Clickers: Fad or Fab?
Victoria Miller
Issue date: 2/4/10 Section: Campus News
Also, there is the fact that students can cheat using clickers.
Dylan Cooper, an atmospheric science sophomore from Shreveport took Atmospheric Science 101 last semester and is now enrolled in the 102 class, where the class used clickers.
"One of the only drawbacks is when students who don't come give their clicker to someone who does," he said. "They won't be counted absent."
Dr. Anne Case Hanks, who used clickers in two classes last semester, has faith in this new technology.
"I think last semester is a bad example [of clickers usefulness] because we didn't get the clickers until a month into the semester," she said. "I think they are a very good tool for teaching. This semester will be a better gauge of their usefulness."
Cooper said, "The biggest issue that I see with the clickers (based on last semester's class) is the stability of the technology itself. If they can iron out all the wrinkles in the system so it works consistently and doesn't freeze up the computer or tick off the instructor, the clickers can be a tremendous asset to what happens in the classroom."
But professors are not the only people on campus who are impressed with the new clicker technology. Atmospheric science freshmen Scott Simoneaux, from Rayne and Jeremey Katz, from Mandeville were favorable in their evaluation of their Atmospheric Science 101 class during the fall 2009 semester.
"I think they are the easiest way to test my knowledge to see if I need to do more studying on the subject," Simoneaux said. "I felt they were an asset to the class because one thing the clicker questions do is start a conversation going in class and that makes the class interesting. I really liked having the clickers because they are a way for us to learn in a different way instead of taking notes all of class all the time."
Katz has hope for the new technology, even though clickers have a few kinks to be worked out.
"[Clickers are a] great way for teachers to ask students questions or get attendance," he said. "[But] technology doesn't always work well. I found that the clickers, when working, often were great to have. I think that the clickers will be a great thing once all the bugs are worked out."
The new semester has just begun and students are meeting some professors for the first time. Some also are being introduced to clickers for the first time.
Accounting sophomore Fernando Cordova from Monroe is new to the clicker classroom. He is enrolled in Business Management 301 and has great expectations for the class and for the use of the new technology.
"I would hope that in-class student participation will become much easier with the clickers," Cordova said. "For those students who are reluctant to raise their hands and share their opinions or responses in front of their peers, they can now do so without fear and all with the touch of a button. The anticipation of answering questions during class could potentially help students stay engaged throughout the entire class, instead of staring aimlessly into space. The possibility of my teacher awarding us bonus points for answering questions correctly in class would also be pretty awesome."
Dylan Cooper, an atmospheric science sophomore from Shreveport took Atmospheric Science 101 last semester and is now enrolled in the 102 class, where the class used clickers.
"One of the only drawbacks is when students who don't come give their clicker to someone who does," he said. "They won't be counted absent."
Dr. Anne Case Hanks, who used clickers in two classes last semester, has faith in this new technology.
"I think last semester is a bad example [of clickers usefulness] because we didn't get the clickers until a month into the semester," she said. "I think they are a very good tool for teaching. This semester will be a better gauge of their usefulness."
Cooper said, "The biggest issue that I see with the clickers (based on last semester's class) is the stability of the technology itself. If they can iron out all the wrinkles in the system so it works consistently and doesn't freeze up the computer or tick off the instructor, the clickers can be a tremendous asset to what happens in the classroom."
But professors are not the only people on campus who are impressed with the new clicker technology. Atmospheric science freshmen Scott Simoneaux, from Rayne and Jeremey Katz, from Mandeville were favorable in their evaluation of their Atmospheric Science 101 class during the fall 2009 semester.
"I think they are the easiest way to test my knowledge to see if I need to do more studying on the subject," Simoneaux said. "I felt they were an asset to the class because one thing the clicker questions do is start a conversation going in class and that makes the class interesting. I really liked having the clickers because they are a way for us to learn in a different way instead of taking notes all of class all the time."
Katz has hope for the new technology, even though clickers have a few kinks to be worked out.
"[Clickers are a] great way for teachers to ask students questions or get attendance," he said. "[But] technology doesn't always work well. I found that the clickers, when working, often were great to have. I think that the clickers will be a great thing once all the bugs are worked out."
The new semester has just begun and students are meeting some professors for the first time. Some also are being introduced to clickers for the first time.
Accounting sophomore Fernando Cordova from Monroe is new to the clicker classroom. He is enrolled in Business Management 301 and has great expectations for the class and for the use of the new technology.
"I would hope that in-class student participation will become much easier with the clickers," Cordova said. "For those students who are reluctant to raise their hands and share their opinions or responses in front of their peers, they can now do so without fear and all with the touch of a button. The anticipation of answering questions during class could potentially help students stay engaged throughout the entire class, instead of staring aimlessly into space. The possibility of my teacher awarding us bonus points for answering questions correctly in class would also be pretty awesome."
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