New Technology Assists Teachers With Understanding Their Classrooms

When new technologies are introduced to the education system, teachers and parents can sometimes remain skeptical as to whether the device will assist teachers, or simply distract students. Devices such as personal computers, tablets, and smartphones are some of the tech pieces that are generally frowned upon in schools. However, every once-in-a-while a new piece of technological equipment (such as the Smart board) comes along and proves to have a high level of educational benefit for both students and teachers. The latest piece of technology that has educational facilities excited is clickers. A clicker is a wireless hand-held device used to engage students, and allows teachers to assess their classroom more effectively.

According to an article on the Globe and Mail online, “clickers were first adopted by university professors teaching large classes with hundreds of students, but now a growing number of elementary and high-school teachers across North America are introducing them as part of the push toward using technology to engage students.” These clickers allow teachers to have short quizzes, or to ask students questions in the middle of a lesson to see if they are following. The article goes on to state “doing instant mini-quizzes helps [the teacher] track when students aren’t grasping a concept – it’s an instant flag stating to go over the material again, or to find another way to explain it.”

Does your child use clickers in their school? Do you think this is an effective use of in-class technology? We’d love to hear your thoughts!

To read the full article on the Globe and Mail online and learn more about clickers, click here.