Learning Guide:Clickers

Description

Clickers or audience response systems are tools used to rapidly measure and analyze an audience's response to a poll.

At the University of Wyoming Extension, we primarily use Turning Technologies audience response systems. It is available for both PCs and Macs.

Audience response systems typically are software applications which capture responses from electronic devices. The ARS software will normally provide instructors with the ability to add special slides to PowerPoint. Depending on the vendor other options are available.

Here are the software downloads for both PC and Mac for Turning Technologies

Essential Requirements

The Turning Technologies clickers will work on a Mac or PC computer with a USB port. You must also have the Turning Technologies receiver and transmitters (clickers). TurningPoint response can also be capture from mobile devices and laptops with ResponseWare.

Software

Software for both Windows and the Mac can be found at the TurningPoint upgrade site.

Learning resources information

Reading List

Here are a number of articles and books worth reading on the use of clickers.

• Teaching with Classroom Response Systems: Creating Active Learning Environments
• Classroom Response System (“Clickers”) Bibliography
• 7 things you should know about... Clickers (PDF)

Key Web links

Guides and Beginner Instructions

Here are a number of great guides to help you better understand clickers and their capabilities.

• TurningPoint Product Guides & Manuals
• TurningPoint Training Documents
• TurningPoint Self-Paced Training Courses
• Twelve tips for using a computerised interactive audience response system (PDF)
• Effective Use of the Audience Response System: A Prime (PDF)
• Successfully Using Clickers in the Classroom

Education

Here are a number of great ideas for using clickers in a education environment.

• Using Clickers in the Classroom
• Resources for engaging and assessing students with clickers
• Clickers in the Large Classroom: Current Research and Best-Practice Tips
• A Few Clickers Resources
• 10 Personal Response Systems Teaching Strategies
• Clickers in the Classroom: An Active Learning Approach
• Using "clickers" in the classroom
• Using Clickers in the Classroom
• Best Practices
• Using clickers in the classroom -- Writing effective questions
• Clicking with Clickers: Questioning Effectively
• Using Classroom Clickers To Engage Every Student
• Common challenges in using clickers
• Clickers: Using Classroom Response Systems to Enhance Student Learning

Clickerless Polling Systems

Here are a number of great ways that you poll an audience without clickers.

• Poll Everywhere
• Polling by Cell Phone – Can We Completely By-Pass Clickers?
• 6 Great Twitter Quiz and Polling Apps
• Microsoft Mouse Mischief

Video Tutorials

Here is a collection of videos that will help you understand and use the TurningPoint response systems.

• TurningPoint Tutorials
• TurningPoint Presentations
• TurningPoint Archived Webinars
• Using Clickers to Engage Students in the Classroom

References