SRS Clickers User Guide
• SRS Clickers
• Mobile Learning Devices
• Video/Multimedia
• 1:1 Computing
• Collaboration Tools
• Interactive Whiteboards
• Interactive Video DL
• AT: Vision & Hearing
• AT: Universal Design
• Online Resources
Module 1: SRS Clickers Module Synopsis Knowing what students think, believe and understand is critical to classroom success. Researchers, including Marzano (2009), shows students who receive frequent feedback learn better. And teachers who ask students a wide range of questions are more likely to focus on individual student differences – and achievement. One technology which helps are classroom response systems, often called ‘clickers’ due to the fact that students usually ‘click’ in their responses to the teachers’ question. Learn what research – and experienced classroom teachers – show as the three most effective uses of ‘clickers,’ discover how to implement your own ‘clicker’ system at no cost using a cell phone, and discover why you DON’T always want to begin by asking a content question. Technology Tools for Teaching & Learning – SRS Clickers: Module Synopsis © 2011 NWOET. Permission is granted for non-­profit educational use. Module 1: SRS Clickers Research Findings Clickers in the Classroom: The Research. Do clickers help students learn? (video) Turpen, C. (2009). University of Colorado Science Education Initiative. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PxKHXyVtVIA Other YouTube videos in this series by geekgirl54 from the University of Colorado SIE: • How To Use Clickers Effectively • Students and Teachers Speak: Clickers in the science classroom • The anatomy of a clicker question (Clickers in the science classroom) • Explaining to your students why you're using clickers Key Findings • Overall, student engagement was sustained the longest (lowest numbers in Table 1) when questions generated were followed by learner discussion, regardless of question difficulty. • Engagement dropped more quickly if the instructor merely explained the answer, or one student explained his/her answer. • For difficult questions, instructor explanation retained engagement longer than for easy or moderate questions, but was not as effective as discussion. • Student explanations retained some engagement for moderate questions, but again, were not as effective as discussion. • If clicker questions are too easy and the majority of students get the correct answer, typically no discussion is generated and student engagement drops off quickly. Interestingly, four clicker questions that almost the whole class got correct generated in-­‐class discussion. When analyzed further observation data showed that students got the right answer for the wrong reasons, which generated a lot of questions and discussion amongst students. Strategies to Increase Learning: Seven Tools can Help Students McClure, C.T. (2008). Evantia, District Administration Journal’s Research Corner column, January 2008. http://www.Districtadministration.com/viewarticlepf.aspx?articleid=1359 Key Findings • #2 strategy noted in this article is, “Give quizzes at spaced intervals...” (Research: e.g. Butler & Roediger, 2007, McDaniel, Anderson, Derbish, et. al., 2007, and e.g. Carpenter, Pashler, Cepeda, et. al., 2007) • #7 strategy noted in the article is, “Teach students to assess their own degree of learning…” (Research: Metcalfe & Dunlosky, 2008, and Dunlosky, Rawson, & Middleton, 2005) Technology Tools for Teaching & Learning – SRS Clickers: Research Findings © 2011 NWOET. Permission is granted for non-­profit educational use. Clickers in the Large Classroom: Current Research and Best-­Practice Tips Literature Review Caldwell J.E. (2007). Department of Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV. http://www.lifescied.org/cgi/content/full/6/1/9 General Summary of the State of the Field • …clickers generally cause improved student outcomes such as improved exam scores or passing rates, student comprehension, and learning and that students like clickers. • …much of the research so far is not systematic enough to permit scientific conclusions about what causes the benefits. • It is possible that the alteration of teaching methods associated with clickers is responsible, rather than the use of clickers themselves. • The use of an AR (audience response) system does increase the likelihood of active student engagement during class. Second Year Evaluation Study of Promethean ActivClassroom, A Marzano R. (2010). http://www.prometheanworld.com/server.php?show=nav.19203 Effective teaching practices combined with interactive classroom technologies significantly boosts student academic performance. Key Findings • Student achievement does grow with the use of technology. Dr. Marzano found that individual student achievement is 16 percentile points higher when teachers effectively used integrated interactive instructional tools into lessons. • Professional development is essential. Results showed that increased confidence resulted in greater and more frequent use of the interactive classroom technologies. Teachers who were more confident with the technology used it more. Greater use of the technology would, most probably, will produce even greater student gains. • Complete integrated solution works best to increase academic performance of students. The study looked at the entire classroom environment – not just the interactive whiteboard. Technology Tools for Teaching & Learning – SRS Clickers: Research Findings © 2011 NWOET. Permission is granted for non-­profit educational use. Module 1: SRS Clickers Web & Video Resources Effective Use of the Audience Response System: A Primer From Center for Research and Evaluation, Columbia University, Office of Scholarly Resources. http://www.pccua.edu/assessment/Web%20Page%20Documents/clicker_primer.pdf Key Points • The effective educational use of the ARS requires careful planning and attention to learning objectives. • The ARS (audience response system) is just technology, and the its value depends on the effective design of questions to meet the selected purpose. • When designing an interactive presentation, speakers should follow the general rules for PowerPoint with regard to color schemes and font type and size while bearing in mind the principles of good slide design (Crosby, 1994; Holzl, 1997). • This primer also outlines multiple common pitfalls of using a ARS. ELT notes from the blog of Claudia Ceraso Dr. Robert Marzano, CUE 2009 Keynote on Assessment, Part II. http://eltnotes.blogspot.com/2009/03/dr-­‐bob-­‐marzano-­‐cue-­‐2009-­‐keynote-­‐part-­‐l_29.html Dr Marzano speaks at the CUE 2009 Conference about his recent research on IWBs and student response systems. On this second part he talks about assessment. • Formative assessment as an instructional tool provides feedback from classroom instruction. • Assessment should provide students with a clear picture of their progress on learning goals and how they might improve. There is Such a Thing as a Free Lunch: 8 Free and Easy Ways to Begin Educating Innovatively Nielsen, L., Tech & Learning, July 2010. #1 in the 8 ways is use of a free or low cost student response system http://www.techlearning.com/Blogs/25884 Nielsen explains how PollEverywhere, a free online audience response system, can be used with small groups without the need for expensive technology. She further explains that without any additional equipment or need to download software within seconds educators will have student responses. Nielsen touts another nice feature is that PollEverywhere ARS doesn't care what device your students are using – text message, web, and smartphone responses can be instantly combined. Technology Tools for Teaching & Learning – SRS Clickers: Web & Video Resources © 2011 NWOET. Permission is granted for non-­profit educational use. SEI Clicker and Education Videos Videos produced by the University of Colorado Science Education Initiative (CU-­‐SEI) and the University of British Columbia Carl Wieman Science Education Initiative (CWSEI). http://www.cwsei.ubc.ca/resources/SEI_video.html Video Titles • Group Work… – explanation of what the research suggests for best practices in implementing group activities • Clickers: Students and Teachers Speak – benefits of clicker use in class when used to actively engage the students and get them thinking about the material • How to Use Clickers Effectively – best practices in clicker use, including tips on writing questions and getting students to talk about them, the finer points of running a class discussion about a question, and how long to allow for this process • Anatomy of Clicker Question – brief snapshot of what a clicker question looks like in the classroom, from start to finish • The Research: Do Clickers Help Students Learn? – current research on how this tool promotes student engagement and understanding • Explain to Your Students Why You're Using Clickers – how we help get our students on board with this learning tool What are Clickers? Olga Urban, Northern Illinois University, Online Technologies Coordinator of the Faculty Development and Instructional Design Center Urban gives a quick introduction to the clicker technology and briefly outlines a few of the instructional benefits of using this technology in face-­‐to face classes. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I4A62QyAUHM Presentation transcript available at: http://www.facdev.niu.edu/facdev/resources/quicktips/#clickers Quick Facts: • Clickers can be used to ensure students understand fundamental concepts; getting the answer right is less important than identifying a knowledge gap or misconception. • Clickers give faculty the ability to fine-­‐tune their instruction based on student responses. • Clickers represent an easy-­‐to-­‐adopt technology that can enhance the learning experience. • The cost of acquiring and using clickers can be a downside. • Clickers, by virtue of their simplicity, are finding broad applicability in virtually any instructional setting and any discipline. • Interaction and engagement are often limited by class size and human dynamics (a few students dominate the conversation; most avoid interaction). Technology Tools for Teaching & Learning – SRS Clickers: Web & Video Resources © 2011 NWOET. Permission is granted for non-­profit educational use. Clickers in Your Classroom Anne L. Becker, Ed.D., Education Department, Education Studies Columbia College, Chicago http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=peyfS4Sp3-­‐A&feature=related This video gives a basic introduction to how clickers are used with a slide presentation and enhance the delivery of instruction. Dr. Becker explains why it is an important instructional tool to engage and motivate students. Vanderbilt Center for Teaching – Classroom Response Systems (“Clickers”) Comprehensive site that includes tips for using the CRS, composing questions, teaching with a CRS, challenges with using a CRS, and a bibliography of articles on classroom response systems. A highlight of this site is the video of a presentation by Derek Bruff, Ph.D., Assistant Director, Vanderbilt Center for Teaching, on the use of classroom response systems. (Scroll down mid-­page to access the video.) http://www.vanderbilt.edu/cft/resources/teaching_resources/technology/crs.htm Technology Tools for Teaching & Learning – SRS Clickers: Web & Video Resources © 2011 NWOET. Permission is granted for non-­profit educational use. Module 1: SRS Clickers Activities Activity #1 Take a Survey Monkey Survey Go to the link at: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/Clicker-­‐Activity-­‐1 Complete your response to these questions: 1. Have you ever been part of a class in which a student response system (‘clickers’) was used in the instruction? Yes or No 2. If you answered 'No' to the question above, you are finished with this activity. If you answered 'Yes,' do you feel the use of the clickers helped you to be more engaged in your learning? Please explain. Activity #2 Action Research Using an online survey/quiz tool or a student response system (see suggested product lists below), create five to 10 questions that can be interspersed in one lesson you will be teaching to two or more groups of students.  Plan identical teaching materials for all groups (i.e. hand-­‐out materials, visuals, reading assignments, activities).  With one group, use the student response system to evaluate the students’ learning at selected intervals throughout your instruction.  With the other group, use the same questions, but give to the students in paper/pencil format.  At the end of each question, provide or display results of the questions.  For this research, you may set up a class list to monitor individual answers or use the clickers anonymous mode.  For tips on writing better questions, go to: http://www.authorstream.com/Presentation/vmlassit-­‐3080-­‐effective-­‐uses-­‐classroom-­‐
response-­‐systems-­‐eci-­‐511-­‐presentation-­‐education-­‐ppt-­‐powerpoint/ http://www46.homepage.villanova.edu/john.immerwahr/TP101/clicker%20articleTP.pdf Answer the following questions about your experiences with the different groups of students: 
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Which group was more engaged in their learning? Do you attribute this to the use of the clickers? Do you feel the group using the clickers has greater learning gains? Why or why not? Were there any technical difficulties experienced in their use? Were you able to resolve these issues to have positive results? Technology Tools for Teaching & Learning – SRS Clickers: Activities © 2011 NWOET. Permission is granted for non-­profit educational use. 
Would you use this clicker system or tool in the future or try another system? Why or why not? Student response systems: • SMART • eInstruction CPS • Quizdom • Promethean ActiVote or ActivExpression • iClicker • Turning Point • Interwrite Online Survey/Quiz Options: These may be free or low-­cost. • Poll Everywhere http://polleverywhere.com • Survey Monkey http://surveymonkey.com • eClicker http://eclicker.com/ (iPhone, iPad, iPod touch) • Zoomerang http://zoomerang.com Technology Tools for Teaching & Learning – SRS Clickers: Activities © 2011 NWOET. Permission is granted for non-­profit educational use. Module 1: SRS Clickers Terms Student Response Systems (SRS) – refer to audience response systems that are a type of interactive technology designed to create interactivity between a presenter and his/her audience. These systems generally combine wireless hardware with presentation software, and may also include systems for remote audiences that may use the telephone, cell phone, or web polls for audiences watching through television or the Internet. In educational settings, such systems are often called "student response systems" or "personal response systems." The hand-­‐held remote control that students use to convey their responses to questions is often called a "clicker." (adapted from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, July 2010) Formative assessment – information from assessment is used, during the instructional segment in which the assessment occurred, to adjust instruction with the intent of better meeting the needs of the students assessed. Short-­cycle assessment – often called “minute by minute” assessments, daily, very frequent measures of student knowledge generally given immediately after instruction. Remote control – is a component of an electronics device used for operating the device wirelessly from a short line-­‐of-­‐sight distance. (From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, July 2010) Technologies for SRS systems –  Infrared (IR) is the oldest of these technologies, IR audience response systems are better
suited for smaller groups. IR uses the same technology as a TV remote, and is therefore the
only one of the four technologies that requires line-of-sight between the keypad and receiver.
(From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, July 2010) 
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Radio (RF) is ideal for large group environments as these types of systems can accommodate hundreds of voters on a single base station. (From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, July 2010) Internet SRS work with the participants' existing computing devices. These are typically connected to the Internet via Wi-­‐Fi, as well as classroom desktop computers. (Adapted from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, July 2010) Cell phone systems collect SMS responses and display them through a web page. (From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, July 2010) Technology Tools for Teaching & Learning – SRS Clickers: Terms © 2011 NWOET. Permission is granted for non-­profit educational use. Module 1: SRS Clickers Reflections 1. How can use of SRS facilitate communication? Answers will vary. SRS increase communication by discussing the answers and opinions revealed in the SRS results. The SRS provides all students with an equal opportunity to respond, and instructors can take advantage of their responses to generate discussion. Because the systems can allow for anonymous responses, it is effective for sensitive questions, such as ethical, legal, and moral issues. 2. Name at least six pitfalls related to use of SRS. Answers will vary. The following factors may weaken the effectiveness of the use of SRS: Preparation: • Questions are designed by someone other than the instructor – serving the wrong purpose. • Questions are too easy, or don’t elicit a distribution of responses. • Questions are used primarily to see if students can remember facts presented during the first part of the lecture and do not illicit higher-­level thinking. • Questions are poorly framed: They don’t relate well to the content of the instruction. • Instructors have not anticipated the students’ responses accurately, and have not planned how to involve students beyond the actual polling. Teaching techniques: • Instructor does not provide adequate time for students to think through the polling question and select an answer. • Response results are not discussed adequately. • Not enough time is allowed for discussion and audience interaction. • There are too many question slides in one presentation (optimal use is about 5 per hour). Technology Tools for Teaching & Learning – SRS Clickers: Reflections © 2011 NWOET. Permission is granted for non-­profit educational use. Module Descriptions Module 1: “SRS Clickers” Knowing what students think, believe and understand is critical to classroom success. Researchers including Marzano (2009) state students who receive frequent feedback learn better. And, teachers who ask students a wide range of questions focusing not only on content but also on opinion and demographic information are more likely to focus on individual student differences – and achievement. Student response systems are commonly known as ‘clickers.’ Module 2: “Mobile Learning Devices” From early childhood through the adult workplace, access to information, communication and learning resources has become an anytime anywhere expectation. See how K-12
classrooms are evolving both in and beyond the classroom walls through a variety of mobile
learning devices (MLDs) that include MP3 players, portable ‘tablet’ devices, laptops and even
cell phones.
Module 3: “Video/Multimedia” Research suggests a majority of the population learns best when several, not just one, of the senses are involved in the learning process. Discover how both still and video cameras and are being used in the classroom to introduce, re-­‐enforce, remediate, motivate and classroom support learning. Module 4: “1:1 Computing” While one computer or Web-­‐enabled phone for every person is the norm in college, in the workplace and often in the homes of students, adapting this concept in K-­‐12 schools involves re-­‐thinking the structure of classroom instruction. Discover what research and classroom teachers are learning about 1:1, and how this trend also relates to the strategies of instruction through mobile computing. Module 5: “Collaboration Tools” In today’s work force collaboration is not an option, it’s an expectation. In this module explore how ‘cloud computing’ software designed for industry is being used in the classroom. Also discover why communication among students, teachers and parents is vital to fostering a true collaborative learning environment, and which tech tools are being used for these tasks. Module 6: “Interactive Whiteboards” Once found only in corporate boardrooms, interactive white boards are now commonplace in K-­‐12 classrooms. While some teachers only use these as dry erase chalkboards, this module explores how leading Ohio educators are taking full advantage of the tactile, review, self-­‐checking, and remediation functions offered by these tools. Technology Tools for Teaching & Learning – Module Descriptions © 2011 NWOET. Permission is granted for non-­profit educational use. Module 7: “Interactive Video DL” Not every school has a visiting scientist or Chinese language expert available, but through interactive video distance learning (IVDL) in all its forms (ranging from individual webcams to high definition international, multi-­‐site conferences) all students CAN now participate in live, interactive experiences with content experts, take field trips to NASA, learn a foreign language, and much more. Explore how in this module! Module 8: “AT: Vision & Hearing” Every classroom and personal computer comes complete with tools to help students who have special needs in the areas of vision and hearing. See how these tools are being used to support instruction and foster collaboration for students who might otherwise be isolated from the class. Module 9: “AT: Universal Design” Discover how technology tools already present in many classrooms, including video projectors, room audio systems, student response systems and color printers, can help teachers design instruction to reach all students more effectively plus provide critical access for many students who have special learning needs. Module 10: “Online Resources” Many students have 24/7 access to a range of information resources, but they may not understand how to evaluate those resources for instructional or personal use. Learn how some schools are using a variety of technologies such as electronic book readers, mobile computing devices and traditional classroom computers to teach critical thinking and information literacy skills. Technology Tools for Teaching & Learning – Module Descriptions © 2011 NWOET. Permission is granted for non-­profit educational use.