Wow....what a summer! Or should I say what a spring AND summer since I haven't been on here since February. But, I am asking my students to keep blogs this semester, and like a good educator I model for my students, so I will be blogging regularly once again.
As we go back to school one of the things I always think about is how I can get everyone to partake in the conversation. I know there are students who don't like to speak, therefore they may never ask a question for clarification, they may never give their input, though input from everyone is valuable.
A while back one of my Writing for Non-Print Media students shared poll-everywhere with the class.
The idea is simple. The instructor posts a question, and students are able to respond by texting to a number that appears on the screen. The name "poll-everywhere" is actually a bit misleading, as you can also post open-ended questions. I've made a sample poll for my readers to take.
Clearly there are concerns about having cell phones in the classroom, but I really don't think this is going to hurt anyone. We live in an age where we are consumed in technology, media and methods of communication....so why not be proactive?
I will be using this tomorrow in my College Writing class, in hopes that I can engage students and encourage them to respond to the reading. I really like that they can do this anonymously, because many times students have told me "I was afraid my question or comment would sound dumb." Poll-everywhere gives all students an equal voice. And if they don't have cell phones, I would encourage a small group, where they take turns texting. It's my hope that using poll-everywhere is just the beginning for some students, and that they learn that their voice is very important in the classroom.
Unfortunately, my students are banned from even having their cell phones on campus, but I teach at a private residential school, so the rules are a little different! This seems like a much cheaper way to have students chime in on a poll-- I applied to get the "clickers" that go with the smart boards, but never received them. If your students can have cell phones, I say go for it!
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