invited.
The next screenshot is a conversation within a private channel which includes a Slack post.
The last screenshot shows an example of a direct message which includes an attached file:
