I start my placement next week so for now I'll chat about previous technology integration I've observed. My ISP class last semester, although not entirely the best class I've ever been in, definately integrated a lot of different types of technology.
The first was something that I'm sure most of you are all familiar with, the infamous IClickers. I had surprisingly not used an IClicker until last semester. Although a dreaded attendance tool that many professors use in huge lectures, I must admit that this little remote did work and serve its purpose since 90% of the class would attend to send in their little "clicks" (except on Fridays when the percentage was drastically less of course). The IClickers were not only a good way to take attendance but to also poll the class on various things such as opinions, knowledge, questions etc. From this, our professor could determine what students were having a hard time understanding and help us from there. In this way I think that IClickers can act as a great voice for shy students in a huge lecture hall to speak up and voice their opinion/questions.
Another common technology the class employed were Power Points used to display lecture notes that were also available online. Often times the Power Points would also include links to YouTube and other websites that we could watch and explore during the class. The great thing about the Power Points being on ANGEL was that we could always go back at anytime, had we missed a class or a certain point during lecture, and review our notes within a couple clicks and seconds.
The final type of technology that was used in the classroom was an overhead projector. I am not sure of the exact word for it, because it was much more then just your average projector, but maybe if someone reads this and knows the real name you can comment and help out! The first time that it was used was when we were learning about evolution and marine life. Our teacher brought in a skeleton of a sharks jaw and used the projector to display it to the entire, huge lecture hall. The projector was able to zoom in and out so that we could see every little detail. This came in handy when he would disect things and we all could see (although entirely disgusting to me, I was happy to just be able to observe). This was also a great money saver/experience because clearly in such a large class not everyone is going to be able to dissect their own animal.
Whether a technologic device was used for attendance purposes, such as the IClickers, or a great opportunity to display something to the whole class, such as the projector, it's great to see technology being used in different ways in the classroom. I know there has to be millions of other ways to use technology I'm not familiar with right under my nose and I'm excited to learn about more of them as the course progresses!
I've heard people toss the term iClicker around for years, but have never been in a class that used them. It sounds like it does more than just take attendance, which is how people usually refer to it.
ReplyDeleteI know a lot of profs don't like to put lectures on ANGEL because it creates an incentive to attend class and not skip. On the other hand, it sounds like putting the slides up really helped you understand the material. Do you think is an effective punishment for teachers to refuse posting class materials to ensure attendance?
Yeah I do think it's effective because I've seen classes in which both methods have been employed and personally, the attendance has been drastically different in classes where the PowerPoints are posted vs. when they are not (of course subject to other attendance policies). I really do appreciate when they post them though because I do like to sit back and listen to the lectures without having to worry about writing down every single point!
ReplyDeleteI find it slightly disturbing they use the iClickers for attendance. I suppose logistically its a decent use for them but seems another way a technology that was developed to encourage formative assessment, feedback and discussion turned into another way to "control" students.
ReplyDeleteBtw, for those in middle and high schools where most students will have cell phones, you can use the site http://www.polleverywhere.com to create polls and use the cellphones as clickers. Great tool and avoids the cost of the iClicker system. (Of course, you might have to convince your administrator to let the students bring the phone into class).