Like myself, I'm sure many of our classmates have taken a class at JMU or another university where clickers were used during lecture. From talking to friends and other students, I have realized that many teachers that have large classes use clickers as a means of attendance and participation. My experience with them was in a general chemistry class that was over 200 people. For those of you who don't know, clickers look somewhat like remotes and each student has one registered under their name. There are number and letter options on them that allow students to log in during class and answer a variety of questions. The clickers at JMU look like this:
In the chemistry class I took, my teacher would ask a variety of multiple choice questions, and we would answer them using our clickers. Once everyone answered, the correct answer would appear with a graph that shows how many students chose each answer. These clickers are not only a good use of particpation in large classes especially, but they also allow professors to see how well students are understanding specific content throughout a lesson. I have heard many success stories with these clickers at JMU, and the use of them is only going to increase.
Most college students are familiar with these types of clickers, but what the new growing trend seems to be is clickers in elementary, middle, and high school classrooms! I am currently student teaching 7th grade Pre-Algebra at Wilson Middle School in Augusta County, and the classroom I work in has their own set of clickers. My cooperating teacher explained that she uses them quite often with her classes especially as a review purpose before quizzes and tests. She said the students get so excited to use them, and their engagement levels increase dramatically. I think the best part about these clickers is students don't have to feel embarrassed or nervous to participate and share their answers. Since all the clickers are programmed through numbers, students never see what their classmates answered by their name- it is all confidential. With clickers in her classroom, every student is able to participate for every questions, and she is able to see how well certain content (and even specific SOLs) are being understood. My cooperating teacher is even able to gather data on the computer from the clickers to use for creating additonal classwork, quizzes, and tests based on the students' strengths and weaknesses.
For more information about success stories involving the beginning uses of clickers see here: Making it Click-http://http://www.calcomp.com/InterWriteFiles/technologyandlearning_prs_jun2006.pdf
Overall, clickers are a great new use of educational technology in the university and K-12 classroom. Involving them in lessons and reviews improves student engagement, participation, and instant feedback for students and teachers. What do you think of clickers? What types of expereinces have you had with them?
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I only got to use something similar to a clicker back in High School. My teacher created a Jeopardy game based on a topic we just covered and we got to use them to answers questions. I remember being really excited to use the clickers and the material we reviewed stuck with me a lot more than the teacher giving a lecture. The clickers that you mentioned seemed a lot more complex. I love the idea that that it can track attendance and allows students to answers question without others knowing, doing that alone is great because students can try to answer questions to the best of their ability without feeling embarrassed about getting it wrong.
ReplyDeleteClickers need to be used more in elementary, middle, and high schools because it adds fun to learning and its something new and students will gravitate towards it. Its neat that teachers are also able to gather data from the clickers about classwork, quizzes and tests based on the students strengths and weaknesses.
I somehow managed to get through my undergraduate education without a class that required clickers. I agree that clickers are great for encouraging (or requiring) participation in large classrooms. In one of my large classes with 100+ students, the professor was determined that students earn points for participation. She actually wrote each student's name on a notecard and would draw so many cards at the beginning of class and call on each student she selected to answer a question. While I understood she wanted the class to participate, it would have been so much more effective for everyone to use clickers because there was too much confusion with her card system and people having the same names. Plus, clickers could eliminate the need of passing around the attendance sheet to 300+ students.
ReplyDeleteAt first I was hesitant about the idea of using clickers in elementary, middle, and high schools because I thought it was important that students answer questions out loud as they will likely have to do as part of discussions in smaller college classes. But the more I think about it, the more I realize how effective clickers can be if used in moderation. Key'Nita's mention of using something similar to clickers for a Jeopardy based game seems like a great way to prepare for tests. Clickers could be a great way for teachers to assess students' learning and needs for improvement without embarrassing students that may be struggling.
I used a clicker in two of my geneds at JMU. They were used as ways to gather information on attendance and participation without my teacher or TA grading over 100 little daily quizzes. I think they are great for college for this purpose because this saves the teacher a lot of time and are an easy way for all students to participate without the fear of being wrong. However, since they are used predominately in very large classes (100+) it also makes cheating very easy for students. It is very easy to check with your neighbor before submitting your answer or to have a friend take your clicker to class for you to "sign in" for you.
ReplyDeleteLike Melisa, KeyNita and Marissa, I also like the idea of incorporating similar clickers in elementary-high school. Anything that gets kids more excited about engaging in a subject or participating more is great in my book. The instant feed back is very beneficial for teachers and students. I like that teachers can take the confidential results and tailor learning objectives to each student's individual strengths/weaknesses like Melisa said. My only concern is how expensive are these clickers? I remember the annoyance I felt at having to first purchase a clicker then pay to register it online. Is this a comparatively cheap way to get kids more involved? Clickers are obviously less expensive then ipads and maybe more schools should purchase clickers instead of ipads and use the left over money to give teachers a raise.
My first and only experience with clickers at JMU was for GHTH 100. We didn't use them often but I could tell they are a really useful tool in the classroom. I had no idea they use them in elementary, middle and high schools but I think that is a very good idea. It's very interactive, even for college students, so I can see how younger kids can be excited to answer classroom questions with a remote rather than raising their hands. I think it's also a good tool to see how the teacher is doing, and what material they need to cover more in depth, as you mentioned in your blog post. I don't think clickers should be utilized everyday in place of class discussions or anything but I think the use of them every so often would be beneficial, and maybe even create interesting class discussion after looking at the graphs of the class's answers. Overall I like clickers and I think bringing them to classrooms where younger students are involved can be very beneficial to both the students and teacher.
ReplyDeleteI only had one class that used the clickers. Unfortunately, it was not a good experience. My professor could never figure out how to use them, and as a result, we only used them four times. This turned out to be a waste of money for me that semester. But I have heard great success stories for these. I had never considered the implications for elementary and secondary education (as these are not my focus), but I think the excitement and increased desire to participate are great reasons to introduced them into the classrooms. The only downside I could see is the lack of pressure from the other students. Granted this might seem unorthodox, but I think peer pressure can also encourage students to try harder. I would be afraid that some students would slack off because there was no consequence of incorrect answers.
ReplyDeleteThere are many ways to combat the one issue I presented. Overall, I think they are a great idea. I would like to use them in my class, if I was allowed to alter my class that much.
Like Marissa, I too somehow managed not to use one clicker in any of my college classes, unlike many of my peers, for whom clickers were commonly used in classes. Although I never used them when I taught at Spotswood Elementary last year, I do believe we had them available for teachers to borrow for lessons. Now, I am regretting my decision not to use them, as I can envision so many creative ways they could be used! I experienced non-participation from a few students in just about every class that I taught, but mainly from the third and fourth graders, who were constantly worried about how they would be received by their peers, whose actions and reactions, of course, greatly influenced those around them. Allowing students to use clickers would probably have been an easy and effective way to get these children to actively participate, without the fear of being singled out by peers. Group response can be a great tool in education, and it certainly provides the teacher with the feedback he/she desires to improve instruction. Many devices similar to these clickers (some designed with large buttons or foot pedals) are already in wide use among students with disabilities, who benefit greatly from them. If clickers were implemented by all students in a classroom, rather than just a select few, those with a variety of disabilities, especially autism, could also participate in a more nonverbal, but just as meaningful, way. Using clickers can be considered “game-based” learning, in which participants are actively involved and helping to direct the content within the classroom. I see many possibilities with this technology!
ReplyDeleteMelisa pointed out great reasons to be using clickers in the classroom: student engagement, a better understanding of what percentage of the class has gained understanding, visual representation of participation and more.
ReplyDeleteThe clickers are practical tools for the larger classes at JMU because they are a quick way for professors to determine class attendance. Also, clickers reduce paper use and grade return time by having all of the students take a test using questions presented on an overhead projector and calculating grades as each student completes the test.
Clickers should experience a seamless move over to elementary, middle and high schools because their practicality is transferable. As more tech savvy young students make their way through the lower grades, incorporating technology such as clickers will help keep them involved and comfortable in their learning. To keep learning relevant, it must begin to take on similar forms of conveyance as the younger generations experience outside of the classroom; clickers are an excellent way to do this.