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11/3/2011 By:
With all the talk about assessment these days, it’s even more important
for teachers to be able to know how their students are doing. Student
response systems, a.k.a. SRSs, are one way for this to become a reality.
These handheld devices, also called clickers—which enable students to
answer questions, take tests, vote, and more instantly—have quickly
become the technology teachers say they can’t work without.
eInstruction
www.einstruction.com
How long
has your
district
been using
SRSs?
About five years, says Christie Turbeville,
technology integration specialist at Bullitt
County Public Schools in Shepherdsville,
Kentucky. Today there are eInstruction CPS
systems throughout the district, particularly
in the elementary schools, which Turbeville
says have the greatest need for immediate
assessment and feedback.
Was it
easy for
teachers
to learn
to use
them?
“It was. There was a learning curve, and we did
a lot of training on how to use them and what
the benefits are. Once they were aware of how
it could be used, it took off like wildfire. They
wanted training, so we go to their classrooms
and model.”
Has it
changed
the way
your
district
approaches
assessment?
“It’s made our teachers’ jobs more efficient.
Paper and pencil required a constant back-andforth,
and they couldn’t use the information.
Now they see the assessment firsthand and
can go over mistakes immediately. They can
differentiate the instruction. Our teachers feel
that instruction is better because of these tools.”
What’s
best about
this SRS?
“What I like best is the immediate feedback
and common assessment. In the past, teachers
had no way to know if kids understood. These
clickers work with everything from Compass
Learning to BrainPOP to Study Island.”
What
would you
most like
to change
about it?
“I want to tell the company to stop updating
the software so much! We get the teachers used
to them and then take them away to update
software, and the teachers go crazy. If they could
do updates in the summer or on breaks, that
would be wonderful. Otherwise, we love them.”
Promethean
www.prometheanworld.com
How long
has your
district
been using
SRSs?
“We’ve had SRSs for about eight years and
Promethean ActivExpression for the past six,”
says Judy T. Christopher, a staff development
instructor at Henrico County Public Schools in
Henrico, Virginia. “We’re getting teachers to
use them to gauge their own instruction, figure
out how to cover material differently, and
reteach when necessary.”
Was it
easy for
teachers
to learn
to use
them?
“The original ones were harder, but the
Promethean ones work a lot better,”
Christopher says. “Teachers who are more
hesitant with technology or less apt to try it
need more hand-holding; the others really take
off. And the kids enjoy it.”
Has it
changed
the way
your
district
approaches
assessment?
“For those who are using them, it’s changed
tenfold. You know right on the spot; there’s no
going home, grading papers, and then seeing the
kids two days later. By getting real-time data,
our teachers are seeing improved test scores and
being more effective at pinpointing those who
need remediation or are ready to move on.”
What’s
best about
this SRS?
Christopher likes it that ActivExpression
permits text entry, which broadens results.
“Teachers aren’t limited to multiple-choice
questions. They can give open-ended
questions, which elicit more information. It’s
more elaborate than what you can do with
multiple choice.”
What
would you
most like
to change
about it?
“The couple of things I want—having an
unlimited amount of graphics that will feed into
the device and an equation editor—are things
the company is already working on. We always
want what we don’t have!”
Qwizdom
www.qwizdom.com
How long
has your
district
been using
SRSs?
“We’ve used SRSs for four years, but it’s our
second year with Qwizdom,” says Robin Huggins,
director of technology at Carmi-White County
Community Unit School District #5 in Carmi,
Illinois. “We have at least 32 full sets of Qwizdom
Audience Response Systems being used by third
graders and up, through high school.”
Was it
easy for
teachers
to learn
to use
them?
A Qwizdom employee did training on the first
day of school and in late October, Huggins
says, after teachers had the systems installed
and activated. “Teachers were able to apply
what they learned right away. At the district
level, implementation was easy as well.”
Has it
changed
the way
your
district
approaches
assessment?
“Yes. I’ve heard from several teachers that the
instant feedback, for formative assessment, is
excellent. If students aren’t getting something,
the teachers can postpone the test. The kids
love using the technology. It’s engaging, and
everyone loves the tactile, hands-on modality.”
What’s
best about
this SRS?
Huggins likes the company’s Premium Content
Licensing, which gives teachers access to online
material and assessments correlated to state
standards for $89 for a 12-month subscription.
“You can put in the exact standard and objective
and it brings up a lesson, or you can search
by grade level or content. If you know you’re
teaching a particular standard, you can get some
quick materials and premade lessons.”
What
would you
most like
to change
about it?
“The only thing missing, which other SRSs let
you do, is [the ability to] import ExamView,
which comes with several textbooks and
includes premade questions and answers.”
SMART
smarttech.com
How long
has your
district
been using
SRSs?
“We’ve had them for three years, starting with
a small number of teachers and systems,” says
Michelle Barber, instructional technologist
at Tomball Independent School District in
Tomball, Texas. “This summer we expanded to
more than 40 systems and did training.”
Was it
easy for
teachers
to learn
to use
them?
The first round of teachers learned to use the
SRSs on their own, according to Liz Grant,
instructional technologist for the district. “We
require teachers to attend an initial three-hour
training before using,” she says, “and we have
them use the SRS so they learn by doing.”
Has it
changed
the way
your
district
approaches
assessment?
Because of statewide changes, the district is
revamping assessment. The goal is for teachers
to use their SRSs with common assessments
throughout the year so they can assess their
results immediately. “Our goal for this year is
to get common assessments onto the response
systems and into SMART Notebook,” Barber says.
What’s
best about
this SRS?
“We didn’t want teachers to have to learn a
new program, and the SRSs integrate with
SMART Notebook, which lets teachers run
reports and analyze results,” Barber says. She
also appreciates that SMART Response can
time how quickly a student enters a response.
“With SMART Notebook software, teachers
can import questions from their textbooks or
ExamPro,” Grant says.
What
would you
most like
to change
about it?
“The cost,” Barber says. “SMART is good at
listening to teachers about what they want and
need and at making changes. But right now,
because of the economy, it is quite costly. We’d
have liked to have one set for every teacher,
but we can’t do that. We’ll have to share.”
More SRSs
Califone Got It! Student Response
System
www.califone.com
Dukane Convey Student Response
System
www.conveyclassrooms.com/student-response.html
i>clicker
www.iclicker.com
iRespond UltraLite, Lite, and Touch
www.irespond.com
MimioVote Assessment System
www.mimio.dymo.com
QOMO Audience Response System
www.qomo.com
Renaissance Learning 2Know!
www.renlearn.com
TurningPoint Student Response Solutions
www.turningtechnologies.com