Date post: | 15-Jul-2015 |
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Education |
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Nancy R. Glassman (2015) Texting During Class: Audience
Response Systems, Journal of Electronic Resources in Medical
Libraries, 12:1, 59-71
AN OVERVIEW OF
LET'S GO AND USE AUDIENCE RESPONSE SYSTEMS (ARS)
• Students often feel self-conscious or uncomfortable asking
and answering questions in class.
• This is now changing thanks to audience (classroom)
response systems (ARS), which allow participants to reply to
instructors questions with their mobile devises.
• ARS make it easy for presenters to get immediate feedback
from students who have the ability to respond anonymously.
LET'S GO AND USE AUDIENCE RESPONSE SYSTEMS (ARS)
• The current interest in ARS arose from the need for instructors to find
new ways to engage students. Lecturing is not always the most
effective way to share information or impart new skills.
• Librarians can use ARS to make the best use of limited class time by
getting immediate feedback from participants during the sessions and
adjusting the pace and content of training accordingly.
• ARS is not a new technology. It has been around since the 1990’s.
CLICKERS
Clickers are small hand held devices that resemble remote
controls used by the audience to give feedback to a presenter.
Advantages1. Internet access is not
required.
2. Clickers serve only for one function, so they create less of a distraction to students than other types of devices.
Disadvantages1. Old versions had just
a few buttons and could only accommodate multiple choice or true/false.
2. If the class has to relocate to another location, the receiver must to be moved.
3. They aren’t cheap.
CLICKERS
WEB-BASED AUDIENCE RESPONSE SYSTEMS
• No special equipment is required, only mobile devises or
computers and Internet access.
• In the last Horitzon 2014 report explains that this systems
have become so popular, because Web-based ARS allow
participants to respond to questions using features of their
device with which they are already familiar.
• There are a number of systems on the market, four that offer
free versions.
DISTANCE LEARNING
• Feedback from participants is particularly useful for distance
learning.
• Some web conferencing programs provide mobile apps and
include polling features, such as:
• Adobe Connect
• Webex
• GoToMeeting
• Web-based ARS can also be used during webinars if the
presenter is sharing his or her PowerPoint presentation or
web browser.
TIPS AND TRICKS
• The best way to deal with uncertainties of using new technologies in
the classroom is to practice, practice, practice – in both the role of
presenter and student.
• Spend a few minutes at the beginning of the session demonstrating
how to respond to questions, perhaps with a “pretest” or practice
question.
• Have a few tablets or laptops on hand for students who do not have
mobile devices.
• It is important to have an objective for the use of ARS.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Using ARS during training sessions might yield unexpected
benefits. Other faculty or staff might take notice, and recognize
the librarian as a leader in educational technology.
IN CONCLUSION...