A Podcast about Clicker

Because the discussion in class this week is about podcasting, I looked for a podcast with clickers as the subject. I have to be honest, the first one to appear is the one that I listened to. But wait, there's more. I also chose it because it is my undergrad alma mater, Penn State.

The podcast is less than six minutes long and interviews two professors that piloted the clicker program at PSU. It was fascinating that one of the professors was using a modified system of colored index cards before clickers came along. Both will continue to use clickers in the classroom and received positive feedback from students.

A Clicker Poster Session

I found this neat slide show of an ACRL Poster about clickers. I liked that the focus was on the use of clickers in a library setting. The slide show also provides good background information explaining how clickers work and the equipment needed. There is also a sample question and a demonstration of what the responses might look like if used in a classroom.

This Poster session is very different from my own experience in 511's poster session where my final product was an actual tri-fold poster. For those of you who have participated in a poster session, what was your experience like?

Cyberbullying using Facebook and MySpace

This week our discussion centered around cyberbullying. The instructor has also asked us to discuss our experiences with Facebook and MySpace. To be honest, I have never used or looked at Facebook. As for MySpace, I only used it to search for students who graduated from a local school to see if I could find their current location. Showing my age, I found MySpace to be noisy and brash. Many of the posts included information that I wonder if that person would be willing to say in a face to face interaction. I didn't understand the appeal of MySpace to young people.

I found an interesting post that talks about cyberbullying on Facebook. This person was subject to cyberbullying but followed the rules and reported the offender as per Facebook TOS. The poster also provides some hints on what you can do if you become a victim of cyberbullying.

I am posting the following link with some reservations. I looked through the web site and it seems that the group is interested in educating parents and families about the proper use of media without saying we shouldn't use media. I may be wrong, and apologize if I am. The site seems to provide good information on how to use MySpace and what to watch for.

Let me know what you think.

Clickers in High School

After fruitlessly searching Google for a non-college related application of clickers, I finally changed my search strategy (duh!) and found an article about clickers being used in a high school. I find it fascinating that most of the classrooms using clickers are related to the sciences.

I chose this article because it was current and talked about clickers in high school. I think clickers can help teachers receive feedback from all students but I don't completely understand why they make the students more talkative. Anything that can get quiet students to participate is a good thing.

I especially liked how this article tied in with our discussion of last week on gaming. The physics teacher turned a practice pop quiz into a game with the winning student's rocket ship landing on Mars. Sounds like fun and a good incentive for students to study harder so that they can win next time.

Games and Libraries

This week's discussion centered around games and simulations. I found the discussions went in directions I hadn't expected. The only experience I had with games in the library were centered around those that came with paid subscriptions. These games are basic and fun for the younger set. I don't have any problem with their use as long as it is controlled and not abused.

I particularly see using games as a reward for students. What an incentive to know that library time will be spent playing a game instead of a lesson on Dewey. Not that a lesson on Dewey can't be fun and engaging. I just can't see the average student getting excited about it. But make it into a game and enthusiasm will abound.

Check out this blog dedicated to gaming in libraries... http://libgaming.blogspot.com/

Students and Clickers

This weeks has been one of a flurry of projects due, bronchitis, furnace dying, and fieldwork gone amuk. Hence, the blog has been ignored unfairly. Hopefully the next few weeks will be a little quieter and the blog can receive the attention it deserves.


Last week I shared an article that described some of the things you should know about clickers. The article for this week talks about clickers with the audience in mind. Different papers have been published that show students learn the material better when they are actively involved in the process. Sitting in a lecture and taking notes is not as active learning as sitting in a lecture responding to questions.

Many of the instructors using clickers have taken the time to develop new teaching styles that increase their effectiveness in the classroom. One can only wonder that if they had changed styles to become more effective and not to incorporate the new technology, would students learning behaviors have changed anyway? A teacher in the article talks about posing a question and asking the students to confer with each other before using the clicker to respond to the question. She has found that the students interact with each other much more now. I have to wonder if this couldn't also work without the use of the clicker.

The benefits of responding anonymously is mentioned often and may be one of the best reasons to use a clicker. As I continue to read about this technology, I may have to adjust my thinking.

Here is the link...http://www.glenisgroup.com/CPSinNYT.pdf.

Social Bookmarking

This week in class, we learned all about different web sites that utilize social bookmarking. It was my week to lead the discussion board so I learned a lot of new things about Flickr and LibraryThing. Both sites are fun to explore with lots of potential uses in a classroom or library. I especially like the idea of using LibraryThing for Readers' Advisory. A fellow classmate also came up with LibraryThing for Kids and I thought this would be a great idea since the site is set up for users 13 and up. A cataloging site dedicated to children's books would be an incredible asset in a school library.

The professor also introduced del.icio.us, CiteULike, and 43 Things. I couldn't see using 43 Things in my future but it might be a good place for high school seniors to go for support and actually just setting down some goals. Del.icio.us is a fun site and I like their use of the .us which you very rarely see. CiteULike I need to explore a little bit better before I understand the full benefits that this site might provide. Trying to tie all this technology into a school library is challenging especially when I am focused on the elementary level. I need to broaden my focus because I just might end up in a high school library.

All in all, it was a busy week and I finally succumbed to a stomach virus. Hopefully that will be the last of sickness in my home for a while.

Look for more information on Clickers next week.

Just what are Clickers?

Clickers are devices used in classrooms that allow teachers to ask questions and then receive students’ responses within seconds. The devices are similar to a TV remote and work using the same technology. A student can purchase a Clicker, or for a cheaper cost a student can download a simulated version that can be used with wireless technology. The device seems to be most commonly used at the undergraduate level in large science classes.

One advantage of using such a device would be in knowing the percentage of students who got a question correct or incorrect. If 85% of the class gets a question wrong, the professor knows within seconds that further explanation is needed. Clickers can also be used as a way to take attendance because each device can be assigned to a specific student.

The following link from EDUCAUSE (http://www.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/ELI7002.pdf) describes 7 things you should know about Clickers.

Over the next few weeks, I will be providing links that will help you understand better the applications and uses for Clickers. If you have any questions or suggestions, please feel free to post a comment. I will do my best to post the best possible information.

Happy clicking!