Clickers on a Budget

If classroom clickers are burning a hole in your budget, eInstruction’s Ping features radio-frequency communication and has a wide range of abilities yet cost $995 for a class pack of 24 with a receiver and software; extra clickers are $55 each. It has a range of 150-feet and can be used with true-false, yes-no and multiple-choice formats. It lacks an LCD screen but confirms that the answer has been received with an LED light. The system works with the company’s Insight 360 scheme.

The Non-Clicker Clicker

Can’t afford a classroom of clickers for kids to take tests? Netop Response lets students use their phones or tablets to respond to teacher questions. Based on Qwizdom’s QVR technology, the system operates in a Web browser so it will work ion any hardware platform, from a smartphone to an iPad. Once everyone has made their response, the software collates the answers for the teacher in a form that can be printed. The system costs $500 for a 30-student class and the company offers a free trial.

 

ISTE 2012: Kiss Expensive Bubble Answer Sheets Goodbye

Tired of spending a small fortune on bubble answer sheets for electronic scoring of tests? Triton from Turning Technologies lets you use the company’s Responsecard NXT student response device and Proctor Receiver to set up and give a class a variety of tests as well as provide instant response to classroom questions. The data collection software is secure and both the questions and answers are held on a USB memory key for convenience. Look for it this fall. In the meantime, the company will be at booth no. 4020.

 

More than True and False

The latest educational import is WordWall’s WordPad2, an English response system that not only has yes or no as potential answers, but a full keyboard and central display that can show 160 by 128 pixel color images. With this hardware in their hands, students can answer with words, phrases and numbers. The handsets communicate wirelessly with the teacher’s computer, which tabulates and displays the results. A set of 32 devices costs $3,000 and the company includes several in-class activities.

 

Freebee Friday: Any Which Way You Can

Forget about classroom clickers because Socrative’s student response system lets teachers and kids use anything, from a notebook or tablet to an iPhone. Able to handle true/false, short answer and multiple choice formats, Socrative can create engaging lessons and compile a variety of student and classroom reports. Best of all, it’s a freebee.

 

 

All-in-One Electronic Assessment

Too many classroom response clickers are sold separately from the testing software causing the occasional disconnect where one doesn’t work with the other. With ResponseCard NXT and TurningKey software, Turning Technologies puts it altogether in a complete package. The student clicker is small, thin and weighs just 2-ounces, but has a 22-key keypad and a LCD screen for entry conformation. It can transmit a variety of answer formats. On top of letters and numbers, it supports full text entry with a cell-phone-like keypad. Meanwhile, TurningKey software can put tests of up to 200 questions together with a mix of multiple choice, matching, numeric, true/false and filling the blank answers. The best part is that the results are tabulated and can be presented individually and by class.

A Clicker Like No Other

A quick look at Smart Technologies’ XE interactive response system is like no other. Looking more like a calculator or a smart-phone, the XE has a wide screen that can handle a variety of material, a QWERTY keyboard so students can write short answers or even math equations as well as the expected true-false, yes-no and multiple choice responses. It weighs 4 ounces, the receiver can accommodate up to 100 students and the XE fits right into Smart’s Notebook software

Meet Mobi

What good is a student response system if the results can only be viewed on your PC, tying you to a desk. The latest in student response technology is eInstruction’s Interwrite Mobi, a two-part system that combines a tablet for the teacher and smaller Learner handsets for students to tap in their answers. The teacher’s tablet has a 2.4-inch color display for viewing full-class averages or individual student responses and a 6.3- by 8-inch active area for writing comments. Capable of working with Windows, Mac and Linux computers, Mobi can operate up to 15-feet from its host computer. A starter pack that includes a Mobi tablet, two Learner tablets, a charging dock and software costs $1,150, while extra teacher and student tablets cost $399 and $349, respectively. 
 

In Touch With Student Response

Looking for a student response system that sends questions to students as well as their answers to teachers? iResond’s Touch can send and receive data wirelessly and display it on the handheld’s 160 by 160 pixel screen.  Along with the company’s Dashboard software, Touch has the ability to present kids with multiple choice, true/false, fill-in and other queries. It can even handle short essays as well as electronically taking attendance and handing in homework. Prices start at about $1,200 per unit.
Specs: touch-sensitive screen, 160 by 160 pixel screen,
Bottom line: iRespond’s Touch beams questions to students and answers to teachers.

Engage and Prosper

Pearson today introduced its innovative Engage Response System today at the FETC show in Orlando. Developed with Renaissance Learning, Engage is capable of being integrated with the company’s Prosper assessment software, creating a complete tool for teachers to fully assess student progress. Students can answer with a number, yes-no, true-false or with letters A through E for multiple choice questions. An Engage classroom kit starts at $2,200.
More info is available at the Engage site