Real Time Voting: Activity and interactivity in large student groups

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Real Time Voting Activity and interactivity in
large student groups

• Ian G. Stimpson
• Science Faculty Teaching Learning Fellow
• Keele University
• As told to him by Stephen J. Bostock
• Advisor for Technology and LearningKeele
  University

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Teaching large groups

• How can I get all my students to engage in a
  large group?
• How can I get all of them to answer?
• How can I do this without expensive electronic
  voting devices, detectors, software and displays?

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Give them all a cube!

• Students rotate their cube to show a different
  colour for every answer they could give (1 of 5
  options).

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Give them all a cube!

• The students don't need to know the colours, the
  cubes have a number map - they just read the
  number of their choice!
• Cubes with Braille or touch bumps are available
  for blind students.
• It takes 2 minutes to train students (if that).

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Cubes in action
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The results of voting

• Count the coloured squares you see, or estimate
  percentages with larger numbers.

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Why use cubes?

• Student learning requires intellectual activity,
  they need to pay attention, and they need
  feedback.
• In a small group, a teacher can engage attention
  by requiring responses from everyone.
• In large groups, few students volunteer. To
  interact with a large group a teacher needs some
  technology.

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Why use cubes?

• A show of hands allows students to opt out
• Electronic personal response systems (PRS) can
  provide interaction but
• they are expensive
• they need technical support
• they need training for the teacher
• dependent on the technology

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Voting cubes

• Are safe, simple, cheap, and effective
• Don't need a power supply, or a computer
• Don't use technology that may let you down
• fun - students say so!

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Student reaction

• Top three comments
• Gave me feedback on my understanding
• It was fun, made lecture interesting
• Participation, made me think, contribute, be
  involved, express an opinion

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The sell

• IPR Stephen Bostock / Keele University
• Folding Cubes 1.50 VAT
• www.keele.ac.uk/depts/aa/landt/lt/cubes/
• E-mail s.j.bostock_at_keele.ac.uk
• Do you want to see them in action?

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Earthquake Alert

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