Teaching with TurningPoint
Transform your classroom lecture into an interactive and engaging learning environment with TurningPoint Student Response System. Also known as "clicker" technology, student response systems enable instructors to more easily gauge students' understanding of course material. Check reading assignments with short quizzes in class and encourage participation from those quiet students in the back of the room.
How Students Get Clickers
At UNT, three models have emerged to get clickers in students’ hands:
- The department purchases clickers from TurningPoint and loans them out to students for the duration of the course. UNT has a preferred pricing agreement with TurningPoint.
- The department purchases clickers from TurningPoint with course fees and gives the students the clickers. UNT has a preferred pricing agreement with TurningPoint.
- Student purchase clickers from the UNT bookstore. The bookstore charges $40 for a new clicker, $30 for a used clicker, and buys clickers back from students for $20. Contact Patti Williams (X3191) at the UNT bookstore to order clickers for your class.
Please note that TurningPoint does not bundle their clickers with textbooks.
ResponseWare Technology for Mobile Devices
Instructors may offer their students the option of using an iPhone, iPod touch, Blackberry or laptop as their response device. With student use of ResponseWare, professors can present a question during the lecture and have students respond in real-time using a WiFi or cellular data connection. ResponseWare instantly routes the students’ responses to the instructor’s computer via the internet. Mobiles devices equipped with ResponseWare can be used in a mix-and-match fashion with Turning Technologies response cards. For more information on the software, visit: http://www.turningtechnologies.com/audienceresponseproducts/responseoptions/responseware/
Students who have purchased this option and need support may contact Turning Technologies support desk directly at1-866-746-3015, Monday - Friday, 7am - 9pm EST or by visiting http://www.turningtechnologies.com/responsesystemsupport/.
Before offering your students the ResponseWare option, please consider the following:
- The ResponseWare application may be downloaded for free, but students are required to buy an annual license before it is operable. The annual license may be purchased for $16 with a special code from the http://store.turningtechnologies.com. UNT’s school code is kW3s and this code is case sensitive. Without using the code, the cost is $19.
- Instructors must complete extra steps to allow the student use of the ResponseWare application in their interactive sessions. Instructors will have to generate an Internet session ID in addition to their TurningPoint presentation, distribute the session ID to students who will be using ResponseWare, and maintain an internet connection to retrieve responses. It is necessary to have an account setup for you by CLEAR prior to the class session when students would be using ResponseWare.
- EagleNet, UNT’s WiFi network, is a convenience network. Too much traffic on the UNT network could frustrate students who are depending on it instead of their own cellular data plans to provide their response. A limited signal from some cellular carriers in certain locations on campus may also prevent the effective use of ResponseWare by students in a classroom setting.
Getting Started
- Download Turningpoint Software Note: If you are planning to install software on a machine on campus, please contact your Network Manager. You likely do not have administrative rights to install software, and your network manager will need to assist you. If you are unsure who your network manager is, please consult this list: http://www.unt.edu/helpdesk/netman.htm.
- Attend training or view the tutorials for using TurningPoint (see below).
- The 8 Steps Guide (below) will help you to set up TurningPoint in the classroom. You can view the channel number assigned to the receiver by clicking on the TurningPoint Channel number in the top left corner of the presenter machine. (See screen image below.)
TurningPoint Guides, Manuals, Tutorials
- 8 Steps to Successfully Running TurningPoint 2008 in the Classroom RF (PDF 144KB)
- New Users Guide - TurningPoint 4.1 (PDF 293KB)
- TurningPoint for PC Tutorials
- TurningPoint for Mac Tutorials
- Integrating TurningPoint data with your Blackboard Vista Grade Book (PDF 70KB)
Best Practices Using TurningPoint
- Use an "Ice Breaker" to introduce use of the student response system.
- Include an "Answer Now" prompt to differentiate between lecture slides and interactive polling slides.
- Use a "Correct Answer" indicator to visually identify the appropriate answer.
- Increase responsiveness by using a "Countdown Timer" which will close polling after a set amount of time.
- Not all questions have to have a right answer. Use the response system to reveal opinions and insights.
- Assign point values to questions instead of simply setting them as right or wrong. Use point values to award attendance and/or participation points.
- Use low-stakes quizzing composed of 10 items to make sure that students have done their reading before they come to class.
- Include short bursts of 3-4 questions mixed in with other more traditional presentations and activities to keep your students and participants engaged.
- Respond to meeting or classroom discussions-Insert questions on-the-fly by pressing F5 on your keyboard or selecting the arrow next to the on-the-fly icon in the TurningPoint ShowBar.
- TurningPoint is SMART Aware. This means that if you have a SMART Board interactive whiteboard in your classroom, you can just pick up your pens and start annotating over your slides. For more information refer to your SMART Board user guides.
- Change TurningPoint's default settings to match your presentation color scheme. Click on the Spectacles icon on the TurningPoint toolbar.
- Add a fun, competitive element-track individual teams, groups, or students using a "Participant List". Add a "Fastest Responder" slide or view group results.
- To find out who has yet to respond to a question, press F7 or F8. This will show a "Response Grid" on screen with ResponseCard keypad numbers and names.
- Track changes in understanding or opinions by asking the same question at the beginning and end or your presentation. See side-by-side results using a "Comparison Slide."
User Community
Turning Technologies' users are passionate and innovative. Shared ideas and strategies improve the quality and effectiveness of learning. TurningTalk is dedicated to providing an open forum for the discussion and sharing of these valuable insights. Join TurningTalk - A Social Learning Community For Users of Turning Technologies Products and Services.
Accessibility Guidelines
Who to Contact
| For Training and Development: Dr. Jennifer Phillips Next Generation Course Redesign™ Specialist (940) 369-8129 Jennifer.Phillips@unt.edu |
For Technical Support: OR
|
||||