Time Saver: Clicker Systems

A mastered technology tool should not cause you more time, but instead, should save you time! Clicker systems, such as Turning Point, are a great example.  

Clicker systems allow students to do formative assessments and interject opinions or conclusions that are instantly recorded and scored.  No more hours grading papers, no more STACKS AND STACKS of papers, and immediate reports to send home with students. Reports that the clicker systems generate can be based on whole class scores, individual student scores, question analyses, and many more.  

Clickers offer students feedback on what they are learning, and offer teachers mid-lesson feedback on what students are grasping and what they need to revisit both individually and as a group.

Turning Point offers the unique ability to either pre-plan a response session (Turning Point 2010), or to use a "teachable moment"  (Turning Point Anywhere), giving the teacher flexibility.

Another perk of this particular system is that Turning Point 2010 is integrated with PowerPoint, which is generally familiar to most educators.  

Many clicker companies also have question banks that can be used to generate assessments.

Student Experts

Let's face it...even if you are an instructional tech or IT expert, you can't be troubleshooting two areas at once--and we all know that when it rains it pours some days!  Your best bet is to have student helpers, or experts in training!  Kids learn technology quickly, and if they don't know something, they will play around until they figure it out.  This is a trait that many adults have a difficult time with.  


Create a club, or at least a pair of students in your class or grade that show interest in technology that can be a teacher's back-up.  This is especially effective with teachers that are your least tech savvy.  These students, even at the elementary level, will help solve small dilemmas, like: how do I log in? Which browser do I use? Why won't this turn on?  etc...Recognize these students by making it their classroom responsibility, or a group students can join by choice.  


This builds confidence in students that may end up choosing a STEM career, and helps the technology staff prioritize and troubleshoot effectively.  Try it!

What can I use a blog for in my classroom?

·       Interactive games: DO NOT underestimate this!  Your students can “play games” while actually learning and reviewing content.  They love it, and it is educational!  There are thousands online.  Just search your grade, topic + the word interactive or game (i.e.: 5^th grade polygon interactive)

·       Reading Summary:

o   Tell about what you read last night

o   Tell about the main character of the book you are currently reading

o   How can you connect the book you are reading to your life?

o   Book Sell: “Sell” your book to a friend—why should they read it?

o   Book review: write a book review of the book you just finished reading.  Was it what you expect? What could be better about it?

·       Reading Comprehension:

o   As a class, we just read _____________.  In your own words, write down the sequence of events.

o   Comprehension questions:  We just read chapter ___.  Do you agree or disagree with _______ on his/her decision to ______?  Why/why not?

o   Read the article on __________ website.  What was the main idea of this article?

o   Comprehension quiz questions

·       Writing/Conventions:

o   Map sentences, identify the parts of speech in a sentence—have the first student identify the parts of speech in your sentence, and then have them create their own for the next student.  Repeat the cycle.

o   Put up past student comments (anonymously!) to use for DOL

o   Writing journal prompt responses

o   Writing the intro or “hook” to a writing piece, and having classmates respond with compliments and suggestions

·       Math Equations and Problems:

o   Using the order of operations, how would you solve _________ ? List the steps you would take.

o   Have the first student answer a problem with certain criteria (two- digit multiplication, long division, adding and subtracting time, etc).  Then, have the student create a problem for the next student to answer, and repeat the cycle.

o    Giving real-life examples of math topics (i.e.: using add/subtract time to determine when my plane will arrive)

·       Science:

o   What steps would you take to make this experiment successful?

o   What questions do you have about ______?

o   When doing ___________ experiment, what procedures would you use to stay safe?

o   Define: ___________ , and then write a new, related word for your classmates to define.

o   Describe the water cycle in your own words.  Don’t forget to use your transitions!

·       Social Studies:

o   Respond to a debate: If you were alive during the 1700’s, would you be a loyalist or a patriot? Why?

o    Define: ___________ , and then write a new, related word for your classmates to define.

o   Write a short “diary entry” from the perspective of an important member of our history

o   What would our country be like without _____________?

·       Assessment:

o   Formative assessment: any of these posts can be used to gauge where your students are in terms of understanding.

o   Portfolio-type records: pull up your blog during ARCs, conferences, data team meetings, etc. to show student work.

**Remember—if you wait until after each student that you want to respond to a post has responded to moderate comments, then students will not be able to see one another’s comments.

ClassDojo

ClassDojo is an incredible, currently FREE real-time classroom management website that I am in love with!  It allows you to assign avatars (little pictures) to your students, and assign them positive and negative points based on your choice of criteria (i.e.: participation, act of kindness, disrespect, out of chair, etc).  Sounds (optional) are played when the teacher updates points during class.  


ClassDojo also allows for whole class and individual student reports to be printed/emailed.  This is great for whole-class motivation!


The reason I love it, though, is it saves teachers from having to interrupt the flow of the class by calling out students.  You are able to let students know you are aware of their behavior while multitasking.  For example, while you are working with a small guided reading group, you can update the points of students working independently without interrupting your group.


Finally, it is MOBILE!  You can update points from any device (phone, iPod, iPad, classroom computer, Smart-board, etc.)


I have been using the site for about a week now, and my students are still engaged.  It is a MUST SEE website for educators.  

Assessing Blog/App Use

The question that is always on an educator's mind is: how do we hold students accountable for this?  Blog activities and comments, and device app use are areas that are particularly difficult to assess.  


First, you should always have a few activities on your blog or device that will NOT be assessed-- at least not in terms of a grade for students. In order for students to feel that the technology is their own, and a safe place to learn and explore, they should have places to go where they will not be judged.  This can be in the form of educational games that reinforce content, opinion sharing about a class topic, opportunities to post photos, etc. 


Ways to assess app use or blog use:


1) Reflection: Have students, depending on their ability level and the topic, reflect on what they did on the app/blog.  Require them to state a new piece of knowledge they attained!


     Example: On the CNN Student News video podcast you watched today, the 2010 BP oil spill was discussed. What are your thoughts on the progress that has been made in the Gulf clean-up process?  


2) Rubric: Make a short, brief rubric for your more important posts that you want students to comment on (this most likely would be useful for blogs only).  See example in the image. Hint** -Rubistar!


3) Score Share: on games or activities that give scores, require students to write down and/or show you (or a teacher helper) their score on the activity.


4) Partner Share: think-pair-share just as you would on a classroom activity.  If you want record of this, have students write it down, or comment on the post it applies to.  


Additional Links: Bloom's Digital Taxonomy 

Thoughts on Digital Citizenship....Appropriate Consequences

What do most teachers do when a student does something inappropriate on a computer or device? ...scold the student and remove them from the situation.


In my opinion, that is the same is sending a student out into the hall with nothing to do.  I think we can do better!  


First of all, students NEED technology.  It will be an essential and integral part of their personal and professional lives.  Secondly, it is our job to TEACH students how to behave and be respectful with technology, just as it is in the classroom.


Unless the misconduct is severe, I urge teachers to try a different approach to managing technology behavior.


Try this instead:


-Have the student create a media presentation to give to younger students on anti-cyberbullying/digital citizenship....and have them actually present it!


-Have the student video a role-play/skit on appropriate internet behavior.


-Have the student "Google" himself/herself, and describe to them what may show up on their internet history for future employers.  Share with them news stories of people who lost jobs due to internet behavior.


-For students who mistreat devices, have them spend some time cleaning and caring for the equipment...i.e., wiping screens, adding plastic shields or covers, virus protection, etc. 

iPods in the Classroom

When thinking of using iPods (or any other handheld device!)--many questions arise.  


-Who pays for the Apps?  Do I use them for the whole class or in small groups?  Should the students share headphones?  Where do I find the best inexpensive Apps?  What if students try to get on something they shouldn't be on?  How do I hold students accountable?  Where in the WORLD did all that ear wax come from?  ...and many more!


My suggestion is to start off small.  Before using the device in your classroom, YOU need to use it first.  Download some free Apps, and begin your search for the Apps you want in your lessons.  Make sure you experience the App first!!  Many Apps seem educational, but really end up being simple, non-instructional games.  


Next, set some ground rules.  Make sure your students understand that using the device is a privilege not a guarantee.  Set your expectations high, and set clear consequences for misuse.  Try to think about the most effective way for students to understand digital citizenship...see my next post to hear more about this.


Think of how you want to assess students!  Holding them accountable keeps them focused, and less likely to stray from your instructions.  Think...reflections, rubrics, short formative assessments, partner-share, etc.


If you are apprehensive about using the devices in your classroom, start off with a small group of students.  For example, high school students can watch History Channel depictions of an event they are learning about in their history class, or elementary students can play Madlibs to learn parts of speech.  You will probably find that your students either already know how to use the device, and are a few steps ahead of you :)