Classroom Clickers and the Cost of Technology
Last spring I received an e-mail message from my university's Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching that read like an advertisement:
"If you are thinking of ordering personal response system units, or clickers, for your class next fall, be sure to attend the upcoming CELT session, Using TurningPoint Clickers to Engage Students in the Classroom."
Staff members at the center provide valuable services to evaluate and improve ...
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I can think of a number of situations where tabulating student feedback digitally would make sense (NewsTrust is such an example). But it would seem more appropriate to encourage students to use laptops rather than this antiquated technology. This is another case of education administrators falling behind the times and adopting the wrong technology and inappropriate methodology, rather than thoughtfully embracing some of the best new advances taking place every day on the Internet. For more ideas on how to do that, see the recent MacArthur study on the impact of digital technology on teen development (see related link).