Blairframe's List: Rob - ResponseWare

• Ask the Audience

• In a review of a number of applications (Draper 1998), I argued that most applications showed no significant improvements over what they replaced, but that the few striking positive exceptions were characterised by "niche-based design": by a good fit between a particular learning situation and a specific technical solution. They were projects that had been inspired by identifying a specific weakness in current delivery, and had focussed technology on solving that problem rather than on replacing what had been adequately done before. Can the use of the classroom equipment described above meet the implied standard of justification?

  • Good quote:
    
    Does the use of ResponseWare enhance the learning in anyway, or is it just a means for the transfer of knowledge to take place?
• In considering large classes in large lecture theatres, the main problem is usually analysed as to do with the lack of interaction and the consequent extreme passivity imposed on the audience. In terms of Laurillard's model of the learning and teaching process (Laurillard, 1993, p.103), this situation fails to support the iterative interaction between learner and teacher that is one of her underlying principles, and more specifically does not support even activity 2: the "re-expression" by the learner of what the teacher has expressed. (This can be seen as corresponding to the constructivist requirement that learners acquire knowledge by rebuilding it on their own personal, mental foundations. Redescribing it in their own terms is an activity that powerfully promotes this.)

  • Does ResponseWare allow students to reconstruct knowledge given to fit their own understanding? They are asked to respond to set questions with primarly multiple choice answers?
    
    Does the students reconstruction of knowledge occur because of the ResponseWare System or would it happen anyway without the use of it?
    
    Is their the opportunity for students to gain understanding during the EVS process?
• That, then, is the diagnosis offered here of the chief weakness of lecturing to large groups. The handsets and associated equipment offer a way of tackling that weakness by (a) allowing each learner independently to generate an answer (at least a partial instantiation of activity 2), whereas otherwise only the handful who put their hands up really do this; and (b) to register that answer and so maintain the motivation for doing it; and in so doing (c) to affect the course of what happens next.

  • ResponseWare can work in small and large groups as it allows for all students to have a voice.

1 more annotation...

• The use of a student response system can positively impact students' short-term learning; however, that positive effect did not appear to last over time. Faculty members may want to consider the use of student response systems to enhance student learning in large lecture classes

  • Had an impact on short term learning but the effect didnt last over time

• • Student quote about being able to engage with a lecturer when in a large class of students
    
    "I think it’s really helpful in the class because people weren’t getting engagement in the lecture, and
    they like to really listen to the lecturer and if they have any questions, it’s like if you have a really
    large auditorium with a lot of students, you might not get a chance to ask a question. So with this
    way you can probably ask a question and get like directly engaged with the lecturer. So I reckon
    it’s really helpful"
• • Student Quote about Anonymity
    
    "Because I know some students sometimes feel intimidated in lectures and tutorials and might
    not put their hand up whereas it if was one-on-one, they would [...] it’s pretty
    anonymous, it’s not like your name comes up saying you answered this and if you got it wrong,
    nothing is going to happen"
• • Students felt the novelty wore off when it was used to much - Considerations on how often and when to use the technology need to be made.
    
    "if it was overused in the lecture, that would get tedious for me, like six or seven times in a lecture
    might be pushing it a bit. And then it can be pretty time consuming and that can lead to not getting
    through all the slides. But there’s not usually that many questions in a lecture anyway""
• • Overuse of the technology would reduce its attraction and detract from the overall learning experience - paraphrased quote - page 436

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• Analysis of the different conditions of voting over all threestudies reveals no negative effects of voting anonymouslyrather than in public and many positive ones. Thus, thequantitative measures collected during the experiments accordwith the focus group interviews conducted prior to the studiesand with the other findings in the educational literature(Chester & Gwynne, 1998; Draper & Brown, 2004).Compared to voting privately, which shares the same lack of accountability, revealing votes is typically seen as a stimulusfor debate as knowing others’ positions helps clarify and directfocused discussion (Nunamaker et al., 1996)

  • No negative effectives of voting anonymously - Also voting privately (no one sees anyones responses) has a negative impact as seeing others peoples views stimulates debate
    
    Chester, A., & Gwynne, G. (1998). Online teaching: encouraging collaborationthrough anonymity.
    Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 4
    (2),1-9
    
    Draper, S. W., & Brown, M. I. (2004). Increasing interactivity in lectures usingan electronic voting system.
    Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 20
    (2), 81-94
    
    Nunamaker, J. F., Briggs, R. O., Mittleman, D. D., Vogel, D. R., &Balthazard, P. A. (1996). Lessons from a dozen years of group supportsystems research: a discussion of lab and field findings.
    Journal of  Management Information Systems, 13
    (3), 163-207

• Student users claim to love the tools, and instructors say they hold students’ attention, improve their retention of information, and make teaching easier

  • Some instructors think BYOD devices in the classroom increase retention and attention
• The tools are especially transformative for huge lectures, where hundreds of students can now interact with the instructor and each other in real time.

  • another quote about giving a voice to every student - allowing ever student in a large lecture group the chance to engage with their lecturer
• Clickers served a purpose in the days before 100 percent of college students carried web-enabled portable devices and every room on campus had wifi access. But now “bring your own device” tools like Top Hat Monocle are poised to displace clickers.

  • Assumption here made that all students have access to smartphones which can be turned into clickers with the use of an app (in this case Top Hat Monocle which is the same as ResponseWare).
• BYOD-based tools are more cost effective than purchasing hardware for every student. A student is less likely to misplace or forget their cell phone than a clicker

  • Cost effective assumption made: Because Mobile phones are a personal item students are more likely to take better care of them than an additional piece of technology that has just one purpose.
• “If the student’s only job is to show up and take notes, they have a lot of mental bandwidth left to check Facebook or read ESPN. Instructors report that students get distracted less if they’re doing something active and on-topic in class—it converts the devices from distractions to productive learning tools.”

  • Good Quote - If students are engaged using their own devices in the classroom they are less likely to use them reading Facebook.
• “Learning experiences outside the classroom were getting better, but going into a classroom was like going back in time,”

  • Mike Silagadze Quote - Basically saying that technology is advancing outside the classroom so why are students expected to shed technology as soon as they enter the classroom?

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• The good news is that ResponseWare complements the existing equipment and works in parallel with it or on it’s own. This means that 200 students in the room can be using a web-enabled device, and 100 students can use the existing Turningpoint handsets.

  • ResponseWare can be used at the same time by BYOD devices as well as Clickers - So everyone can be included.
• The licence fee does seem steep, and we chose to go this route we’d need to make sure there was sufficient demand. In addition we would still always need some physical handsets/dongles, and if demand was increasing we would probably also need to have more handsets/dongles.

  • $15 dollars a year for 1 license - The App is free to download for students but is useless without ha license to go with it.
    
    Cost effectiveness.
    
    Their are cheaper alternatives

• Students also dislike having to purchase multiple clickers based on the model a particular instructor chooses to use in a given class. At the end of the day, students want instructors to embrace technology innovations in their classrooms – especially solutions that leverage smart devices and provide flexible course participation.

  • If Lecturers use different systems in their lessons it requires either students or the university to purchase and maintain different devices to engage within that lesson.
    
    If BYOD is used students need only one device which they probably carry with them every day anyway (i.e. their phone).
• Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) has forever changed higher education. Most college students carry one or more mobile devices with them to class, whether it is a tablet, laptop, or smartphone.  According to the Educause Center for Applied Research, almost 9 out of every 10 students own a laptop, and the ownership rates of technological devices among students continue to increase. BYOD has forced student response systems into the digital age where cloud-based platforms are rapidly becoming the new standard. Cloud-based student response systems provide a simpler, more effective way to engage students through the mobile devices they use every day.

  • Quote about device ownership
• Professors using student response systems on mobile devices can create and share a wide range of assessments both synchronous and asynchronous across sections such as live in-class polling, quizzes, homework, free form text responses, image displays, and much more.  Another very important differentiator is the student’s ability to review their responses to study for higher stakes tests.

  • Mobile devices allow for SRS to be used outside of the classroom as well (synchronous and asynchronous) - as well as free form text responses

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• • BYOD = Bring Your Own Device
    
    This is the solution and method used by the Lecturer who used ResponseWare where I work Rob.
    
    It removes the need for clickers!
• we need to ask more of our students during class than merely taking notes if we want to keep them from wandering off to Facebook or ESPN or shoe shopping

  • Good quote - students have to have high standards expected of them when they are learning. In essence they have to work hard for their degree!
• That first point of mine, that students who are just taking notes during class are prone to digital distraction, has gotten some pushback from time to time. I’ve had people point out that the distractions available online are significantly more… distracting than the newspapers and crossword puzzles that caught students’ eyes in the past. How can professors compete with live sporting events available on a student’s iPad? Or the constant stream of updates from Facebook or Twitter? I’ve also had people argue that notetaking shouldn’t be something that students can do with half their brains tied behind their backs, that notetaking is an active sense-making process that should engage a student’s full attention.

  • Push back against students own devices in the classroom instead of say clickers used with EVS/SRS/Polling tools.
    
    Bruff argues that note taking means students arent really engaging just mindlessly taking down info they perceive to be important. However others think that students having devices that stream content non stop are the main cause of loss of concentration

1 more annotation...

• 1. Engage  students in course material through  survey, pretest, practice, or review questions.  The resultant interactive classroom encourages  students to come to class prepared. However,  to achieve this interaction and maintain  learners' attention, your questions must  be challenging, thought provoking, and/or  stimulating.

   

  2. Promote  collaboration with group exercises  that require students to discuss and come  to a consensus, or with quiz questions that  create a healthy competition.

   

  3. Provide  instant feedback to students regarding  an issue, question, or calculation. Consider  using Gagne's  learning theory, which incorporates guidance,  practice, and feedback into structured lessons.

   

  4. Increase  communication by discussing the  answers and opinions revealed in the SRS  results. The SRS provides all students with  an equal opportunity to respond, and you  can take advantage of their responses to  generate dialogue. Because the system can  allow for anonymous responses, it is effective  for sensitive questions, such as ethical,  legal, and moral issues.

   

  5. Collect  data for research or formative/summative  evaluation. The SRS can be used for classroom  assessments to measure students' preparation,  understanding and/or satisfaction. Some instructors  administer pre- and post- tests.

  • 5 reasons why lecturers might use ResponseWare

• 1. Student  Activity
    Stimulate the active processing of data, information, ideas, viewpoints and  beliefs at the same time as the learning is taking place. The opportunity  for participation and contribution should be available equally to all students.

   

  2. Communication
    Create an environment in the classroom where differences in answers and opinions  as a group can be observed and discussed immediately upon tabulation  while keeping each student’s specific response anonymous.

   

  3. Learning  Desire and Commitment
    Provide students with frequent indicators of both individual and class learning  progress which include comparisons with peer groups, previous classes and  demographic subgroups - to encourage positive effects of self-assessment  and competition among students.

   

  4. Customized  Instruction
    Provide the means for both pre-planned questioning and ad-hoc questioning  including the opportunity for students themselves to initiate the solicitation  of class responses.

   

  5. Data  Collection
    Capture data on student responses divided into demographic categories to  facilitate course revisions, to provide input to students on demographic  positions, and to provide information for personnel research into critical  topic areas.

  • Expanded reasoning

• •  A supplied device: Some of the student response systems can use a proprietary device (e.g. Turning Point, Promethean). This has some advantages in that you can test the technology, you know that it works, you know that everyone will have one. In some cases, departments supply these on loan or the students buy them. In other cases, they are given out session by session.  There is a cost implication per device to this solution
   
  • BYOD (Bring your own device): Many students now own and carry a personal device. This could be a smartphone, a tablet or a laptop computer. The main consideration here is whether every student has one and which type they are using. Ideally, you would want to look for a solution which caters for all types of devices (iOS-Apple, Android and Windows). If a response system works through an Internet browser window then it can be used by all types of devices.

  • Some reasons for using either clickers or BYOD

• Gathering other assessment data, or the ability to use a variety of different questions types, is just not available using current clicker technology

  • Students own mobile devices have the advantage over clickers as they have keyboard features - which means the lecturer can design questions that are open to text input instead of just multiple choice answers
• Using BYOD student response systems is a logical next step for universities. These days, many students, faculty and staff members already arrive on campus with Internet connected gadgets. Using response system technology that provides a variety of question types, an opportunity to respond using many different types of devices, and advanced analytics to gauge student performance in real time will become a normal practice at universities in the future