Technology & Learning November 2007 - (Page 8) » Product Guide By Susan Bush and Susan McLester Clickers Rule! Rapid responders are the new classroom essential. alk the exhibit hall of any education technology conference today and you’re sure to see more rapid response systems than you can count. W Yes, “clickers” have caught fire in the education space as tools that truly enable interactive, personalized learning in both classroom and professional development settings. Clickers are individual handheld transmitters that collect learner input and pair with a host software system that electronically collects and tabulates that data for instant display on a computer monitor. For large group viewing, an LCD projector can be hooked up to the computer. Promethean’s Activote The three basic categories of clickers are Wi-Fi wireless, radio frequency, the effectiveness of instruction, faciliand infrared (see sidebar “Clicker tate self-paced testing, collect large Basics,” this page), with operating amounts of data on student perforsystems and feature options mance, and to generate varying. reports in a range of viewing Educators tout clickers options. For product for their ability to engage options, see Susan Bush is assistant editor whole classes of students via pages 10–11. of T&L. ongoing question and Susan McLester is editor in answer activities, collect chief of T&L. data in real time to assess Clicker Basics IR—infrared systems require an unobstructed line of sight between transmitter and receiver. The more receivers in use, the more potential for signal interference. Be sure to research the classroom infrastructure before purchase, as integrating IR hardware might face challenges. Receiver wiring is simpler in small rooms with existing conduit runs available. RF—radio frequency systems are not dependent on lineof-sight transmission, and single receivers may now work with more than 500 transmitters. Infrastructure issues are normally not major, and portable receiver units may be used. Be sure to check out nearby rooms and continue to monitor them for possible mutual frequency interference. Wi-Fi—wireless systems can include everything from student PDAs to laptops to tablets, with individual Web browsers interacting with the host hardware. Management software may reside on the instructor’s computer or a network server. Wi-Fi is a good choice if you’re looking for interoperability with Web-enabled cell phones down the line. 8 | www.techlearning.com http://www.techlearning.com
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