Overview: Poll Everywhere is a free classroom response system for up to 30 students and it uses cell phones as the clicker remote. If every student has a cell phone then every student has a voice. The instructor can screen the answers before displaying them and students can remain anonymous unless the answer requires their name texted also. This is an incredibly powerful Web 2.0 Tool to engage every student rapidly if used correctly.
Pursuasive Video: From classroom research and analysis
"Please, Give Students A Voice"
1. Target Audience – 60 college electronics students in a traditional classroom setting that has a computer, Internet, and projector system.
2. Materials – Instructor needs: Computer with Internet access and connection to a classroom display / projector system. Student needs: cell phone (or computer with internet access)
3. Objectives – At the end of this scenario the learner will be able to:
a. Understand the lesson activity.
b. Analyze the lesson activity and how it relates to previous course activities.
c. Create assessment questions pertaining to the lesson activity in order to evaluate student understanding.
d. Create inquiry questions pertaining to the lesson activity in order to evaluate student analysis.
4. Procedure –
a. Students will have completed several prior class/lab activities.
b. Students will be given an advanced electronic schematic and assembly drawing.
c. Students will then see a demonstration of advanced circuit board troubleshooting.
d. Randomly selected students will then mirror doing what they just saw in the demonstration.
e. The instructor will step back and simply monitor the students’ safety.
f. The instructor may interject a review point to reinforce each student understands the entire process of troubleshooting.
g. Then the instructor will ask the students to pull out their cell phones.
h. The instructor will present the first ‘Poll Everywhere’ question, “Amplifiers are the heart of the testing in the activity you just saw and performed. We are going to use your cell phones as an interactive class response system to confirm your understanding and also for you to create content for this activity. Please prepare your cell phone to text me at the number, “XXXXX”, then type in the secret code for this question, “YYYYYY.” “Type one space after that number and get ready to type your word answer after that number.” Pause. “The question I would like your input on is, Do you fully understand this troubleshooting activity so that you could do it without help in one week from now?” “Please type yes, no, or need more review.” “Go.”
i. As student text, their answers show up on the computer program. Monitor the answers for professionalism and allow students to see their responses. Smiles occur. Say, “Thank you very much for your honest responses. If you would like to review this activity, please see me after class to set up a time. I will guide you through step by step and then, you can do it solo so we know you fully understand this highly valuable activity in our industry.”
j. Save and copy all of the responses. (Each question can be archived.)
k. Then blank the projector screen and hit Create New Poll. Type or copy and paste in your next question. You will instantly get the text number and question codes. Then say, “Please prepare your cell phones to text me at the number, “XXXXX”, then type in the secret code for this question, “YYYYYY with a space after it.” Pause. “This question will show your high understanding of this activity and also your skill to analyze prior information completed in the course. Please type your first, middle, and last initials of your name for this question, and then you will type your answer. I want your initials so I know your high comprehensive skills. The question is, What connector number and pin number does Phantom Power enter the PCB?”
l. Display their answers, praise high performance, and save the answers (archive the screen.)
m. Cue up the third question and say, “This next question is to enhance your ability to create something from what we have learned today. Please create your own assessment question about this activity. Note that it may actually end up on the exam. We of course, will go over the answers to your questions so please send them now.”
n. Praise progress as it shows up on the screen. That inspires more students to type questions.
o. Cue up the fourth question and say, “This next question is to enhance your ability to create thought provoking understanding from what we have learned today. Please create an Inquiry question about this extremely valuable troubleshooting activity. Go deep into your mind of highest comprehension and Forest Gump honesty and type in a question that will take our minds on a journey.” “Go.”
p. Pose each of those inquiry questions to the group and have students collaborate / discuss possible answers, etc.
5. Emergent Technology – My Web 2.0 Tool is Poll Everywhere and is found at www.polleverywhere.com. This is a cell phone oriented (computer also) poll or question response system that is free for up to 30 people. A group leader or teacher can post a question and students simply text in their responses, which are cumulatively displayed on the computer screen and can be projected for group viewing. 6. Social Participation/Social Learning – The answers and questions that students type in will inspire each other socially. The inquiry questions from letter 4.o. above are then opened to student collaboration groups in letter 4.p. above. I recommend that each collaborative student group pick their compilation answer and have one person in the group share it with the rest of the class so that three or four highlighted group answers can be shared for each question.
7. Making Connections – This scenario offers several opportunities for the learners to connect on different levels. Explain what types of connections are being made and how those connections will help deep learning take place. The learner will connect with:
a) Previous knowledge was needed to answer most of the poll questions. The poll shows students’ answers, so the teacher can instantly review if students did not seem to grasp the prior knowledge concepts.
b) Relevance to save money if they can repair their equipment when it breaks some day instead of paying exorbitant tech repair prices.
c) With a local or global technical electronic groups online to discuss their equipment repair issues or even upgrades to the equipment.
d) This activity allows the student connect with the class because their voice is seen on screen. To some students, that is their predominant voice today and it is stifled in conventional education settings. RILS must permeate American education immediately.
8. Create/Produce – The learning scenario facilitated students to create assessment questions and inquiry concept questions, and also to text in answers for parts of the activity. Research shows that students who create questions pay attention to the answers more since the questions are ‘theirs.’ They own these questions so they have a stronger ‘desire’ to know the answers or learn the answers. So ultimately, this learning scenario product is ‘questions and answers’ texted into the program by students on their cell phones.
9. Assessment – Here is a general idea for the activity rubric. We will know that each objective has been met based on the rubric coordinate achievement level the student has attained.
The outcomes desired were for students to:
Understand, Analyze, Evaluate, and Create
Assessment Rubric:
Level of understanding and analysis in response
None / Below basic / Progressing / Moderate / Mastered
Responses texted
Analysis in response
Level of evaluation and creation
low mid high
Student texted an assessment question
Student texted an inquiry question
Level of sociality
Not involved/Moderately involved/Highly involved
Student participated in collaboration
Social participation and social learning
Not involved Moderately involved Highly involved
Reflection document detail
10. Reflection – The reflection for the RILS must have two parts.
a. The students will be given the activity ‘Description, Rationale, Deliverables, and Resources.’ Their post-activity after class deliverable will be to submit a Word document describing the activity, sharing the key elements that stood out to them, and to offer any possible suggestions for the activity if continued in future groups. This makes students feel that they are part of the creation of content in their educational system. This gives students a stronger voice that will help change education of the future. America was founded on opinion, so why not bring students opinion into the equation?
i. Post Event Update: Students documentation was unanimously 100% positive. The most important aspect mentioned was their feeling of anonymity. They liked having an anonymous voice that contributed to the class experience. They wanted the system to be used every session. Their responses proved almost every student answered within the time allotted for each question/comment. Two students had cell messages, “service error.” The students liked the variety of questions.
b. The educator/trainer will reflect by documenting what caused the student barometer to increase or decrease during the activity. These answers may cause instant adaptation for that instructor. They instructor/trainer could also share these findings in instructional team meetings so the group potential becomes greater than the sum of each individual instructor.
i. Post Event Update: I have not seen any other web tool this effective to instantly garner 100% participation. Cell phones are students comfort zone. Every student had a cell phone and every phone eventually input to my instructor computer that was projected on the big screen. I did find a benefit to hide some answers until everyone answered. Students were amazed that the program was free, which felt like they were getting a thousand dollar system for free. The chuckled almost every text-in, like we were getting candy for free.
One issue of concern is that there was some time lag for question codes to be created from the program and sometimes some silent lag time for students to read the details on screen. Students felt comfortable with it though, when watching the video playback. They are used to silence and text communication protocol, which is why this system felt so comfortable to them.
11. Actual Classroom Implementation Summary.
a. Student participation increased significantly when Polleverywhere was initiated. Every student was answering. The quietest students were even texting/communicating and offering input and class content. A variety of questions ensured efficient use of the system.
i. Opinion: “Do you consider reading schematics easy, medium, or hard?”
ii. Content speed assessment: “Per the console schematic, what is the output pin number of the equalizer operational amplifier (op amp)?”
iii. Students create content: “Please write a good student assessment question related to this Yamaha recording console schematic?”
iv. Application analysis: “What knee frequency would be ideal for the capacitor at the output of the equalizer op amp?”
v. Inquiry: “Why may it be important to increase your skill at reading schematics and troubleshooting gear?”
The activity proved to be an excellent success. At the session end, students said out loud that they felt they actually had a voice. That is powerful! Call me, we need to talk.
