Click Class: iClickers in The Classroom by Adam Rattray

Do you want to further engage your students? Would you like to assess your students instantly in class? If so, the iClicker assisted learning environment may be for you and your classroom.

Goals

The iClicker-assisted learning model can help to accomplish the following goals:

1) Promote students to stay on task and fully engage in learning the related subject areas.

2) Get students’ immediate attention.

3) Encourage students to participate actively in discussions.

4) Give students instant feedback and help them identify areas that require improvement or review.

5) Create meaningful and entertaining interactions in class as well as a safe learning environment so that students feel comfortable to express their thoughts and share ideas with each other, especially on controversial or sensitive issues.

6) Use it as an assessment tool for teachers to check students’ understanding of a specific subject area or a concept, to evaluate their mastery of content and to self-reflect on the effectiveness of the teaching strategies and lesson plans.

What is iClicker?

iClicker is a course response system. It allows for instantaneous assessment of students in class. Each student has a remote in which they are able to give their answers to poll questions. The data from the whole class is then received by a receiver connected by USB to your computer.

Ease of Use and Reliability

The small iClicker interface floats above any software giving it the ability to be combined with powerpoint presentations or any other software. Data from the iClicker grades book that was gathered from a session can be easily imported into a Learning Management System (LMS) such as moodle, vista, or desire 2 learn. Moreover, the iClicker software takes a screen shot whenever the program is enabled. This then allows for review later when the session is complete.

Costs

iClicker requires a substantial investment. A set of 30 remotes can cost about $1000 US. The iClicker technology is simple, but currently there are no competitors offering the same level of quality which would help to lower prices.

Interactivity

Ideally each student has a remote which allows them a greater avenue for in class participation. Plus students are able to get instant feedback on their answers and see which answers their classmates selected (if this option is selected by the instructor). In classes of 30 students or more, this will help give teachers a better idea of how each and every student is progressing.

Novelty

The introduction of iClickers into the classroom could prove to be a fresh idea. Simply by having something new in the classroom will help to motivate. This generation can also relate more to the use of remotes in the classroom. They use remotes to play games, watch TV, and communicate why not use it in the classroom?

Conclusion

In order to support students and engage them actively in learning, we should move from a teacher-centered classroom model to a student-centered or student–oriented classroom. That is to place the focus on students and challenge them to think critically with different layers. In this case, students take the responsibility of their own learning, which follows the constructivist learning model. An ideal constructivist learning environment provides affordances that promotes learners to establish constructive engagement and achieve meaningful learning goals. In this way, the iClicker system may be a step towards giving students a sense of ownership of their classroom and their education.