From “think-pair-share” to group projects, it is well known that collaborative elements enhance active learning. We examined three university and community college classes using SKIES, a tablet-based technology that enables students and teachers to create and contribute knowledge together in real-time to an interconnected class tree visible to all. Instructors promoted joint knowledge creation in their classes in different ways, from encouraging students to participate via free-form backchannels to leading students through structured activities built into the lesson. Varying practices are related to how, when, where, and what students and teachers created together, with resultant positive effects on student learning. These results inform new approaches to learning analytics and data visualization relevant to instructors and students alike.