Clickers are a tool that looks similar to a remote that a student can have to submit answers to a multiple choice question. Once they submit the answer it is automatically available for view either to the teacher or the class. This is all done via the number of the clicker, so students don't know who said what answer.
Some of the benefits of clickers are:
The teacher will have instant access to how the students are feeling about a subject. It doesn't matter what I'm teaching, I could use this for any concept. For example, I might be teaching about right triangles and how to determine the lengths of their sides. I can post a question on the board or up on the screen and they can perform the work on their papers at their desks. Then, using the technology of the clicker, they can enter in their answer and submit it. The answers can either be brought up on the screen to show the class or shown to me as the teacher privately. This can enable me to gauge how the class is doing and where we need to go from there. We can go through the steps again, or move on to the next problem if the majority understands.
I love the abilities of these clickers because they ensure privacy among students and they shouldn't feel embarrassed to say they don't understand something. If they continue to miss the problems on right triangles and don't seem to understand the concept of the pythagorean theorem, I can give them special attention and solve the problem before the test.
In addition, like one article states, students can discuss with each other the possible answers after they have submitted them. They can point out why they think an answer is correct and help each other understand, stimulating cognitive learning. Doing this will help them better interact with each other as well as engrain certain concepts into their mind.
One setback of using clickers are the cost. One article stated that an iClicker cost $40. Obtaining these tools might be expensive for a public school to purchase for every student and the classrooms might not be equipped for that kind of technology. Another setback is technology difficulties that might come from a remote not working or breaking. A student would find it hard to participate in the activity if they don't have their remote!
Clickers might also be hard to set up if your aren't familiar with the technology. However, on one of the websites I found they have four videos that show how to set the system up, how to make sure it's running properly, how to use it effectively and set up your questions, and how to view the results at the end of the day. The results can show a students cumulation of answers throughout the day so you can see how that student is doing.
Parents will love the technology of the clicker because it enables their kids to understand why they missed a problem and correct that problem. It will ensure the student's privacy so the stress of being made fun of is depleted because no one knows who put a certain answer.
h-itt clickers
Clickers in the classroom
Comics in the Classroom
Who doesn't like comics? Comics are a great way to add a little spice to the mundane things that happen in math class. There are many tools online for students to create comic strips that are free, easy, and simple. One of the websites I found was a simple cartoon creator, so simple that you just make the comic as you go, no instructions or anything. The other article was very helpful, it provides websites for other comic creators. Some of them are so much fun to play with!
A negative aspect is because they are so fun, they can easily get distracted and play with all the cool features instead of creating a comic strip! Another negative side is the fact that it is created online so everyone is required to use a computer. But if you can set aside one day in the computer lab, they could create a quick comic strip on what we have learned for the past week. So really that isn't even a problem.
Some of the positive aspects of comic strips are all the different features that are available based on which website you choose to use. The Pixton site is really fun because you can create all your characters, their facial expressions, their poses, and even their clothes! All these options are free which is another plus. Teachers love free things!!! This is a great tool to use for math teachers because, once again, it's something different that the students can do to apply what they learned. If we were learning about the areas of geometric shapes, I would have them create a comic strip about whatever they wanted. They would be required to incorporate the formula and it's shape into the comic strip, whether they had a real world problem, created a classroom discussing it, etc.
Parents would definitely approve of this because it's so much fun to use and the students are required to brainstorm! They have to put what they learn in the classroom into a story, proving that they have mastered the information. If it's an effective way for students to study math problems or remember certain formulas, they can create a comic strip to help them study!
