Here's a quick overview of how common personal response systems work.
Receivers
The two types of PRS systems in use: infrared (IR) and radio frequency (RF). There are pros and cons to each type. There is less set-up involved with RF systems (such as far fewer wiring issues), and RF systems have fewer shortcomings than the infrared systems.Infrared systems work via a line-of-sight to the receiver. Each receiver can support a limited number of students (about 40 students per receiver), so larger classes require more receivers. RF systems, on the other hand, support a practically unlimited number of students (over 2,000 students per receiver!), less wiring, and a more portable solution.
Clickers
The simplest clickers are like a TV remote: usually consisting of little more than a keypad and a small indicator light. More sophisticated clickers have displays where students can view their responses, the remaining battery life, etc. Clickers require batteries, and depending on use, batteries should last about the length of an academic quarter.
Software
PRS systems typically allow instructors to create questions either using PowerPoint or PRS software. Question types may include multiple choice, true/false, numeric, ordering, and short answer. During lectures, questions display onscreen (or the instructor can ask questions orally) and students respond by entering their answers using the clicker. Depending upon instructor preference, the results of student responses may be displayed onscreen along with the correct answer for further discussion. After a session is over, the instructor may save the results, mark them automatically, and save them to a gradebook.
The preceding information was located at http://www.oid.ucla.edu/units/tec/tectutorials/prstutorials/
UCLA Office of Instructional Development
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2 comments:
Kim,
I really wish my son was in your class. He did (with a little help form dad) a DVD for his last book report for the year and his teacher asked if I could come in to help with the DVD she was not sure if she could get it to work, no BS. Thanks keep up the great work.
Courtney,
I wish I had your son in my class. He would have been a great "teacher" for many of his peers. They learn so much from one another and even so much more when they are in charge. I continue to be amazed by those who fear technology and refuse to learn about what surrounds them...every day!
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