Student+Response+Systems

Student Response Systems []

Advances in technology have transformed both students and their learning environments. The technological environment in which 21st-century learners have grown accustomed to means that their aptitudes, expectations, and learning styles are very different from those of their teachers (Oblinger & Oblinger, 2005). In order to meet the learning styles of 21st-century learners, educators will need to shift from traditional lecture-based teaching to a teaching style that creates learning environments where students interact with the material, the instructor, and their peers (Oblinger & Oblinger, 2005). Student Response System (SRS) technology is one of the many tools available to help instructors create a rich and productive learning environment even within the framework of a traditional lecture-based lesson.

A Student Response System (SRS) is a wireless response system that allows educators to request information and for students to respond by using a "clicker" or hand-held response pad to send his or her information to a receiver (Oblinger & Oblinger, 2005). When presented with a question, the student presses a button on a hand-held response pad or clicker, which sends either an infrared or radio signal to a receiver attached to a computer. The computer records and/or displays the response per the instructor's preference.

When used in classrooms, student response systems have many other names, including classroom response systems and classroom polling systems. When used online, an SRS might be called a survey, poll, or online quiz. The 'technology' itself can be as simple as a show of hands (everyone can see everyone as they vote) or colored cards (hard for students to see the votes of other students without turning around) or with electronic technologies such as a SRS or more general purpose hardware such as a PDA or cell phone. An example of cell phone use for student response: the " [|Poll Everywhere System] ." Most student response systems incorporate three basic components: 1) student input devices, 2) operating system software on the instructor’s classroom computer, and 3) a classroom overhead projection system to display the questions asked and the distribution of student responses. The SRS that were reviewed for this paper and their specifications are listed in the Table 1 below.

A–J Numbers 0–9 Texting (A–Z) True/False Yes/No Question (?) +/–/Shift/Space || Buttons include: A-J Numbers 0-9 True/False Yes/No || Buttons include: A-H Left/Right navigation || Buttons include: 1/A - 10/J Channel Question (?) || Buttons include: Touchscreen display || N/A //*Student uses a PDA or cell phone to access // || //SMART Technologies // || **Qwizdom Q4 ** //Qwizdom Inc. // || **CPS-IR ** //eInstruction // || **ResponseCard ** //Turning Technologies // || **iPod Touch ** <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 10pt; text-align: center;">//<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 10pt;">Apple // || **__<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 10pt;">Polleverywhere __****__<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 10pt;">.com __** || 100 feet || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 10pt;"> 100 feet || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 10pt;"> 50 feet || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 10pt;"> 200 feet || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 10pt;"> Wi-Fi Network || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 10pt;"> N/A || YES || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 10pt;"> YES || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 10pt;"> YES || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 10pt;"> YES || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 10pt;"> YES || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 10pt;"> NO || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;"> There are issues to be aware of when considering purchasing a SRS. The biggest concern for most educators is classroom sets can range from free internet applications to thousands of dollars. Replacement costs for broken clickers should also be factored into decision making. As such, educators must be convinced that the cost is worth the benefit.
 * |||||||||||| **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Table 1: Student Response System Brands and Specifications ** ||
 * ^  ||= **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 10pt;">SMART Response PE ** ||= **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 10pt;">Qwizdom Q4 ** ||= **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 10pt;">CPS-IR ** ||= **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 10pt;">ResponseCard **
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 10pt;">RF LCD ** ||= **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 10pt;">iPod Touch ** ||= **__<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 10pt;">Polleverywhere __****__<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 10pt;">.com __** ||
 * **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 10pt;">Clicker **
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 10pt;">Features ** || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 10pt;">Buttons include:
 * **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Companies ** || **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 10pt;">SMART Response PE **
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 10pt;">RF LCD **
 * **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 10pt;">Clicker Dimensions ** || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 10pt;">5.7 cm × 14.2 cm × 2.8 cm || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 10pt;">12.5 cm x 5.5 cm x 3 cm || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 10pt;">11.5 cm x 2.7 cm x 2.5 cm || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 10pt;">3.3 cm x 2.1 cm x 0.3 cm || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 10pt;">4.3 cm x 2.4 cm x 0.33 cm || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 10pt;">N/A ||
 * **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 10pt;">Clicker Price ** || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 10pt;">$2,609 (32 class set) || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 10pt;">$2,260 (24 class set) || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 10pt;">$1,695 (32 class set) || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 10pt;">$1,400 (32 class set) || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 10pt;">$6,500 (32 class set) || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 10pt;">FREE ||
 * **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 10pt;">Clicker Durability ** || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 10pt;">Clicker appears to be more durable || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 10pt;">Clicker appears to be more durable || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 10pt;">Clicker appears to be more durable || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 10pt;">Clickers appears to be somewhat fragile || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 10pt;">Clickers appears to be somewhat fragile || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 10pt;">N/A ||
 * **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 10pt;">Clicker Range ** || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 10pt;">
 * **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 10pt;">Software Included with Purchase ** || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 10pt;">
 * **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 10pt;">Computer System ** || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 10pt;">Windows or MAC || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 10pt;">Windows or MAC || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 10pt;">Windows or MAC || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 10pt;">Windows or MAC || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 10pt;">Windows or MAC || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 10pt;">Windows or MAC ||
 * **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 10pt;">Power ** || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 10pt;">Two AA batteries || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 10pt;">Two AA batteries || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 10pt;">Two AAA batteries || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 10pt;">3V Lithium batteries || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 10pt;">Built-in rechargeable lithium-ion battery || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 10pt;">N/A ||
 * **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 10pt;">Warranty ** || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 10pt;">2 year || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 10pt;">1 year || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 10pt;">5 year || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 10pt;">1 year || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 10pt;">1 year || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 10pt;">N/A ||

Overall, clickers offer a powerful and flexible tool for teaching. They can be used in a variety of subjects with students of almost any level of academic training. Based on school experimentation and findings described in this paper, interactive classrooms which use student response capabilities have been shown to improve the learning process.

Most seem to agree that education is the key to the future of our society. While technology has provided our society with vast improvements in quality of life and productivity during this century, the classroom has not yet been a prime benefactor of technical innovation and creativity. This paper suggests that SRS could enhance learning by supplying the teacher with relatively inexpensive pieces of technology.

<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center;">References <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Apple. Retrieved from: [] eInstruction. Retrieved from: [] <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Oblinger, D. G., & J. L. Oblinger. (2005). //Educating the Net Generation//. Retrieved from http:// <span style="color: windowtext; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; text-decoration: none; textunderline: none;">[|www.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/pub7101.pdf] <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Qwizdom. Retrieved from: [] SMART. Retrieved from: [] <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Turning Technologies. Retrieved from: []