Spring break for those of us on quarter system is short–very, very short. So I am happy to report that the process of gearing up for my first term using i<clickers has not been nearly as scary as I expected it to be. I am especially relieved, given that I’m using i<clickers in not one, but two of my courses. Nothing like just jumping in with both feet!
The materials provided by i<clicker on their website were incredibly clear and useful. I modified their “first day” powerpoint slides to show my students how to use and register the technology. I also found a powerpoint by Sandra Virtue of DePaul, entitled What Should New i-Clicker Users Know? to be very helpful. I especially liked her suggestion to “tag” each powerpoint slide with a clicker icon, so that students would immediately know the content was a clicker question. I used a little version of an image Mr. F made for my website of a hand holding an i<clicker.
Modified "First Day" iClicker Slide with my Discovering Biological Psychology Background
Making up questions was fun, and if anything, I found I needed to restrain my impulses to put in dozens. Most users suggest you start small, maybe 2 per lecture, and then build up as you see fit. One can immediately sense that the process is time-consuming. You can’t just throw up a question about the ethics of stem cells and move on immediately with your other topics. I’m trying to anticipate how this will impact the amount of material I can cover in class.
The other modification I’m making is to no longer post my powerpoints on blackboard. I don’t have time to make two sets–one with i<clicker content and another without–and I don’t want students to see my questions before coming to class. I have mixed feelings about this. In previous quarters, students found printing off the powerpoints to be a helpful note-taking aid, but in some ways, it’s a little too helpful. I noticed that attendance dropped and people just stop taking notes of any kind. So I’m going to be interested in the outcome. Wish us luck!
