Cell phones for brainstorming in the classroom
I’ve started using the free versions of Poll Everywhere and Wiffiti in class and my students really seem to like both applications. They’re both easy to use – students text message answers to a question and the answers get posted live, stimulating more participation and, I think, understanding.
I had the students work in pairs or small groups so that students who do not have unlimited text messaging plans with their cell phones could participate.
During one class, I asked the students to comment on the relationship between technology and the doctor-patient relationship. I created the Wiffiti screen in about 30 seconds (I already had an account). You can see the responses here. I then gave the students an impromptu assignment based on the brainstorming. Since one of the course’s goals is for the students to learn how to conduct scholarly research, I asked them to find a scholarly article related to the doctor-patient relationship and technology and write a summary and an APA-formatted reference.
If you want me to show you more about how I'm using Wiffiti or Poll Everywhere, please don't hesitate to contact me.
And I’ll write more about Poll Everywhere shortly—it’s time for my class.
I had the students work in pairs or small groups so that students who do not have unlimited text messaging plans with their cell phones could participate.
During one class, I asked the students to comment on the relationship between technology and the doctor-patient relationship. I created the Wiffiti screen in about 30 seconds (I already had an account). You can see the responses here. I then gave the students an impromptu assignment based on the brainstorming. Since one of the course’s goals is for the students to learn how to conduct scholarly research, I asked them to find a scholarly article related to the doctor-patient relationship and technology and write a summary and an APA-formatted reference.
If you want me to show you more about how I'm using Wiffiti or Poll Everywhere, please don't hesitate to contact me.
And I’ll write more about Poll Everywhere shortly—it’s time for my class.
posted by Gayle Stein at
4:04 PM
3 Comments:
I'm curious about how well PollEverywhere works for you, and what your students think about it especially in comparison to other clicker systems they may have used. I think a service like this could easily replace all the different clicker systems used on campus - no more iclicker, turningpoint, eInstruction confusion, and no more hardware purchases for students. A dime here and there is much better than $35 to buy a clicker.
Hi Gayle,
Interestingly enough, I recently presented a paper regarding the usage of cell phones in the classroom. Maybe I missed it in another post, but what subject matter do you teach? I teach foreign language, and have found drop.io and voki to be other ways of using cell phones in the classroom. I'm also a huge fan of polleverywhere, and for the previous commenter... as long as your students have unlimited texting, it works just as good as clickers in my opinion. There are a large number of sources online that give some good information on using cell phones in the classroom. It's still a new phenomenon, but I truly believe its part of the future of education.
What kind of cell phones do you students use? I hate to admit it, but I've recommended my students get the iphone or a blackberry similar to the Blackberry Tour. I just feel that the more advanced phones open up more doors of potential uses.
We're using iPhones here in a small town in Mexico to teach clients about social media apps on various devices not just computers. I can see the applications in traditional classrooms. Interesting discussion.
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