iLearn, iTeach, iClickers

This week, I chose to explore the use of i-clickers in the classroom setting. I-clickers are set up to each students' name and are generally used to answer multiple choice, yes/no, or possibly even opinionated questions. I-clickers can be a positive learning tool because it assures that ALL of the students are actively involved in the lesson, not just the students raising their hands. I used my first i-clicker two years ago, as a freshmen in college, and it was a great way to get me involved with the material being taught and allow me to earn extra points. Another advantage of i-clickers is that they can be reused, even with different teachers and subjects. So you do not have to buy a new i-clicker for every class that it is used in.

There are, however, some disadvantages to using i-clickers. I-clickers can be expensive, depending on where you buy them and how much each student (or student's family) is willing to pay. In my college courses, I noticed students using more than one i-clicker at once (as in the picture below), which could mean that they are clicking a friend's i-clicker who is absent, allowing them to get the points for the day. This is a way of cheating and getting the points, but not actually learning the material. When it comes to i-clicker responses, students are not generating their own responses, but just choosing one of the possible options. This eliminates the possibility of giving a detailed explanation of their personal opinion.

I have only seen i-clickers used in college level classes. But I do think that students in upper elementary and above can all benefit from using i-clickers. Young students (kindergarten through around the second grade level), may just see it as a toy and press buttons. They also might have a hard time understanding multiple choice questions and evaluating what the results are. I-clickers are also a teacher tool, by being a method of assessing the participation of the students. By reviewing their responses, teachers can also evaluate what the students are obtaining from the lessons and reflect on what they (as in the teacher) might be doing right or wrong.