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:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
The gorgeous colors
Apple cider and
pumpkin patches
The Renaissance
Festival
Watching the Chiefs
“try” to win games
Working on a college
campus
Other
17%
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17%
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17%
17%
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17%
6
Fill in the blank: My best Halloween costume
ever was when I was a _______
Clue: Something that both Frustrates and Fascinates
25%
25%
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3
25%
D_G_T_ _ T_ _ _N_L_G_
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4.
UOAODAPEPS
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Compatibility with PowerPoint
One of the breakthroughs that
Turning Point Technologies has
created to make academics’ lives
easier is the assimilation
of their software with Microsoft
PowerPoint. This enhancement
makes use of clicker technology
almost a no-brainer.
Assessment in Action
Best Practices for Clicker Polling
1. 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-Riverside
http://cnc.ucr.edu/clickers/bestpractice.html
Why use Clickers?
1.
2.
3.
4.
Can help maintain students’ attention during a class lecture.
Promotes student engagement
Promotes discussion and collaboration
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 University
http://cft.vanderbilt.edu/teaching-guides/technology/clickers/
Beyond Memorization
Effective 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 University
http://cft.vanderbilt.edu/teaching-guides/technology/clickers/
Clickers
ADVANTAGES
 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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B.
Have bad flashbacks to
experiences when the
technology failed me
Wish that I would never get
another web survey for the rest
of my life
Am amazed by how much
easier assessment is than it
used to be 10-20 years ago
Get excited because I like
trying new things
Other…
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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
Disadvantages
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.
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 Agree
B. Agree
C. Neither Agree nor
Disagree
D. Disagree
E. Strongly Disagree
F. 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?