Interactive Lecturing Tool - Clickers

Nowadays the PowerPoint presentation has, at long last, completely replaced the overhead projector in the role of communicating text and images to a large group of students in support of a lecture. PowerPoint allows us to draw upon and incorporate endless media types. Showing websites, video clips and animations to support and enhance our teaching is common place. However involving each and every student in a way that allows the tutor to test their learning and draw on student experiences is still challenging. It is in this area that clickers, or more precisely, Audience Response Systems (ARS) can revolutionise the way we communicate with students in this setting.

Lecturers can test understanding by asking students questions. This may be to a single student or via a show of hands to gain a consensus of opinion. With clickers each student is issued with a radio transmitting keypad before the lecture and each and every student can use it to respond to questions from the lecturer by selecting their answers from a range of prepared answers created within PowerPoint via the pad. These responses could be a simple yes/No, agree/disagree, or offer multiple choice style answers. A read out is displayed during voting so the lecturer can make sure every student has responded and can then close the voting. Results are displayed in the PowerPoint slide. The results are shown instantly, via a choice of graph layouts and show an exact set of results that the lecturer can use to gauge understanding or opinion, and can then redirect, review, or carry on the direction of the lecture based on this. The crucial difference here is that all students are interacting and feel more engaged with the lecture.

It doesn’t end there, if used to gain information from the students about their opinions and experiences this data can then be made available via Moodle afterwards, for further research and study following the lecture. From case studies I have seen, some universities have required students to purchase their own response pad before they commence their study. This allows the pad to be registered to a particular student so a name list could be viewed with each response. It has also been used to register attendance.

More information is available from the manufacturers of the response system via these links
http://turningpointuniversities.co.uk/index.html
http://www.turningtechnologies.com/highereducationinteractivelearning.cfm

We’re interested in hearing from you via this blog if you
- Have seen or used an audience response system used in an interesting and innovative way
- Wish to use an ARS in the future and want to find out more.
- Links or documents you have found helpful relating to this topic.
- Any comments

Global Positioning in Moodle Database Activity

The database activity, I think is fair to say, is not the easiest activity to get started with, but perseverance can reveal some hidden gems that can create a useful and insightful body of data that can be collected and analysed by you and your students.

One that stands out is the latitude/longitude data type that can form part of each record entered. Far from just adding two input boxes to fill in, it also automatically creates links to view the location in a new window, using one of the following geographical websites
- Google Maps
- Google Earth
- Geabios
- OpenStreetMap
- Multimap

One of the most exciting geographical maps, is the Google Earth Application. Rather than just looking from above, Google earth allows you to explore in 3D; rather than just zooming in and out you can view a different angle and start to get sense of the terrain and altitudes of the recorded locations. If it is your first visit I recommend taking a tour of London or New York where they have modelled many of the well known landmarks, and you can walk down the street and take a look around.
http://earth.google.com/
I have had some problems getting Google Earth to run reliably so would appreciate feedback from you as to how you got on with it. Please state which version you have downloaded in any replies.

So what sort of records could be stored in a database using this data type?
Well I see field work being particularly suited to this. Take for example a study of a type of architecture or urban profile being investigated in History or Geography. An image of the location could be added along with its location, allowing geographical trends and features to be analysed from satellite and terrain views. Perhaps in Biological sciences a study of a particular species could be recorded. Other significant data that could be added may include altitude and the bearing of the image.

So how can we collect the Latitude and Longitude data from a location?
Moblie phones – If you are lucky enough to have a mobile phone with GPS and are within a reception area
Standalone devices - http://www.gpsw.co.uk/cats/cl3_23.html
Digital Camera – GPS facility beginning to come to the market. http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/blogs/index.cfm?blogid=18&entryid=2104

We would like to hear any further ideas from tutors as to how this could be used and would be happy to support any early adopters to get started and see how effective this could be as a learning tool.

Update 04/02/2009

Google have recently launched Google Latitude a new social networking application that allows you to constantly track your friends, family and students if they sign up and own a compatible devise. The device sends regular GPS coordinates to the site, building a picture of where you have been and where you are now.

Follow these links to news items http://www.vnunet.com/vnunet/news/2235725/google-latitude-allows-friends

http://www.informationweek.com/blog/main/archives/2009/02/new_google_serv.html

An interesting and scary (from a privacy point of view) development in this area.
Does anyone have any thoughts on how this could be unutilised in our teaching or study activities?