Classroom Clickers Make the Grade
my wife and i have been exploring group response technologies and have considered purchasing a classroom set for our own teaching (obviously, not for online teaching). group response technology is a set of “clickers” that students have and use as a means of providing feedback to the instructor. so, you could be having a discussion on a particular topic and then pose a multiple choice question to your students who choose the answer that best reflects their thinking and the teacher can instantly see if the content is being learned. teachers can use this information to decide whether to provide remediation or enrichment type activities or to move on to new content or not. additionally, the clicking technology gives students some input into their own learning. i just came across an article in Wired magazine that discusses the technology and how it’s being used in the classroom and figured i’d share in case you wanted to read a more in-depth review:
Wired News: Classroom Clickers Make the Grade
September 13th, 2005 at 2:20 pm
Until now, I had never heard of clickers. I can deffinitely see how they would benefit students and teachers, especially at the college level. I think professors would find that more students would participate in class. Rather than just a few students orally responding to questions, the prof would get feedback from everyone. This would help the students communicate with the instructor about whether they are comprehending the information they are being given. The clickers could make students apply their knowledge, analyze the info given, and give them an idea of where their comprehension stands in comparison to the rest of the class; all in a timely manner.
The clicker also seems like a great interactive tool. I know that if I was being quized throughout class, then I would be much more likely to listen to the instructor; rather than zoning out and learning the info on my own. Also, profs would have instant feedback in regards to how well the class is comprehending the material. This would allow the teacher to activly respond to the students’ needs before the students leave class. It would allow the prof to clear up misunderstandings immediately, versus waiting until after the quizes are graded and handed back.
The price does seem like it could be an issue. However, if students were able to use the clicker in multiple classes throughout their school career, it would be well worth the investment.
The clicker seems like it would be a fun tool for the younger students as well. Instructors could make testing more fun by using the clicker, and less traditional than the over used written quiz.