Instructional Technology Tips and Quips

The Education Arcade

2009-03-12T16:43:00.000-07:00

The Education Arcade is a research group founded by members of MIT and the gaming world and aims at investigating the various ways games may be used for learning. The current charge for the Education Arcade is how to make such games more accessible to users. Apparently, educational games are difficult to fund. They have proven to be miserable investments in terms of retail sales, and we all know the story as far as funding goes in academic settings...educational institutions are not known for lavish spending, particularly in our current economic climate.

The Educational Arcade website showcases a list of white papers investigating best practices in teaching through games. One such white paper was mentioned In a recent New York Times article titled, "At M.I.T., Large Lectures Are Going the Way of the Blackboard". Author Sara Rimer, writes about the way most students learn fundamental concepts more successfully, and are better able to apply them, through interactive, collaborative, student-centered learning.

In addition, there is a link on the education Arcade website to, "Projects", that is definitely worth checking out. Projects range from language and science learning games to augmented reality and simulation games, including one called, "Environmental Detectives". This game uses GPS technology to lead students through a virtual toxic spill, and challenges users to find the source of the catastrophy.

Here at Saint Mary's College, we are making great strides toward providing greater levels of on-line presence for the classes we offer. The numbers of faculty using LMS systems such as Blackboard,and Moodle are increasing and the complexity of curriculum offered from within course sites is also expanding rapidly. Many classes are utilizing add-on's to Blackboard that allow faculty to enable wiki's, podcasting and blogging tools from within Blackboard, and students have had a very positive response to them. Still, it remains to be seen if the use of games as an additional on-line learning tool will be the next level of innovation here at Saint Mary's College. We shall see! In the mean time, check out the Education Arcade for the latest innovations in educational games.

2009-03-11T12:41:00.000-07:00

The California ClearingHouse on Library Instruction is hosting a workshop at Saint Mary's College on Friday, May 8th. Mark your calendars!

e Portfolio Pilot at Saint Mary's

2009-03-11T11:26:00.000-07:00

This Spring and Fall 2009, Computer and Technology Services at Saint Mary's College is hosting a pilot of e Portfolio systems. Some of the systems we are testing include: Adobe Acrobat Pro 9, Campus Pack and the Expo LX system from Learning Objects, Blackboard used in conjunction with Waypoint Outcomes and .pdf files and Word Press.

There are a number of departments on campus that are already using portfolios as a means to evaluate work and showcase capstone projects. This pilot will help us to find the best technology to standardize on as a campus. If you are interested in participating or learning more, please feel free to contact, Carmel Crane, Instructional Technology Manager, CaTS at 925-631-8003.

Smule - iPhone Ap

2009-02-12T12:09:00.000-08:00

My favorite new iPhone application is called, "Ocarina". It transforms your iPhone into an instrument somewhat like a flute, and works when you blow into the built in microphone for the telephone. It is fun, not only because you can create music using your phone, but also because the application allows the user to connect and play music with people all over the world.

Smule, the company that developed Ocarina, has also developed a number of other iPhone Aps such as Zephyr, a drawing tool that allow users to send animated drawings to people, and Sonic Lighter, Sonic Voice and Sonic Boom that are also great interactive games that would be wonderful to have on hand at the next rock concert you attend! Find out more on the Smule website:

http://www.smule.com/

ePortfolio Research

2009-01-16T16:56:00.000-08:00

ePortfolios are a wonderful tool that can be an excellent form of reflection for students and faculty. While there exist a number of debates on the decision to incorporate ePortfolios as a staple of the undergraduate curriculum at Saint Mary's College, the potential benefits for reflection and academic growth should not be dismissed. There are a number of programs at SMC that have voluntarily chosen to utilize ePortfolio systems. This article will give you an overview of what students and faculty are doing in relation to ePortfolios and point to some of the existing research developed by other academic institutions.

According to Carl Thelen, the Director of Web and Instructional Technology at Saint Mary's, they fall into two broad categories, each with several variants. The categories are delineated by who needs them (students or the institution), and the variants by their purposes. Note that Faculty are not often the people who “need” them directly. The different types are in no way mutually exclusive, though there are few systems that implement all the features needed for all uses. Most focus on the student side.

The categories are Student portfolios, and Assessment Portfolios. Student portfolios are for the benefit of students and assessment portfolios are mainly for the college and program improvement.

Student Portfolios:

Learning Portfolios – A place for a student to keep digital artifacts during College.

Reflection Portfolios – Like Developmental Portfolios, but include a reflection feature.

Showcase Portfolios - Show the best work a student has accomplished and includes the ability to pick and choose artifacts. Also includes a resume. If this type of portfolio is hosted at the College, having it on file at SMC is a way that alumni will (presumably) be inspired to keep in touch with us.... and be more likely to donate money.

Assessment Portfolios: demonstrate student competence and skill for well-defined areas. These may be end-of-course or program assessments primarily for evaluating student performance. The primary purpose is to evaluate student competency as defined by program standards and outcomes.

Department Portfolios – What a given department or program uses to assess the success of their educational goals. For example, Liberal and Civic Studies uses paper portfolios to assess their success.

Institutional Portfolios – what the College uses to assess the success of learning goals.
External Portfolios – What external entities use to evaluate the College’s success. These include WASC and state teacher accreditation, which in our case is PACT.

Developmental Portfolios: demonstrate the advancement and development of student skills over a period of time. Developmental portfolios are considered works-in-progress and include both self-assessment and reflection/feedback elements. The primary purpose is to provide communication between students and faculty.

Showcase Portfolios: demonstrate exemplary work and student skills. This type of portfolio is created at the end of a program to highlight the quality of student work. Students typically show this portfolio to potential employers to gain employment at the end of a degree program.

e-Portfolio's in Higher Education Research

Inter/National Coalition For Electronic Portfolio Research
http://www.epacinternational.org/

Electronic Portfolios 2.0 (A paperback book with research based on 20 different academic institutions)
http://www.styluspub.com/books/BookDetail.aspx?productID=183392

Academic Impressions
https://www.academicimpressions.com/web_conferences/0309-course-portfolios.php

Links to Portfolio Examples and SMC portfolio Mock-ups

San Francisco State ePortfolio Project
http://eportfolio.sfsu.edu/projects.php

Developmental, Assessment, Showcase
http://academic.regis.edu/LAAP/eportfolio/basics_types.htm

Campus Pack Expo LX portfolios

Free Webs Portfolios

CF Keep portfolios
http://gallery.carnegiefoundation.org/index.php?area=humanities

TaskStream Portfolios

Acrobat 9 Professional
http://electronicportfolios.org/categories.html

Wiki Spaces Electronic Portfolio
http://eportfolios.wikispaces.com/how-to

e-Portfolio Basics: What to include in an e-portfolio?

A portfolio may include the following elements:

* Student Information: name, contact information, major, graduation date, etc.
* Table of Contents: or various way to display links to contents of the portfolio
* Learner Goals
* Curricular standards and/or criteria: used to align the contents of the portfolio to institutional, departmental or course curriculum (often accomplished by rubrics)
* Rubrics: can be used to assess student work. A rubric is a criteria-rating scale, which provides the instructor with a tool to track student performance. They also inform students of the course/departmental/institutional expectations.
* Guidelines: used to select appropriate artifacts to keep the collection from growing haphazardly
* Artifacts: examples of student work including documents, images, video, audio, etc. (can be chosen by student, instructor or both)
* Instructor feedback
* Self-reflection pieces: a portfolio without reflections is just a multimedia presentation or an electronic resume

Mac World 2009

2009-01-09T15:57:00.000-08:00

The Mac World Conference at the Moscone Center in San Francisco took place this January 5th-9th despite the ominous tone reflected in the global economy for 2009. Reports from Apple representatives stated that this year's conference will be the last for Apple as they have record numbers attending the classes offered in-house at the Apple Retail Stores. In addition, Steve Jobs was not able to give his usual keynote speech because of illness so other Apple representatives fulfilled this ritual in his place.

In addition to a series of free lectures offered by Apple that showcased the new iWork and iLife 09' applications, there were also wonderful classes on digital imaging and music applications offered through Digital Media Academy and the John Lennon Bus tour. My favorite classes were on Final Cut Pro, the video editing software, however getting a seat for a computer for the hands-on portion was not an easy feat.

The conference attendees this year seemed primarily composed of media companies selling the hardware and software for the computer as a conduit for TV such as eyetv and Slingbox. These systems allow the user to connect a box to the computer that will not only serve as an antenna, but also serve as a Tivo like recorder where users can capture and even edit out commercials on TV shows if they so please. There were also a lot of computer and iPhone cases as well as a plethora of innovative iApplications for the iPhone.The iApps that caught my attention are the following: Zeptopad, a whiteboard using the touch feature of the iPhone to create visual messages that can be downloaded or sent directly to other iPhone users, Telegram by Polar Bear Farm, a voice messaging software that allows the user to record and send audio messages to groups or individual userswhich can be used for voice annotation of student work, iBlue Sky a mind mapping program, TruPhone a VoIP which offers free iPhone to iPhone calls and low international calling rates which work where there is poor Wi-Fi reception, Fuze a visual Hi-Definition meeting tool for the iPhone, Ocarina which turns your iPhone into a flute that can be played in concert with others across the globe, and Sonic Vox a toy that changes the sound of your voice.

Social Software Users Group Presentation on Video

2008-11-19T13:12:00.000-08:00

Here my presentation from the latest Social Software Technology Users Group meeting at Saint Mary's College. Take a look at some great web sites that offer resources for incorporating video into the classes you teach!

Adam Lucas and iClickers

2008-11-18T14:36:00.000-08:00

iClickers may seem like just another cool techno gadget being marketed to colleges by random companies who want to make a quick buck. Why would I want to take the time to restructure my instruction in order to use them? One professor, who has had no problems getting up and running and has had very positive results with them, is Saint Mary's Assistant Math Professor, Adam Lucas. Professor Lucas received a grant from the Carnegie Foundation to find ways of engaging undergraduates in the topic of Math. He chose to focus his research on iClickers and peer instruction as he believed in the power and effectiveness of this method. iClickers in conjunction with peer instruction have indeed proven to be an incredible tool for developing student confidence and enthusiasm in math instruction. As a result of his research and experimentation with different methodologies, iClickers teamed with peer instruction, have helped tremendously in facilitating the process of learning in the classes of Professor Lucas.

Like many professors at Saint Mary’s College, Adam teaches classes that range in number from five to thirty undergraduates and he has found iClickers to be effective for both small and large classes. Some students in his classes excel in math and others are notoriously confused. In addition to the inevitable gaps in understanding between students in a specific class, there are also students who tend to monopolize class time because they are perceived as “high status students” by others. These are the students who jump up to participate and always seems to have the right answers. And while their energy is great, invariably such students overtake the class and keep the students who are having difficulty from getting the attention and assistance they need to absorb the material, not to mention the times when they are actually off the mark and lead others in the wrong direction.

What to do? How can we reach the students that are afraid to speak up or ask questions for fear of looking bad in front of their classmates? One solution is collaboration. Students who work in groups not only master social skills that will help them to solve problems outside of math class, but also learn to communicate effectively using math vocabulary and language structures that carry over into other subject matter. In addition, the confidence that comes with helping other students may in turn help them become more comfortable with the uncertainty and risk necessary to shift deeply engrained misconceptions or faulty reasoning.

So this is great news, but how can I incorporate iClickers in an effective way in my own class? Well, here’s how Professor Lucas keeps students engaged and interested in the subject matter. First Professor Lucas will ask a series of questions and students answer individually. Then after projecting the results of all student answers on the board in graph form, students are asked to form small groups and justify the answer they chose. Next as a group the students decide on the best answer and vote again. Finally, the correct answer is projected onto the board. Many times answers change after the students work together in small groups. In addition to seeing how strong personalities can effect the answers people choose, students also learn to use the vocabulary of math to explain their answer. Each time they receive a correct answer they receive points ( both as an individual and as a group.). The points really motivate students to work together and find the correct answer. Creating a fun game-like atmosphere has helped many students who would otherwise loose interest or fall behind. The motivation factor is built into the lesson.

iClickers have been around for many years yet they are still not widely used perhaps because of the perceived difficulty in getting up and running with them. Hopefully, as a result of reading this article, we will see more of you willing to take a chance! iClickers are a fun way to reinforce learning and engage students who may otherwise not be able to concentrate and the end results are obvious.

Wikis For Collaboration - Social Software Technology User's Group

2008-11-18T14:31:00.000-08:00

Blackboard 8 Upgrade!

2008-10-27T12:50:00.000-07:00

Blackboard 8 is here! The Saint Mary's College campus will be making an upgrade to the new system this December 22nd, and there are training sessions available from Training Services. Check the training calendar for the time that works for you:

https://smcnet.stmarys-ca.edu/college_services/cats/help/training/courses/index.php

The new Blackboard 8 interface is much the same as the 7.3 version that we are now utilizing however there are upgrades to the grading system as well a new peer-review system. The Grade Center, formally known as the Gradebook, offers more functionality and operates more like an Excel spreadsheet. It is more flexible than the last version of Blackboard and you can add comments or send e-mails to your students directly within the new Grade Center. One of my favorite features of the Blackboard Grade Center is the early warning system. This feature was also available in 7.3 although not widely utilized. The Early Warning System allows faculty to set up various rules that will automatically send an e-mail warning to students who may fall beneath a certain grade point average in a specific course or fail to turn in a particular assignment on time.

In addition, there is a new Peer-review System in Blackboard 8. Now you can have students provide authentic assessment to their class members; a great benefit during collaborative projects or presentations. Students know that their postings will be read by the people in their class and that what they say can have a direct impact on the success of fellow students. I think that as people become more aware of this tool it will be more widely adopted. Let us know if you need help getting this feature to work for you.

Saint Mary's College and CaTS are on a mission to gain greater faculty participation with regards to our learning management system, Blackboard. In fact, a group has formed, called the "Blackboard Library Initiative", that seeks to inspire 100% on-line course presence. Professor Ed Tywoniak, in the Communications Department at SMC, takes this goal to the next level in saying that "not only do we strive for on-line course presence, we want to inspire 100% 'engagement' of faculty with Blackboard." Translation...we want to enhance face-to-face courses with the collaboration tools and on-line resources such as eRes to help maintain student involvement with course materials after class meetings on campus have been completed. For some this means posting complicated formulas for students to review on their own time, for others it means creating a class wiki or blog, uploading articles for students to read or posting links to websites that may offer fruitful research possibilities. There are many ways a Blackboard site can help with fostering greater levels of student engagement with course materials outside of class.

The reason behind the Blackboard Library Initiative are twofold. First of all, we need to be prepared in case of an emergency or other natural disasters should they arise. Lessons from Hurricane Katrina in 2005 demonstrated the importance of having a backup plan should a similar type of incident occur in California. We are in earthquake country; Let's face it, it is inevitable that at some point in the future, the Bay Area will experience another major earthquake. If we have the structure in place before such an incident occurs, we will be better prepared to continue classes via the internet. Providing such a back up plan means maintaining continuity for students who want to graduate on time, as well as a means for providing sustained revenue streams that the college desperately needs given the current financial climate.

We can maintain the essence of Lassalian teachings without sacrificing quality. The adoption of new technologies does not mean loosing the small liberal arts core that makes our campus unique. Technology, when used effectively, is a means for enhancing the traditions that SMC faculty and students appreciate while also helping to prepare students for a world that is more and more technologically advanced.

Technology Pilot Program at Saint Mary's College

2008-08-22T10:38:00.000-07:00

The Fall 2008 Tech Expo

2008-08-01T14:33:00.000-07:00

Tour of the Santa Clara University Library

2008-07-28T11:06:00.000-07:00

The Automated Retrieval System

Members of the Saint Mary's College library staff and CaTS visited the state of the art library at Santa Clara University as one potential model for a new library on our campus. Perhaps on of the best ways to gain insight into what kind of library would be the best for our campus is to take a look at what other campuses have done and how these spaces work for them.The Automated Retrieval System was my favorite feature from our tour of the new Santa Clara University Library last week. This system allows all library resources to be located in one place and changes the time necessary to retrieve a book that is not on the shelves from a ten day turn around into about 10 minutes. Not only is it a quick and efficient system, it is incredibly cool to watch! I felt like I was stepping into the Matrix....

My second favorite part of the library were the computer labs. There were two rooms full of state of the art technology that could be used as classrooms or as computer labs when no classes are scheduled. They have desks that can be moved into rows or grouped into pods fro group work. The desks have a space where the computer monitor can be lowered beneath the desk so that students can have a better view of the main instruction area.

Most students, staff and faculty have a vision of what we would like to see in a new library at Saint Mary's College. We have a vague idea of how we would like to feel in a new library space, and how we would like to use the new space. The core issue in regards to creating a new library here on campus seems to be, how we can create a library space that is vital and engaging but also reflects Saint Mary's culture? In addition to a need for greater space for books, there is also a great need for staff work areas, student group work spaces and public places to just chill and take a break after an arduous day. Many of us would also like to see more technology throughout the library, as well as a space to showcase films and student projects.

Our notion of what a library is has dramatically changed over the past few decades. The Internet and on-line information systems have literally transformed the way we do research and view information for academic purposes. The image of a library as a quiet place to study in silence alone, has shifted and our expectation of how a library should function has also changed. There have been on-going discussions at Saint Mary's about how we can update our campus library. Ideas about improving the library have ranged from a desire to provide greater resources and space for students to the creation of collaboration spaces and the incorporation of a cafe.

One thing we noticed on our visit was a great variety of collaborative spaces. There were four levels arranged according to how loud the space was intended to be. the bottom floor was created to be a more like a living room or social space with comfortable sofas and soft chairs and classical music. This area has a big open feel with large windows in the ceiling that allow light to flood in. People are talking on cell phones and working in groups, and some folks are just talking casually, not just studying. Glass windows separate this space from the higher levels of the library to cushion the noise.

On the next floor up there is the circulation desk and roving Tech Support Assistants. There are film viewing spaces and small collaborative rooms. The rooms are reserved with a swipe of a library card and students who enter the collaborative rooms have access to an entire white board wall for scribbling formulas or brain storms, a large screen monitor and data ports where multiple computers can be plugged in at the same time. The upper floors have conference rooms, a space for showcasing films and video conferencing as well as a room for special collections and an exhibit space for rare books. All in all a very impressive space that I hope we can use as inspiration for a new library here at Saint Mary's.

Bb World Conference 2008

2008-07-22T13:19:00.000-07:00

Bb World is a large conference that takes place every year and covers the latest and greatest tools and building blocks that can be used in conjunction with Blackboard, the learning management system we currently use at Saint Mary's College.

The keynote speaker of the Bb World Conference was Steve Wozniak, Apple guru and technology prankster. Mr. Wozniak related stories about his past excursions into the public education arena as a teacher and relived some of the lessons he learned while working for the Los Gatos Unified School District here in the Bay Area. "The most important thing in education is to provide high levels of motivation and to inspire intrinsic rather than external motivation." Wozniak said in his speech. He then went on to encourage voters to fund education and think about the consequences of not providing children with the education they need to succeed in life.

In addition, Mr. Wozniak spoke about his experiences with human computer interaction and commented that the intention of learning management systems such as Blackboard should never be to replace face to face teaching, rather it should augment it by enabling users to engage in alternative modes of learning. The latest release of Blackboard, Blackboard 8 will be available at Saint Mary's College this coming January. Project NG ("Next Generation") will also being to be available with the upgrade to Blackboard 8 and will include many features of web 2.0 such as greater levels of social networking and collaboration from within Blackboard. Blackboard will also be available inside the new iPhone and inside of Facebook. If you would like to see a showcase of these new features please check out the links below.

Blackboard 8 http://www.blackboard.com/release8/
Blackboard NG http://www.blackboard.com/projectng/

Lessons Learned from EduComm

2008-07-02T10:55:00.000-07:00

It seemed that all the sessions I attended at the EduComm conference this June, no matter the topic, led to extended conversations about video conferencing and distance learning. This made sense because EduComm was part of the larger multimedia focused InfoComm conference. Because of this the conference did bring to light the importance that educators become more aware of the following:

~ The "Video Game generation" is the currently the population in K-12 schools today.
~ That our world is in a state of economic and environmental distress and video
conferencing, tele-commuting and hybrid programs are the wave of the future.
~ That educational institutions should take action and make changes considering the current
and future student population of our schools and the world's economic and environmental
state.

Higher education professionals should consider the students. Students today are "digital natives". They have grown up with and are comfortable in a visually engaging, interactive, and on-demand environment from the comfort of wherever they are. To help these students achieve educational success, schools should shift delivery methods to meet their mindset. Shift towards bringing the world and experiences to them by video conferencing. Video conferencing brings the real world and real experiences into the classroom. For example, you have students who have never left the area they live in - video conferencing gives students an opportunity to visit other places and have experiences they would, otherwise, not have.

Consider the economy and environmental state of the world. We are all trying to pinch pennies and be "green" in areas we can. Schools can help towards this by offering more Distance Learning classes. Besides keeping the school competitive with other educational institutions, Distance Learning is a great investment because:
~ it allows the student to balance school along with the other priorities in his/her life
~ it saves travel expenses and fumes for both faculty and students
~ the university can increase enrollment without adding more physical classroom facilities

Educational institutions should stop thinking of Video Conferencing and Distance Learning as a "nice to have", but rather a "must have" in order to meet the needs of 21st century learners and educators.

by Rae Peralta

Campus Pack

2008-07-01T14:26:00.000-07:00

Campus Pack, a new Blackboard add-on, has been added to the features we currently offer to students and faculty at Saint Mary's College. This add on will enable users of our learning management system to seamlessly integrate new social networking tools such as blogging, podcasting and wiki's. Currently, we are looking for four or five Saint Mary's faculty to serve as techno-evangalist's and to pilot the new features Campus Pack offers. In return for your efforts, we will provide the technical and academic support you need to get up and running for Fall 2008. All we require from you is a brief report back on how students responded to using these new options within their courses and how useful you found the product in engaging students in your course materials outside of class.

To be a member of the pilot, please contact Carmel Crane, Instructional Technology Manager for CaTS at 925-631-8003. Consultations are available upon request and we are happy to provide ideas for the best ways to effectively incorporate the Campus Pack tools into your curriculum.

Social Networking and Education at EduComm

2008-07-01T12:29:00.000-07:00

I recently attended a presentation led by Sarah Intelligirl Robbins called, "A Futurists View of Second Life in Education ", at the EduComm Conference in Las Vegas. Sarah spoke about the future of education and how Second Life can be a useful addition to the traditional classroom. She also shared student's opinions regarding the potential conflict between self-driven social networking and institutional education. Here is a comment to one of her blog postings from Will Boyd, a Goddard College undergraduate.

"I think there are ways that traditional educational institutions can harness the power of collaboration and social learning to not only accommodate social learners, but to encourage and capitalize on the power of social learning. I hope academia stops seeing social technologies as threats and begins to realize the educational value of collaboration."

Second Life is a multi user virtual environment that is being used my many college campuses as a place where students can interact as a group on the Internet. You can learn about some of the various ways Second Life has been used for research in higher education here.

Teachscape is in Beta!

2008-06-12T14:43:00.000-07:00

Teachscape is an on-line learning system designed to provide coaching and instruction to new teachers and graduate students in education programs. There are a number of interesting tools available such as a video library and access to rubrics and teaching standards. Stanford University hosted an informational meeting for select colleges. The meeting covered an overview of the system and a discussion of the potential improvements that could be offered to accommodate the PACT program in education.

Check out the link and see what you think. The system is currently used by the Center for Urban Education in Chicago with great results, however it may not be ready to use by PACT programs until Spring 2009. Let us know if you are interested in learning more!

http://www.teachscape.com/html/ts/nps/index.html

Faculty Technology Boot Camp Summer 2008

2008-06-05T16:00:00.000-07:00

The first Faculty Technology Boot Camp at Saint Mary's College was help on June 2nd and 3rd and was a great success. There were 14 faculty members in attendance who were there to learn how technology can be incorporated into their curriculum in effective ways. The speakers were Adam Lucas on iClickers and Peer Instruction, Linda Herkenhoff on Vodcasting and Podcasting, Shawney Anderson on Instructional Blogging with students on the Fly in Louisana, and Maria Grazia, Using Multimedia in the Classroom. Other sessions included hands-on training with Picnik, iClickers, podcasting, video, Blackboard and Web 2.o.

Faculty were very enthusiastic about the program offerings and our intention is to offer these intensive trainings more often.

Digital Paper Cuts

2008-05-22T14:47:00.000-07:00

clipped from supercolossal.ch

Peer Instruction with iClickers

2008-04-24T14:27:00.000-07:00

iClickers may seem like just another cool techno gadget being marketed to colleges by random companies who want to make a quick buck but they can be used in ways that are changing the way classrooms work. Despite the fact that iClickers have been around for many years, they are still not widely used because of the perceived difficulty in getting up and running with them. Why would I want to take the time to restructure my instruction in order to use them?

One professor who has had very positive results and virtually no problems getting up and running, is Saint Mary's College math professor, Adam Lucas. Professor Lucas received a grant from the Carnegie Foundation while conducting research on student learning. He was interested in finding new ways of engaging undergraduate students in the topic of Math and chose to focus his research on iClickers and peer instruction. Peer instruction is one of the most powerful and effective pedagogical tools for developing student confidence and enthusiasm, and iClickers have helped tremendously in facilitating this process in Adam’s classes. How can students complain about math when it is incorporated into a game, a social network and a system for developing leadership all rolled into one?

So what's so different about a class that is developed using peer instruction? What does it look like in terms of class activities and what replaces the information exchange that would normally take place during a more traditional lecture format? Let's take a look at one of Adam's classes:

Like many professors at Saint Mary’s College, Adam teaches classes that range in number from five to thirty undergraduates. Adam has found iClickers to be effective for both small and large classes. Traditionally, some students in Adam’s classes excel in math and others are notoriously confused. In addition to the inevitable gaps in understanding between students in any given class, there are also students who rule the class because they are perceived as “high status students” by others. These are the students who jump up to participate and always seems to have the right answers. And while their energy is great, invariably such students overtake the class and keep the students who are having difficulty from getting the attention and assistance they need to absorb the material, not to mention the times when the high status students are actually off the mark and lead others in the wrong direction.

What to do? How can we reach the students that are afraid to speak up or ask questions for fear of looking bad in front of their classmates? One solution is collaboration. Students who work in groups not only master social skills that will help them to solve problems outside of math class, but also learn to communicate effectively using math vocabulary and language structures that carry over into other subject matter. In addition, the confidence that develops from helping other students may in turn help them become more comfortable with the uncertainty and risk necessary to shift deeply ingrained misconceptions or faulty reasoning.

So this is great news, but how can I incorporate iClickers in an effective way in my own class? Well, here’s how Adam does it. First
Then
Finally.