5) PRO: Discount Clicker System
Even in college classrooms there are students who are afraid to be wrong or don’t want to look stupid.
These students usually don’t respond when the classroom is generally questioned. One solution to this problem is using clicker systems. These devices are similar to those used on game shows, allowing students to answer multiple choice questions anonymously (and more comfortably) while the professor gains instant feedback on student misconceptions and misunderstandings from displayed answer data.
Clicker systems are handy and I feel they make a class more fun and exciting.
Unfortunately, clicker systems and related software can be expensive. However, smart phones can now be utilized as clicker systems thanks to companies like Socrative and Poll Everywhere. These companies offer educators free basic packages to create clicker based questions that can be answered via smart phone texted responses. For a fee upgrades with additional bells and whistles are also available.
Given the increasing number of smart phones appearing in college classrooms it’s likely all students will have a smart phone that can also be used as a clicker in the near future.
I will warn you that text messaging costs could apply for some students without unlimited text plans this method so be precautious.
4) PRO: Still & Video Cameras
Students are quick to utilize the still camera and video camera on their phone for personal use, but are unaware these tools have variety of classroom uses (if permitted by professors).
Provided they have a professor’s permission, smart phones can be used to video-record lectures, photograph whiteboard notes, audio record quick reminders, photograph complicated drawings or equations, and film and photograph interesting things on field trips outside the classroom.
I used to have students sketch geologic features in notebooks during field trips and it would take five minutes; thanks to smart phone cameras a quality photo is now taken by students in less than five seconds.
I will add a disclaimer to this pro though. Professors should establish an acceptable smart phone use policy (preferably in writing or in their course syllabi) with students when allowing use of smart phones in this fashion. This is due to privacy issues and the fact that information provided by professors may be tied to sensitive or copyrighted research or business projects.
If you enjoyed this article and want to receive more valuable industry content like this, click here to sign up for our digital newsletters!
Leave a Reply