Clicking in the 21st Century:How to Use Clickers and Digital Recorders

By Nathan Lindsay and Dan Stroud

October 23-24, 2012

The best part of the fall season in KC:

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1. The gorgeous colors

2. Apple cider and pumpkin patches

3. The Renaissance Festival

4. Watching the Chiefs “try” to win games

5. Working on a college campus

6. Other

Fill in the blank: My best Halloween costume ever was when I was a _______

D_G_T_ _ T_ _ _N_L_G_

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Clue: Something that both Frustrates and Fascinates

1.U O A O D A P E P S

2.A A E A U O B T R M

3.O E X A Z E E O F B

4.Y E I O H L A I O C

Compatibility with PowerPoint

One of the breakthroughs thatTurning Point Technologies hascreated to make academics’ liveseasier is the assimilationof their software with MicrosoftPowerPoint. This enhancementmakes use of clicker technologyalmost a no-brainer.

Assessment in ActionBest Practices for Clicker Polling1. Creates a more active and engaging learning environment –

especially in larger classrooms.2. Allows for quick and efficient quizzing of students

(formative assessment).3. Can also be used for classroom examinations (summative

assessment).4. Can enhance retention (Increased engagement).5. Can help ‘raise the bar’ in the classroom.6. Easy and efficient way to keep track of student attendance

without taking away valuable class time.

Courtesy of UC-Riversidehttp://cnc.ucr.edu/clickers/bestpractice.html

Why use Clickers?

1. Can help maintain students’ attention during a class lecture.2. Promotes student engagement3. Promotes discussion and collaboration4. Encourages participation from all students in the class.

“Putting up your hand in class is a pretty complex thing, kind of dangerous, socially and academically. But everyone is willing to give anonymous answers. Everyone is equally involved and the answers are honest. And fast.”

–

Victor Edmonds, Educational Technology Services, University of California at Berkeley

5. Adds a little drama to the class lecture – waiting for that histogram!

Courtesy of Vanderbilt Universityhttp://cft.vanderbilt.edu/teaching-guides/technology/clickers/

Beyond MemorizationEffective Use of Clicker Questions

1. Recall – ask students to recall facts – did they do the reading?

2. Concept – assess student understanding of important concepts

3. Application – require students to apply knowledge to certain situations

4. Critical Thinking – operate at higher levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy – analyze and evaluate

5. Student Perspective – asking students to share their opinions

Courtesy of Vanderbilt Universityhttp://cft.vanderbilt.edu/teaching-guides/technology/clickers/

ClickersADVANTAGES

Enhances learning experience in workshops/classrooms

Provides opportunities for immediate feedback from audiences during lecture or presentations

Ability to save data after sessions

DISADVANTAGES

Initial cost of acquiring clickers/receivers

Replacement cost of individual units that may disappear over time

Can take longer to collect data than paper and pencil surveys

Examples of Clicker Use at UNCW

• Used in student-based programs▫ Community Standards Presentation at

Orientation▫ Student staff training in the Recreation

Center

• Used for division-wide staff meetings and trainings (the age limit is unspecified )

• Used for conference presentations

• Used in community town hall meetings

When I think about using technology in assessment or teaching, I…

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A. Have bad flashbacks to experiences when the technology failed me

B. Wish that I would never get another web survey for the rest of my life

C. Am amazed by how much easier assessment is than it used to be 10-20 years ago

D. Get excited because I like trying new things

E. Other…

Discussion

How (or for what situations) could you use the clickers effectively

in your Department/Classroom?

UMKC’s Clicker of Choice ResponseCard® NXT

Cell-Phone Style text entry

Student ID submission with each response

Instructor can use real-time progress response

Offers a fixed device ID

Two hundred foot range

Both students and instructors receive visual successful

transmission almost instantaneously

Building a Presentation(8 Easy Steps)

1. Have TurningPoint software downloaded to your computer (we have a CD you can borrow for this).

2. Open TurningPoint.

3. Open an existing PowerPoint.

4. Then select “insert slide” from the TurningPoint bar.

5. From pull down menu, select the desired chart type.

6. Insert a question.

7. You can insert up to 10 possible answer choices.

8. Click outside of the answer box.

BONUS: (You can always send us the questions, and have us build the clicker slides)

Setting Correct Answers and Adding Objects

1. When you set correct answers they can be found in the lower right hand corner of your TNT screen under “answer values.”

Adding a Countdown Timer

2. It is possible to add a countdown time from the Insert Object icon on the Turning Point tool bar that sets limits on time to answer.

Using the Correct Answer Indicator

3. The correct answer indicator offers a visual confirmation of the correct answer once polling has ended.

How to Save Your Presentation

Once it’s been created, you can save it as you would any Microsoft document.

Preparing to Give Your Presentation

Of course, to use TurningPoint, you have to have it on the computer, so check for that in the classroom you are using. We have a CD that can be borrowed to download the software to your computer.

Creating a Participant List

1. Select “Participants” on the toolbar. Then select “Participant List Wizard,”

Creating a Participant List (Continued)

2. Select a template from within the wizard.

3. Then select “NEXT” in the lower right hand corner of the Wizard.

Creating a Participant List (Continued)

4. Select your Participant List fields.

Adding Groups to your Participant List

5. This feature allows you to input teams for competitions or even groups for demographic purposes.

Name Your Participant List

6. Finally, select “Finish” in the lower right hand corner.

Assign your Participant ResponseCards

7. Now you’re ready to assign your participants devices. This can be done in the “Device ID” column.

Select “Done” in the lower left hand corner.

Digital Voice Recorders Cost: $50-$200

Can download the recording directly to your computer; digital format provides many options.

Adjustable speed on some models allows faster playback of a recording to finish it in half the time and still understand it.

Some models can set up index marks, which act like bookmarks and help you return to a specific point in the recording.

Sony ICD-PX312 Digital Voice

Recorder Cost - $50 on

Amazon

Sony ICD-PX312 Digital Voice Recorder

Features 2 GB of recording space

(500 Hours)Intelligent Noise Cut (for clear speech playback)72 Hours Battery life

Digital Voice Recorder

Advantages

Ability to concentrate on interview/focus group without having to worry about recording all comments.

Direct quotes for reports/presentations/

articles can be captured more easily.

Disadvantages

Data may need to be converted to text at some point for reports; transcribing requires extensive time

Voice quality/clarity could result in missed data

Benefits of Focus Groups

▫Drill Down Quantitative =What are the

issues/numbers? Qualitative = Why are they issues?

▫Validity of Reports (You’ve gone the extra mile)

▫High Touch Opportunities

▫Students feel that their voice is heard (taps into “students’ meaning making”)

Discussion

How could digital recorders be used in your department?

I plan to check out the Provost’s Office clickers in the near future.

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A. Strongly AgreeB. AgreeC. Neither Agree

nor DisagreeD. DisagreeE. Strongly

DisagreeF. Not

applicable/Don’t Know

Sharing Best Practices

•What are other ways that you have used technology in your work (for teaching, assessment, etc.)?

•How have you overcome technological/ logistical challenges in using such tools?

•Are there additional technologies that you are considering for your assessment initiatives?