To Debate or Not to Debate?
If you’ve ever tried to facilitate a debate or discussion on a complex topic in your classroom, you’ve probably encountered any number of frustrating scenarios, from students not taking the topic seriously to not understanding how a debate works. It takes planning and front-loading of expectations to make sure a debate runs smoothly, but there are often students who do not want to participate or are too anxious to speak in front of their peers. Kialo and Kialo-edu are platforms designed to make structured debates possible and can be used as an extension of classroom activities or in completely online environments. Kialo has a large selection of already existing discussion topics that can be explored, or a teacher can set up a specific debate question for the class. Another potential use of these debates is for assignments where students need to explore and write about both sides of an issue. This is a tool that is intended to improve critical thinking, as each response is publicly visible and can elicit reactions from viewers, and responses can be removed if containing misinformation or other reasons
Though it can be accessed on mobile devices, unfortunately, Kialo doesn’t yet have a mobile app. This has stimulated the following debate on Kialo that I just needed to share:
https://www.kialo.com/kialo-doesnt-have-a-mobile-app-3264.15?path=3264.0~3264.1_3264.15
Here is a demonstration of a debate scenario on medical ethics:
https://www.kialo-edu.com/p/003f5e4e-98a3-4c6b-89b8-ffa4f415c1ec/5562
Click here to see (and participate if you like) a debate that I created on the hot topic of vaccinations. My students will be participating in this discussion later this month.
https://www.kialo-edu.com/p/b54ee1ab-955a-4776-ade1-671225275d67/41439
Hi Lori!
Thanks for the post. We had been looking at using this tool for our OER as I used it in one of my courses last quarter. The only thing I struggled with is that the debate topic in the last course was so one sided, that I, for the purposes of the project, tried to debate the opposite side. Obviously easier said than done!
I also have some security questions about participating in the public polls with students, as I don’t think there is much control over the content.
Wow Lori, this is a great find. I had no idea such a tool existed. At the same time, it is unfortunate that this tool is not available for mobile devices. I could see it being very powerful in an app environment.
Lori,
What a great tool, thank you for sharing! The applications of this in a school setting are endless. I’ve definitely experienced some weak debates with some classes and this could definitely be a game-changer. When Kialo develops an app I can see this becoming a regularly used tool in the classroom across many schools. It seems like the child Kahoot and Padlet.
Hi Lori,
Your posting is timely as I was just starting to research this type of app! It is great to see how the structure allows students to see both sides before adding to the debate. It is also interesting to note that it does not have a mobile app yet. I could view the debate on my smartphone but the since the display was placed as two opposing columns, the text was too wrapped for a comfortable reading experience. I like the topology view, though. Perhaps this could be set as the primary view on mobile, as a workaround for now.