ECOMP 6102: Using Response System Technology

1. Review the Response Systems below.

• SMART Response System (formerly called Senteo) by SMART
• ActiVote by Promethean
• Classroom Performance System (CPS) by eInstruction
• Audience Response System by Turning Technologies
• eClicker for the I-Touch and I-pad

1. During this course you have taken several tests using the Classroom Performance System (CPS). What were your reactions to the use of this system for testing?

At its basic level, using the CPS system was a way to break up the day and introduce a different vehicle for students to provide input to the instructor. The system obviously can provide the teacher with assessment data that can then be shared with other teachers, administrators, and parents. What I really liked about our use of the CPS system was the class discussions that grew out of the activity. In some cases we discussed how the questions were phrased, in other how the answer choices were written. I think it was a great way to help us revisit the important points from the textbook and flush out areas of confusion and disagreement.

2. Are there features of the CPS system or any of the others systems that you feel would be particularly useful for testing in your own classroom? Please describe these features and their usefulness in your own teaching.

One of the components that SMART promotes with their SMART Response system is the ability to take a quick, one question quiz anywhere within a lesson. The idea behind this feature is giving the teacher an opportunity to assess the students on a concept within a lesson to determine if they can either move on to the next concept or if further review/discussion is warranted.

A downside of this configuration is that they really want you to have the whole package (interactive white board, Notebook software, and the SMART Response system) which can cost the school quite a few pennies. We have a half-dozen SMART Response systems in my school and, while the initial buy-in was very positive, last year we experienced several software glitches and as result of poor technical support from SMART many of my teachers have stopped using it. However, a recent software update has come up this spring that I hope will correct the problems we experienced. Whether or not I can get the teachers to buy-in to the system again will be the big question.

eClicker is an attractive option because it utilizes Apple’s iOS equipment, specifically the iPod Touch and the iPad, which are hot-button items right now. Right away, if your school does not have a wireless network within the building then this system is not for you (although WiFi-equipped schools are quickly becoming the standard). eClicker also has the option to “poll” students sequentially (i.e. assess an entire lesson/activity) as well as individually (i.e. a single concept).

Another possible drawback to this system is that assessment questions are created on the iOS device. Depending on the users’ comfort level with the iOS keyboard interface this could be an issue. Content can be created on a traditional desktop/laptop computer, but an account via the eClicker website is required, and the host device needs to be configured to sync with their server. On a positive note, using the online account system would allow multiple users to create content and sync it to the same host device, allowing a school a “cart” environment that is shared amount a team, grade, and/or department.

Unlike the other systems, eClicker takes advantage of equipment that is not so proprietary. Apple’s iPad and iPod Touches have the ability to provide a variety of experiences through an ever-increasing number of Apps. This could make them a more plausible investment for schools over other systems that only work on their equipment.

Together, Denise began our evaluation Promethean’s Activote system by watching their online tutorial video. Interesting enough, both of our first reactions upon seeing the software interface for this assessment system was, “Boy, that tools menu looks awfully confusing.” From a single drop-down menu I would estimate there were over 25 different tool icons listed. While I, an integrator experienced in troubleshooting and testing new technologies, might be able to get past this and figure out how to use the system I could see a classroom teacher being easily overwhelmed and discouraged due to the complexity of the interface.

Another aspect I noted in Promethean’s video was that the users of their assessment remotes. I would categorize them as adults, not students from with the K-12 spectrum. Now, this could simply mean that they are teachers. However, if the intent of this system is to use it with students, I would have preferred to see a demonstration video that showed actual students using the remotes.

ECOMP 6102: Using "Survey" Technology

Create an online survey using a service like Survey Monkey or Polldaddy. 

Consider the following question: For what assessment purposes might "Survey" technologies be useful?


"Welcome to MSK Computer Literacy, Grade 6"
Survey Monkey: Click here to take survey

Final Project Reflection: Make a Desktop Video

ECOMP 6016 - Assignment #8: Reflect on your final project using the articles provided on multimedia and learning, multiple intelligences, and multiple learning techniques.

Articles referenced:

• Tapping Into Active Learning and Multiple Intelligences With Interactive Multimedia: A Low-Threshold Classroom Approach, (2008) by Tom Schrand
• Integrated Instruction: Multiple Intelligences and Technology, (2007) by Ian J. McCoog
• Multimedia Information and Learning, (1996) by Lawrence J. Najjar

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Creating a movie is a form of expression that opens many doors for students of a variety of intelligences. As a result, I thought it was important to create a movie that would give students an overview of the whole movie making process. Making a movie can be as simple or as complex as you want to make it, depending on the quality of the finished product. Make no mistake that the process requires an investment of time, energy and planning. But the rewards that movie making can bring due to its ability to allow each student to utilize their learning style(s) can be amazing.

When making a movie, you need to start with a storyboard. This tool supports logical-mathematical learners because it helps them solve the problem of what is the best way to organize the story components so that it will make sense to the audience. The learner must answer questions about volume levels, types of transitions, video vs. still images, and when and where to deploy there various multimedia pieces throughout the movie timeline.

While not all movies involve dialog (our “introduction” project demonstrated how images can be a powerful medium for telling a story), many do and a movie’s script can make-or-break the success of the message being communicated. Script writing is where linguistic learners can shine and devise interesting ways of expressing ideas. For my movie, I wanted to show how the written word can be more powerful than the video, illustrated by the example of text stealing the spotlight in step three from yours truly.

Spatial and musical learners are valuable strengths in movie making since it is through these two mediums that all story components are communicated to the audience. In my final project I needed to find that happy medium between which visual/audio components best support the story and which components are just plain cool. Sometimes the picture-in-a-picture component was the best choice, other times it was using the green screen tool, and yet there were instances that involved going outside of the iMovie application to Keynote to introduce an animated component to the scene.

Bodily-Kinesthetic learners are presented with a unique choice when it comes to movie making, especially with the advancements in video-editing software: when should the actors try to use a real location for a scene versus creating a virtual location using green screen tools to best tell this part of the story? In my movie there were some scenes where it was just easier to find a real location to film the scene (e.g. the school stage and podium) while other times being able to travel virtually to another place using a green screen (e.g. the pirate/Harry Potter clips) was vital to the success of the scene.

In evaluating my final project with respect to multiple learning techniques, some interesting points came to mind. In Najjar’s paper he talks about “redundant multimedia” as a way to improve learning because its method, pace and type of interactivity is consistent. The beauty of movie making, especially an instructional movie like mine, is that the user can replay all or part of the video as many times as they want. While not part of my final project, I have seen strong evidence for this in providing support to my staff and their MLTI laptops. In this example, my old way of PDF tutorial documents were not utilized by staff, but when I created video “screencasts” of my tutorials instead my audience responded quite positively to learning via this medium because they could play, pause and re-play the video as many times as they needed.

Another learning technique that Najjar discusses, the dual coding of information, lends itself very nicely to the medium of movie making. According to the theory, information is processed via two channels: verbal information such as text or audio and nonverbal information such as imagery and sound. As students work through their movie, in both the storyboard stage and the editing stage, they must constantly evaluate which channel will best communicate the scene in support of the overall story. Sometimes a simple text slide can be more powerful than a video clip with green screen effects applied, or the right sound effect/soundtrack can help complete a scene. One of the benefits of our “The Making Of…” assignment was learning about movie soundtracks and how much work goes into its construction so to successfully support the scenes in the movie.

In conclusion, this final project has provided me with insight into the power that multimedia projects can have in reaching students with a variety of intelligences. Everyone has a story to tell, and students are no exception to this rule. If anything, middle school students have a greater need to tell their stories as they work to define themselves and what makes them unique. I hope that my How to Make a Movie project will be a helpful tool for teachers who want to integrate a movie component into their curriculum and that the skills I’ve learned in making a movie will make me a better support resource for both students and teachers in the future.