https://anchor.fm/hitechpod/embed/episodes/7--Third-Spaces--Discord-etjach


This Week's App: Discord

What is Discord?

Discord is a community platform that allows you to create a private or public space to gather virtually. They organize their communities in what they call "servers." Yes, the start with some techy language but setup and use are all quite easy. Within a server, you can make many channels, you can make user roles, and you can integrate other applications.

All of this functionality means that you can create a holistic ecosystem for you and your students to chat, share, and work together.

All of this functionality means that you can create a holistic ecosystem for you and your students to chat, share, and work together. It's a mobile app and web-browser-supported tool, so anyone can use it anywhere. The free version has some limits, of course, but both Josh and Will are in quite a few free servers and it never gets in the way of excellent interactions.

What can it be used for?

Just about anything! Discord can be used for simple back-and-forth instant messaging. This practice makes you much easier to get in touch with and can create a community sense to your classroom. In most course designs, you would use Discord for an entire semester. However, there are ways that you might use specific channels or apps to facilitate a specific workshop or project.

https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/secure.notion-static.com/ac3c0a26-d9a3-4761-a0e4-49224645dd4e/Discord_image_(1).png

Since Discord also supports audio, video, and streaming (or screen-sharing), you really could make it the central place for synchronous communications throughout your class: especially helpful while we wade through the COVID-19 protocols of sometimes in-person, sometimes remote.

How do you get started?

We really want to emphasize that this is easy to pick up! So easy that Discord has not only made their own Beginner's Guide to Discord but they have also published blogs and support documentation on how to use it for academics.

In the blog, they offer a server template that can get you started, they break down the Discord 101, and they show a few points on conducting class remotely. Even better, they want your opinion: towards the end of the blog they ask for your feedback on what could improve it for you.

Take the plunge today and give it a try with some friends or colleagues. Open up a server, invite them in, and see how it works.


Hosted at Hostnotion – custom domains for Notion