Technology is continuing to improve the field of education. The idea of an open-ended response system has the ability to enhance any classroom lecture, but with many ideas within technology, it has its ups and downs. An open-ended response system is an electronic forum in which students have the ability to enter text responses during a class lecture or discussion. Students can enter their text responses in a variety of different ways which include using mobile phones, laptops, or ipads. Their responses are then shown up on a projected image in front of the entire class during the lecture or it can be viewed on the laptops/ipads/mobile phones that each individual student has. Wi-Fi is often needed for this to work however. The open-ended response system has a variety of positive and negative aspects that go along with it.
The idea of an electronic forum is not a new one as teachers have been using "clickers" in class for such things as attendance or quizzes. The open-ended response system has the capability to add much more to a classroom lecture however. During the lecture students will be able to post questions, sometimes anonymously depending the program, for the class to view and vote on. Whichever questions receive the most votes the teacher can take the time to go over with the class. With the ability to post anonymously, this will encourage some of the more shy students to participate in the lecture as well as give all students a chance to post. Sometimes during a lecture it is hard to find the right time to ask a particular question. This difficulty could leave a lot of good questions left unasked. The system is not only beneficial during a class lecture however. Even after the lecture, the teacher can view the transcripts from that particular class period to review all posts by students to assess their learning during the lecture. If it appears that the students did not understand one concept particularly well, the teacher can go back and review that concept during the next class. The teacher will also be able to see from the transcripts which students were participating in the lecture/class discussion. (Even if the posts were anonymous only the teacher will be able to see who posted what). Even during a lecture that may be longer than a students' attention span, the open-ended response system could keep the students engaged in what is being discussed. It also has the potential to have the opposite effect however.
Currently the open-ended response system is mainly used within companies as well as several colleges and universities. Therefore, the current audience for this system is 18 years and up. That does not mean it cannot be used with younger people however. It just has yet to be done. I could see where younger students could be distracted by such a system. Or where a school system does not have the financial support to buy such a system as well as laptops or ipads to use it on with some type of Wi-Fi included. Both companies and colleges probably have that financial support. This does not mean that it cannot be done however. If the system has be proven effective, schools would take a chance on them. It is very important for each individual teacher to find the most effective ways to use the program however. I would think that the program could not be used in any grades lower than middle school. I would also think that it would be most beneficial in subjects such as history and English, as these topics could provide the most interesting lectures for the students. The open-ended response system definitely has some flaws that would have to be worked out by each individual school system.
Overall, I find the idea of a open-ended response system very interesting. I feel like in certain settings it could be very beneficial for the students AND the teacher. I do, however, feel as if there are a variety factors that could deter some schools from investing in the system. The system does have great upside however. I would support a trial experiment with the system to see how students respond. As with many new technological ideas dealing with education, if it is used correctly the results could be great!
More information can be found at http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/ELI7068.pdf
I agree completely that there could be both pros and cons to open- ended response systems in grade schools. It is actually a very exciting idea to think that each one of your students can have the ability throughout the whole lesson to share their thoughts, questions, and responses without interrupting the lesson. It is also great to consider the anonymous aspect in which shy students can share without being put on the spot. Having the students thoughts so clearly written out for the teacher would be a great way to keep check on student understanding.
ReplyDeleteHaving experience in the classroom does, however, bring a bit of reality to this tool. Just as you said, students can easily get distracted with any form of technology which would therefore make them not very effective.
The expense of open-ended response systems could definitely be an issue as well, like you said. Nevertheless, if possible, its definitely worth a trial run!
Ms. McKay,
DeleteAnything that could potentially add engagement into a class has to be exciting for a teacher. I certainly agree. To the extent to which it would be a helpful tool or a distracting tool would have to be found out. It does have great potential though. Thanks for your post!
Mr. Craft,
ReplyDeleteI think this is a great and well-rounded reflection on Open-Ended Response Systems. My favorite aspect of this technology is that students can ask questions and discuss topics anonymously. It is a feature that I would have loved as a student in High School. The key words though, are: High School. As you touched on, age is an important factor. I don't see this being realistically used in Elementary Schools (unless simplified for easier use). I think it would also be out of reach for Middle School students as well. If this were to be tested in the school system, I believe that High School students would be the best test subjects.
I remember playing Jeopardy with "clickers" attached via wire to the teacher's "master clicker." This new technology would be a great step forward in the Wi-Fi world we already are living in. High School students are also more appropriate for Open-Ended Response Systems because they would be more likely to follow rules and guidelines to handling the responsibility of such technology.
Having said that, I can see your hesitations to the new technology, but I can also see how this could be a great step in the right direction for class discussions in English and History (as you appropriately hypothesized as well). Great blog!
Blog-you later,
Ms. Watkins
Mr. Craft,
DeleteThank you for sharing the information that you have found about open-ended response systems. Although I am aware of “clickers” they were never something that was used during my education or something that I tried in my own classroom(s). It was not that I was not interested; I just was working with the lower elementary grades and did not find this (at the time) to be a useful tool. However, after reading your thoughts about how the system can be a great reference for the teacher in order to check students’ understanding, I began to think about how this technology could be useful at any grade level. Now, for younger grades, they would not be typing much text. Instead, they might just be pressing A, B, C, or D but you can still gain great insight. At that moment, you get to see the class’ data as a whole, but later you can evaluate each student’s response and assess them. This could be such a resourceful tool if used appropriately! Thank you for bringing open-ended response systems back to my attention!
Until next time,
Ms. Catapano
It certainly does have the potential to impact any grade level if used in the right way. Thanks for your thoughts!
DeleteMs. Watkins,
DeleteThanks for your thoughts! I do agree that it should be trial tested in high school grades, but if it has success there it could then be tried on upper level middle school classes. And as far as being cautious, thats just my nature about everything, not just technology. haha. Thanks!