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Technology may be able to help instructors make lectures and other class
activities more engaging. This cohort is using the Classroom Performance
System, a hand held remote input polling system, to gather student input
during lectures and other activities.
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Technology has existed in the classroom in various forms for years. From VCR's and overhead projectors to computer games and the World Wide Web, teachers have found unique ways to use technology that have continuously improved its integration in the classroom. While much of the computer use in classrooms involves a student simply sitting in front of a computer screen interacting with a software program, the Classroom Performance System cohort is working to make technology use more engaging and more involved for students.
The cohort is focused on researching a new type of technology for classrooms, the Classroom Performance System (CPS). The CPS is a computer system used in conjunction with PowerPoint. The teacher can pose questions to the class on the PowerPoint screen that students can respond to with individual keypads. Teachers can then print out the results and, if necessary, print out teaching aides to help students with difficult topics. "You get immediate feedback from each student and you can track their learning," said Steven White, professor in the School of Education and faculty advisor for the Classroom Performance System cohort. "There's all sorts of research potential here."
Steven has used various types of technology in the classes he teaches at KU, but he became interested in studying the use of CPS after learning about it at a conference. One of his graduate students was also interested in technology and agreed to try the CPS in his fifth grade classroom. Since integrating the CPS into this class, the school has purchased a set of CPS units of their own to incorporate in all the classrooms. "One comment the teacher made is that the students are very excited and so that's motivational," Steven said. "If you can keep them on task then the chances of them learning the material [are] higher. That's what we're hoping to prove with our research."
So far, the CPS has presented several benefits as a supplement to typical classroom teaching methods. Like any type of technology, there are multiple ways of using CPS units in classes, which allows teachers flexibility in incorporating CPS units into their lesson plans. Also, the PowerPoint presentations used with CPS units present questions and answers in multiple-choice formats, which is the same way that standardized tests are organized. "In a way, they're teaching test-taking skills," Steven said.
Classroom Performance System units may also be beneficial beyond elementary and middle school classrooms. Steven said he has used the units in his graduate level classes at KU and that his students were as excited about the technology as the fifth-graders. "There are multiple ways of integrating technology," he said. "I try to model how to use technology effectively…using the CPS units is just one way."
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