Friday, May 20, 2011
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
More work with Poll Everwhere
As a warning to any editorial-minded folks, I'm mixing tenses...
Today marked the first time that I deployed an SMS polling service in my general chemistry class. As I introduced in an earlier post, the application I am employing comes from Poll Everywhere, and in my class I am using simple multiple choice questions that test my students' understanding of stoichiometry calculations based on chemical formulae (see poll below).
The polls were structured so students could give the correct answer, two other answers that are based on common misconceptions of the concept, and a "Don't know" option. I administered several polls during a class period, showing only the instructions for the poll, with a five minute time limit on participation in each poll. After time was called, I revealed the results of each poll to them as a graph. The results of each poll were then displayed in the graph form shown above.
My students gave me nothing but positive feedback during this session. They asked questions about different ways of presenting the concepts within quizzes, common misconceptions were addressed, and problem solving strategies were introduced to them.
All in all, the experience of SMS polling proved very positive for my students, at least in the engagement department. Whether or not this strategy results in improved test scores, rests, as always, on the shoulders of my students.
Today marked the first time that I deployed an SMS polling service in my general chemistry class. As I introduced in an earlier post, the application I am employing comes from Poll Everywhere, and in my class I am using simple multiple choice questions that test my students' understanding of stoichiometry calculations based on chemical formulae (see poll below).
Make a live audience poll at Poll Everywhere
Get a free sms student response system at Poll Everywhere
The polls were structured so students could give the correct answer, two other answers that are based on common misconceptions of the concept, and a "Don't know" option. I administered several polls during a class period, showing only the instructions for the poll, with a five minute time limit on participation in each poll. After time was called, I revealed the results of each poll to them as a graph. The results of each poll were then displayed in the graph form shown above.
My students gave me nothing but positive feedback during this session. They asked questions about different ways of presenting the concepts within quizzes, common misconceptions were addressed, and problem solving strategies were introduced to them.
All in all, the experience of SMS polling proved very positive for my students, at least in the engagement department. Whether or not this strategy results in improved test scores, rests, as always, on the shoulders of my students.
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Trying out Poll Everywhere
Today I'm giving the application, Poll Everywhere, a try. Poll Everywhere and its ilk are designed to replace hardware-based audience response systems (ARS), such as "clickers", with a web-based application that polls the audience via different methods like SMS or online voting. An example of the kind of use of this service can be seen in the embedded chart widget below.
I've just started with this application, but already I can see the great utility of this approach. In fact, I feel rather foolish for not looking into this approach to audience polling sooner, since SMS polling has become a ubiquitous marketing tool for everything from soft drink marketing to reality TV. The results are gathered and presented realtime, so the feedback potential is ideal for the class room. Add to this the ability to embed the graph in your blog, website, or download as a presentation slide, and you have a streamlined method to seamlessly present your polling data to almost any audience.
As far as pricing goes, Poll Everywhere provides a wide array of pricing options. A free account allows for up to 30 participants per poll, an ideal number for a small class size. For the K-12 community several discounted rates are available, ranging from free for small classes of up to 32 students to district-wide plans. For higher education the plans range from small classes of up to 32 all the way to unlimited numbers of participants with varying prices.
All in all, I am very pleased to finally have a low-cost method of implementing classroom response technology in all of my courses. Give this one a try.
I've just started with this application, but already I can see the great utility of this approach. In fact, I feel rather foolish for not looking into this approach to audience polling sooner, since SMS polling has become a ubiquitous marketing tool for everything from soft drink marketing to reality TV. The results are gathered and presented realtime, so the feedback potential is ideal for the class room. Add to this the ability to embed the graph in your blog, website, or download as a presentation slide, and you have a streamlined method to seamlessly present your polling data to almost any audience.
As far as pricing goes, Poll Everywhere provides a wide array of pricing options. A free account allows for up to 30 participants per poll, an ideal number for a small class size. For the K-12 community several discounted rates are available, ranging from free for small classes of up to 32 students to district-wide plans. For higher education the plans range from small classes of up to 32 all the way to unlimited numbers of participants with varying prices.
All in all, I am very pleased to finally have a low-cost method of implementing classroom response technology in all of my courses. Give this one a try.
Monday, November 15, 2010
One of the saddest things I have seen in the lab...
Today I am sitting in lab, and of the six students remaining only two of them seem to be actually making any effort. I watch the two workers, and I am still frustrated by the increasing number of helpless slackers that seem to be an ever-increasing part of my labs.
Every semester I conduct problem-based learning exercises where I place students in groups of four to five. The general pattern for most groups seems to be three of the people in the group are (A) lazy, (B) clueless, (C) apathetic, or (D) all of the above. These slackers attempt to ride the coat tails of the more motivated students. I have tried implementing punishments for this behavior, but nothing I do seems to work. (I guess my only option is to walk around with a clipboard and mark them as participating or not participating.) What's worse, the students who are now in the class are asking me to help them design a procedure that they have already done in an earlier lab!
Is this a consequence of No Child Left Behind (click here for Dr. Moon's video on the subject)? Is this some sort of ludicrous trend in extended immaturity (If 30 is the new 20, then 20 is the new 10....)?
I am discouraged by this situation, but what is the alternative? I could let these young people continue to wallow in a sea of disengaged anesthesia, and I'm not so arrogant enough to think that I can truly open their eyes. Maybe they will finally grow up one day and demand more from their own children. By this time, hopefully, the next generation will learn from their parents' apathy.
Every semester I conduct problem-based learning exercises where I place students in groups of four to five. The general pattern for most groups seems to be three of the people in the group are (A) lazy, (B) clueless, (C) apathetic, or (D) all of the above. These slackers attempt to ride the coat tails of the more motivated students. I have tried implementing punishments for this behavior, but nothing I do seems to work. (I guess my only option is to walk around with a clipboard and mark them as participating or not participating.) What's worse, the students who are now in the class are asking me to help them design a procedure that they have already done in an earlier lab!
Is this a consequence of No Child Left Behind (click here for Dr. Moon's video on the subject)? Is this some sort of ludicrous trend in extended immaturity (If 30 is the new 20, then 20 is the new 10....)?
I am discouraged by this situation, but what is the alternative? I could let these young people continue to wallow in a sea of disengaged anesthesia, and I'm not so arrogant enough to think that I can truly open their eyes. Maybe they will finally grow up one day and demand more from their own children. By this time, hopefully, the next generation will learn from their parents' apathy.
Rediscovering My Old Manifesto
Now that I have suffered through one of the most frustrating semesters of my teaching career, I have decided to revisit an idea that occurred to me in 2008. This idea is to be my manifesto of higher education. What is this idea? It's quite direct...
Confrontation shall be the sum of all education!
Does this mean that I will become an overbearing "sage on the stage", still a sad fixture within higher education? Does this idea of confrontation mean I must adopt an adversarial attitude towards my students? No, this idea means that I must seriously think about my role as an educator. In order to confront the woefully inadequate preparation that too many of my students receive I can see they require three simple actions from me, to filter information, to assess basic proficiency, and to facilitate engagement.
The first two actions are relatively easy for me, since, I am considered a subject-matter expert. I can, with a PhD in chemistry, find a myriad of real-world applications that capture the essence of different chemical concepts, and I can design challenging assessments that push my students to their intellectual limits. The real challenge comes from the third role, facilitating engagement, a problem that many of those in my PLN (Professional Learning Network) can attest to being one of the most challenging parts of education.
Confrontation shall be the sum of all education!
Does this mean that I will become an overbearing "sage on the stage", still a sad fixture within higher education? Does this idea of confrontation mean I must adopt an adversarial attitude towards my students? No, this idea means that I must seriously think about my role as an educator. In order to confront the woefully inadequate preparation that too many of my students receive I can see they require three simple actions from me, to filter information, to assess basic proficiency, and to facilitate engagement.
The first two actions are relatively easy for me, since, I am considered a subject-matter expert. I can, with a PhD in chemistry, find a myriad of real-world applications that capture the essence of different chemical concepts, and I can design challenging assessments that push my students to their intellectual limits. The real challenge comes from the third role, facilitating engagement, a problem that many of those in my PLN (Professional Learning Network) can attest to being one of the most challenging parts of education.
Another election...another round of funding cuts...what else is new?
Election day has come and gone this month. A "tsunami" of anti-encumbent sentiment has swept many out of Congress, and I must now ask whether the new crowd will be helpful or harmful towards community college education.
In my own state the answer has already been handed down. Our budgets will be decreased by another 15% when the next budget is passed. The next round of draconian cuts promises to stretch tight budgets even tighter, despite the nearly 7% enrollment increase statewide. Community colleges in Mississippi are now facing an uphill battle, especially with the prospect of funding being tied to graduation rates rather than just full time enrollment numbers.
In my own state the answer has already been handed down. Our budgets will be decreased by another 15% when the next budget is passed. The next round of draconian cuts promises to stretch tight budgets even tighter, despite the nearly 7% enrollment increase statewide. Community colleges in Mississippi are now facing an uphill battle, especially with the prospect of funding being tied to graduation rates rather than just full time enrollment numbers.
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Student motivation...or a lack thereof
Recently, I have started conducting some of my office hours in my institution's tutoring center. The reason for this change in my normal schedule is the hope that I can provide greater assistance to people enrolled in our chemistry courses.
The result of this effort, unfortunately, has been no change from conducting my office hours in my office. Students just do not seem to seek out assistance. I'm sure there have probably been studies about this phenomenon, but I just can't see how we, as educators, can create motivation. Don't get wrong, I try extremely hard to make my lectures engaging as well as provide my students with resources that run the gamut of Bloom's Taxonomy. The priorities of my students, though, seem to be focused on everything besides getting help.
I have to wonder how student services professionals or faculty can really engage students in the face of such apathy.
The result of this effort, unfortunately, has been no change from conducting my office hours in my office. Students just do not seem to seek out assistance. I'm sure there have probably been studies about this phenomenon, but I just can't see how we, as educators, can create motivation. Don't get wrong, I try extremely hard to make my lectures engaging as well as provide my students with resources that run the gamut of Bloom's Taxonomy. The priorities of my students, though, seem to be focused on everything besides getting help.
I have to wonder how student services professionals or faculty can really engage students in the face of such apathy.
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