<p>I saw these on a Discovery channel special and apparently my Physics 240 lecture uses them. <a href="http://showcase.itcs.umich.edu/pages/remotes/%5B/url%5D">http://showcase.itcs.umich.edu/pages/remotes/</a> I was just wondering if anyone who had 240 found them to be useful to the learning process.</p>
<p>I took Astronomy 102 during the spring semester, and I think we used an older version of the "clicker." They're helpful, but they're also annoying. They were a hassle to take care of sometimes (picking them up and putting them away each class period, etc. - especially since I had back to back classes which were not close to each other), and there was always the chance that someone else would accidently pick up the wrong clicker (one which was not assigned to him/her at the beginning of the year...) or would not work on a random day.</p>
<p>What do you mean by hard to pick up and put away? Did you not have a backpack? They look like the size of a small calculator. On the site it says that you have to enter your UMID at the beginning of every lecture, but mid-lecture someone could pick the wrong one up. Did you have the really old ones I saw on TV? You had to point them directly at sensors in the room and many of the students looked like they had to press the button a number of times before they would work.</p>
<p>Just seems kind of neat. Like a few years ago when some California schools were giving iPaqs to their students for this sort of thing. Students didn't need to raise their hand, but instead typed questions for the teacher to see. Less embarassment for stupid questions I guess.</p>
<p>We had to leave them in class and had really old ones. (When you're in a hurry, it can be a pain.) We also had to use the same device so they would know who made which response and who was responsible for which device. We didn't imput our IMIDs. Plus, my instructors for that course would sometimes put up questions at the very end of class that used the clickers. I needed all the time I could have to get to my next class.</p>
<p>I also think they are a cool way to interact with the entire class. (It was fun to see what everyone else thought after the answers were collected on the screen.) However, I also think they have their drawbacks.</p>
<p>I see. That really suck if you are held to the last moment. Do lectures usually run long? If they do, is it rude to walk out on a lecture even if you have to get to your next class? If this is the case, would profs like to know so they don't get offended? Or couldn't they care less to even know who you are? :)</p>
<p>It really depends on how large the class is. If it's a smaller class, the prof. will notice and would probably get annoyed. (The smaller the class size the higher the chance that the instructor will get to know you personally... However, you can still get to know the instructors of larger classes if you take the initiative.) However, in a larger class, he/she will probably just see a student leaving early. (My astronomy class had a large class size for the lectures amd small ones for the discussions. I only had problems with the lectures.) If it's only 5-10 min., I doubt that the instructor would care unless the material being covered is really important. I'm sure the latter case would irritate the profs. I tried to gauge whether or not the clickers would be used and whether or not I could get the info from the textbook before I would leave early (when I did do so). However, I did warn my instructor when I had to leave earlier than that (for tests in my next class). If you're in a discussion or a smaller class, I'd warn the instructor whenever you need to leave early.</p>
<p>Usually, lectures do not run overtime. The instructors are good about checking the time. However, once in a while you'll have a class that will run overtime. and unfortunately for me, astronomy could be one of those classes. Instructors do enjoy getting to know their students, but the tone is more general (to everyone) in a lecture setting. (The getting to know you part takes place during office hours.) A few people usually will end up leaving class early during lectures.</p>