Clickers

In this last semester here at UNI, I have had two professors ask my class if we have ever had a class that has 'clickers' in it. I have never been in a class with 'clickers'. I had no idea what they were either. So, I did a little research on what they were. It is a simple small hand held remote that allows students to respond to a teachers question by pressing button on the remote. It is kind of like the remote the audience uses on Who Wants to Be A Millionaire. This small device is a great way to see if the class understands what is going on during class. The teacher is able to ask a question pertaining to the material and with the connection of a USB port and radio waves, the students will submit their answers. I think these would be a great tool to have in every classroom. As stated in the article, it is an instant response for the students as well as the teacher. It also gets the entire class participating and staying on task. I would love to see classrooms where Clickers are used.

To read more about clickers in the classroom, Boston College Magazine has a great article!

Photo Cred: Lee Pellegrini

Ipods

As I was searching the internet about ways to bring the use of Ipod's into the classroom, I came across Judy Brown's blog. Judy has been involved with technology for learning for over 25 years. One of her entries was bringing the use of Ipod's into the classroom.
In her entry, you are able to click on the picture and it brings up what Ipod is best for your classroom and the way that you can use each Ipod for different things. Some Ipods are used for songs, or podcasts, videos, and even actual books. Although not all students may have an Ipod that they could bring to class many students would. The schools may face a problem of being able to buy extra Ipods, but if they were able to afford it, they would be able to use them quite a bit. If students had trouble reading, they would be able to listen to the book being read to them on the Ipod. Students would also be able to download the podcast from that days lesson to listen to on their Ipod.

Many colleges in Iowa are starting to use Ipod's in their classes. Teachers are recording their lectures for the day and students are able to listen to it if they missed the class. Two colleges that are doing this in Iowa right now are Ellsworth Community College and Marshalltown Community College. They are using this in hopes that students will take advantage of it and use the podcasts to help them study for tests. This is a great link to read more about it! ---> iLearn with the Ipod in Iowa







photo cred: tonystl flickr

Ten Tips

The below video is a great helpful video with ten tips of how to use technology more efficiently in the classroom. Many of these tips were mentioned throughout the semester I spent in Educational Technology and Design. Three of the ten that I think are great ways to incorporate technology are the following:

Podcast because it is a great way for students to go back and listen to something during the lecture that they might not have caught the first time around. it is not always easy to keep up with notes while trying to listen to the instructor. if the students have the capability of going back and listening again to important parts of the lecture, the more likely they are to learn better. It is also great for students who may miss the day in class. They would not have to worry about being behind the rest of the class, they would just listen to the podcast and catch up.

Blog because as the video says, it is a great place to put your students progress. If the students are making videos for something in class, put them on the blog and share with their parents and the rest of the world. it is a great way to track progress throughout a unit or even the year. The students and parents would always be able to check it, even after they are out of the class.

Social Networking because it is a great way to stay connected. Although Facebook is looked down upon on in schools, by creating a group that only your students may join, is a great tool. Groups on Facebook have sections for pictures and discussions. Students would be able to share interesting pictures about the subject and start different discussions on the boards. This would also be a great way for students who may have missed a class to catch up.

Cell Phones = A distraction

As I was home over Easter break last week, I noticed how many young children have cell phones. I could not comprehend what a ten-year-old would need a cell phone for. They should not be going places that their parents don't know, so they shouldn't need to 'check in' with their parents. They should always be with a parent or guardian so they should not have to call their parents when they need a ride from the movies or the mall. I found an article on msnbc.com from 2004 that stated in 2000 only 5% of 13 to 17 year old had a cell phone. That number jumped to 56% in 2004. In today's world, about 22% of 6 to 9 year olds have a cell phone, 60% of 10 to 14 year olds have them and 84% of 15 to 18 year olds own cell phones. I find these numbers incredibly high. I am not sure these numbers are great for schools. Students at the age of 6 do not need to worry about whether or not they have a new text message during the day, they need to worry about learning the English language and what 5 + 8 equals. I think cell phones in elementary school would be nothing but trouble. Although they could have some potential in being helpful, children that age are not mature and responsible enough for things like that. In middle school and high school, cell phones could possibly be used for (if they have Internet) research and finding answers during the class. However, not everyone has cell phones with Internet and no cell phone has JUST Internet. Cell phones are just a huge distraction for schools...at any age.

image source msnbc.com author of New York Times