This was the second multi-mouse platform that was made available to me. I have been using this software now since June 2009. It is the best Student Response System (SRS) that I have come across. It far surpasses anything else I have seen in regards to features and functionality. It is still in its development stage so I can't share the software. Hopefully Microsoft will release a beta version in the middle of January 2010.
After all Mice are activated and the teacher enters the password, a screen appears which allows you to select any lesson you have created.
The teacher then selects a class which is easily customisable to accommodate any student names.
I now have many classes using this. Also, I have set it up for English Based Activities, Maths Based Activities etc.
The children then get to select their very own cursor. These cursors are excellent as they are easily identifiable by individual students as they are different colours, letters or numbers and point indifferent dirrections. Usually, students select the cursor that begins with their name. I've had to add a few extra cursors of the same letter for those students who have names starting with the same letter.
In the next screen, children get to select their name from the list. Then the lesson can begin.
It was developed to be primarily used in developing nations as they don't have the funds for children to access technology. The benefits of its use in our classrooms during 2009 has been amazing. The children in my class were so excited as they were the first class in Australia to use this experimental software. Everyone who has seen it agrees that it far surpasses any Student Response System that they have seen. CEO sponsored me to build a simultaneous multi user Interface. 25 wireless mice with a 15 metre range capable of concurrency and simultaneous individual use, all hooked up to one lap top. The learning curve over the past year has been HUGE!!! My whiteboard can now accommodate my whole class with individual cursors for each student that track and score their progress. They can all click and drag objects simultaneously - all 25 students, draw simultaneously, use on screen keyboards and numeric keypads simultaneously to enter data on the screen in their individual workspaces, vote on multiple choice questions using their wireless mouse by using the mouse buttons eg left click = A, right click = B, middle click = C, left/right click = D etc. I've been so busy with this project that it has taken up so much of my spare time. It has been hectic but I reckon I have the 1st true collaborative multiuser interface in an Australian classroom which is now virtually a plug and play set up in the size of a shoe box. I found the best thing about this is that once I got more than 2 students using the traditional IWB out the front, the rest of the class couldn't see what was happening. This new system allows every student to interact simultaneously from their desks, no one blocks the screen, you don't have to waste time as kids wait to take turns and it is so much more engaging.
Class set of Mice on desks ready for distribution.
Presentation to Education Lecturers at Southern Cross University.
No comments:
Post a Comment