Clickers?

A few days ago the Penn State classroom and lab computing group announced that they had chosen a standard clicker to us at the University Park campus. At the Commonwealth campuses, such as Mont Alto, we may or may not have the new clickers available. 

I have been wondering, thought if clickers will be a long lasting technology. Students will have to buy their own unit, which costs about $40. It can only be used for that one purpose. If I were a student I would resent being asked to buy something like this.
Also, what if you forget to bring your unit? I have heard stories of other schools where students have rebelled at the over use of clickers by jamming or otherwise sabotaging the system, They seem to have resented using the clickers to verify attendance. 
As an instructor, I can see the uses of clickers, especially in large classes. It’s a great way to get some feedback from the students.
I think at some point the clicker function will become an app for a smartphone. Or a text message to Twitter or some other social media. Most students are never separated from their phones for long! I would give the single purpose clicker only a few more years of popularity before they become obsolete!
This entry was posted in Observations and tagged , , . Bookmark the permalink.

Leave a Reply