Wednesday, June 22, 2016
Polleverywhere.com as a Literacy Tool in Class
In terms of learning, the internet is the biggest double-edged sword that we have. The obvious advantage to allowing students to use online texts is the diversity of resources a student may have to learn that topic. A student can supplement a text by following links from an article, looking up a YouTube video to gain a visual, or simply search for another article online for a new explanation. The disadvantage to the internet, as McLaughlin writes in her text, is the massive amounts of data, which is possibly unreliable, that is at a student’s fingertips. As I have seen in class, it is very easy for a student to become overwhelmed and discouraged when confronted with a blank search bar.
Part of a student’s technology literacy is that ability to search through a source and to evaluate a source effectively and efficiently for credibility. In my opinion, the best way to do this is through small groups or class discussion, where the students are able to show me and each other some of the “red flags” of questionable articles. This is where I think the website polleverywhere.com would be excellent. With poll everywhere, a student could find an article to share with the class. The article could then be shown on the projector or as a handout, and students could work in groups to decide if an article is based on scientific evidence, opinion, or a combination of the two. They would then ask students to vote, using a text message which is given on a screen, and the students can then watch the answers pop up live on the screen. Each article could be discussed as a class following the poll results.
An activity like this could be useful because it would teach students to research articles properly, how to quickly tell if an article is biased, an opinion piece, or founded in scientific evidence, which is an important aspect of today’s technological literacy. If a student is unable to differentiate between fact and opinion efficiently and confidently, it could get them into a lot of trouble.
Polleverywhere.com is a great tool for the live polling. However, I have run into problems in the past where students are able to display their interactions anonymously in the classroom. Google Docs have become a medium for “trolling” in my class before, and are now no longer allowed to be used during class time. I could see something similar, although limited to two or three multiple choices. However, if a student is purposefully choosing the wrong answer during class, that could quickly become a problem. I also am hesitant to allow the students to have their phones out during class. That could be a major distraction while the students are trying to work.
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I think this tool sounds like there is a lot of potential in the classroom. As you stated though, with any internet tool there is always a downside. I feel like phones is a battle that I am always fighting in my classroom and allowing them to use their phones perpetuates the issue. I think this tool could really help students understand which resources are valid and which ones are not. Perhaps adaptations could be made in the classroom that mimic the website without using cellphones. Perhaps students could be given red, green and yellow cards. As an article is presented, the students can use the cards to indicate whether they feel that the resource is valid or not or a mixture. I understand that this takes away from the fact that this is an internet based tool but I feel like this would eliminate some of the major issues you listed above.
ReplyDeleteTed, I like that you brought in this system. I have seen old versions of this with clickers in action and was not that impressed. It sounds like you could do a great deal more with this easier system and students are much more adapt at using something like this to communicate. The ability to gain instant feedback from students is a good way to check for understanding and could replace a formative assessment at the end of class. The cell phone out during class is a tough issue. I have seen it work in some classes and be a disaster in others. That may just be one thing that you have to set ground rules and try out. Maybe it works, maybe not. But the wed tool has some great promise
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