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The Modern Middle East: Using Poll Everywhere in a History Survey Course

The following is a guest post by Sarah Shields. Professor Shields teaches history at UNC concentrating on "The Modern Middle East." She shares her ongoing experiences with teaching a large survey course on her blog, Teaching the Modern Middle East.

 

 

I had been on research leave for months, but I still couldn't stop thinking about how to conduct a big lecture class in a way that was consistent with my teaching philosophy.  A colleague told me about clickers; and I was intrigued with the idea of using a classroom response system, but I couldn't figure out how it would fit into a history course. What kinds of questions could I ask?


Over the years, I have come to question the large lecture course as a way to teach the skills we want history students to acquire. We can tell them things, show them how to explain what happened in the past and why it matters, but the very act of lecturing seems antithetical to teaching critical thinking and analytical skills.  The best we can do is show them how we, the historians, arrived at our conclusions.   Science educators concluded long ago that students only learn science when they actually do science. I wanted to give students an opportunity to struggle with the kinds of issues historians face, to engage them in the process of figuring out how to decide which sources we rely on and which narratives we emphasize.


After talking with UNC's Center for Faculty Excellence, I decided to try Poll Everywhere. Although I knew that it could not create a whole new kind of critical learning structure, I hoped it could keep students engaged and help them think about the big questions--instead of just learning the desired answers.


As I have progressed through the semester, I have discovered ways I can use this technology to give students more of a voice in the classroom.  Here’s what I’m doing:

Each lecture, I use Poll Everywhere at least twice:

  • At the beginning I take attendance (their phones are registered) by asking the students to respond to a multiple choice trivia-style question about the Middle East
  • At the end I post a slide for the students to text their questions.  I have been getting more questions--and more complex questions--this semester than ever before, often questions that anticipate the next lecture.

As I rethink my old lectures, I have tried to focus more on big issues than on narrating events:

  • I often ask students to consider options or alternative ways historical actors might have dealt with things in the past; e.g. how could the Great Powers have reconciled their colonial interests in the Middle East with their promises of self-government? This allows the students to contemplate the options as they would have appeared in 1918, and to bring the things they learned earlier about the Ottoman Empire, the Middle East, and the Great Powers to bear on the "current" problem.
  • Sometimes, I ask students to talk with each other in pairs or small groups, then text their responses to Poll Everywhere.  The students seem fascinated with reading each others' responses, gaining a sense of alternative possibilities and having an opportunity to consider new ideas.  
  • When I post student responses on my blog, I use wordle. In one question, I asked my students to figure out how Great Britain could reconcile two apparently conflicting promises contained in their mandate for Palestine after World War I: Arab self-government and a national home for the Jews.  Their responses:

Word_cloud

Other Findings

  • Students' participation through Poll Everywhere has also emboldened them to speak out without using the technology--though volunteering to speak in front of more than 200 students remains a daunting prospect for many.
  • The success of Poll Everywhere in my classroom has encouraged me to seek out other technologies to enhance engagement and learning for my students.
  • The new technology has not created the equivalent of a lab for history students, but it is making my students engage more actively with the problems of historical interpretation, analytical reasoning, and the critical analysis of sources.

 

I welcome suggestions for other ways I might use this technology in history courses.

 

 

Good News for Promethean ActivBoard and ActivInspire Users!

The latest version of Promethean's ActivInspire software now supports the ability to embed HTML in your Flipcharts ... so what? Well, that means you can now easily integrate Poll Everywhere with your Promethean interactive whiteboard!

Here's how:

First, you want to make sure you've updated to the latest version of ActivInspire (1.6.47432 at the time of this post). You can do this by opening the help menu and selecting 'Check for updates...'

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Next, you'll need to grab the necessary embed code for your poll. This can be found under the 'Share and Publish' menu when viewing a poll by clicking the 'Blog or webpage' link. You're going to want to copy the code for the 'Live Chart Widget.' (Note: The width and height parameters of the poll are contained in this object. You may need to adjust these to make the poll legible when embedded in your Flipchart.)

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Now, open the Insert menu in ActivInspire and select 'Embedded HTML' from the 'Link' section. Then just paste the code copied from the 'Live Chart Widget'. Notice in this example we've changed the height and width parameters to be larger, so our chart won't be too small when embedded in the Flipchart.

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Success! The embedded poll will receive and display live votes as long as you have an internet connection.

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You can edit the embedded object in ActivInspire by clicking the blue bar or clicking and dragging to select it. This will allow you to move, resize, and adjust the object's properties.

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What Threat Do For-profit Universities Pose?

With the growth of for-profit colleges and universities has come growing criticism regarding their recruitment practices, their quality of education, as well as their graduation rates, to name a few.  Many traditional universities have come to see for-profits as a threat to their enrollments, and they have come under heavy scrutiny by higher education regulators and the federal government.  Critics have gathered additional ammunition with the release of a 2011 U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) report, which casts for-profit universities in a negative light.  Recent comments by Senator Tom Harkin have indicated that for-profits face a contentious battle and closer examination.
This topic has created a lot of heated discussions from those on both sides of the issue.  Are for-profit colleges and universities truly a threat to traditional universities or do they, as they vehemently argue, provide opportunity to a portion of the population that is largely ignored by traditional universities?
There is no denying the growth that for-profit universities have enjoyed.  According to the Almanac for Higher Education 2011, the numbers are remarkable as seen in this chart.
The University of Phoenix and Kaplan Higher Education Schools are two of the for-profit universities with the highest enrollment.  Despite the criticism levied from traditional brick-and-mortar schools, for-profits argue that they serve a segment of the population that is largely ignored by non-profits.  These groups include, older students, stay-at-home parents, veterans, and those employed full time that just are not looking for the college experience that campus life may offer younger enrollees.  For-profit universities appeal to the student that would normally be denied admittance to a traditional university since for-profit admission's policy is less restrictive.
The debate rages, but the reality that for-profits face, includes greater inquiry from legislators that can't be denied.  For-profit universities have a long history in our country, and have filled a training need for much of a population seeking higher education since the 1600's.  Their future status, however, is under attack and their sustainability may require changes in their methods.  The question remains: Are for-profit universities truly a threat to higher education?

 

SOPA PIPA and the Classroom Use of Digital Media

Media_httpuploadwikim_ncfih
Wednesday's blackouts by companies like Wikipedia and Reddit have raised much needed awareness about the Stop Online Privacy Act and the Protect IP Act. If you would like to do your part to support freedom of speech and prevent internet censorship, please visit americancensorship.org. As the debate continues, let's take some time to review the current state of digital media in the classroom.

The Internet provides access to a vast source of information, some of which ends up in classrooms. Multimedia projects have become a popular addition to classroom assignments. Their use, however, raises questions about the legal and ethical use of images, video, and audio obtained from the Internet. What are the limitations and restrictions to the use of media in the classroom? What are teachers allowed to use for instruction and what are students allowed to use for classroom projects? These questions and their answers need to be considered by teachers to avoid messy copyright violations.

Teachers can visit the site of the United States Copyright Office to read about the law that should be followed in the use of digital media. Although the site is full of legalese, there are a number of other sites that provide a quick reference chart for classroom use. Teachers should make students aware that not everything on the web is free to copy, download, and use at their discretion. Although education has been given a somewhat greater leniency with regard to the use of copyrighted material through fair use, it is vital that teachers know what those limitations are.

Teachers should encourage students to search and utilize media that is within the public domain or with creative commons licenses that provide freedom of use explicitly stated by the author. The exploration, ideas, and creativity of students does not need to be stifled by copyright laws, instead they can be redirected and schooled in the ethical use of material originated by others.

 

Some Practical Applications from Educators

The end of the year gives us a chance to recap a year of innovation, as well as recharge for a strong, six-month push to the end of school year. Whether a teacher, parent, or student, check out some tech education issues, catch up on educators in the classroom, or add to your digital backpack with some tech tools!

Sample Poll from Article
The blog post, Musing Mathematically gives a great example of content-area-specific uses for Poll Everywhere : "What is the slope of a line passing through (-6,6) and (-4,0)?"  When the focus of a professional development meeting switched to SMS text message polling, this math teacher explored the Poll Everywhere site and quickly found the ease with which polls are created. Best of all, this post outlines "Five Benefits" derived from using Poll Everywhere in the math class that can easily be translated to any subject area.

Economics textbook
The ideas continue with Musings about Teaching Economic.  An Economics teacher suggests Poll Everywhere as a backchannel using the sites open-ended format.  An instructor prompts students to submit questions or comments during a lecture, which can be included in the lesson either in real time or when the instructor chooses.   A backchannel also provides an opportunity for student-to-student discussions, all occurring before their eyes.  It provides the ability to interact with all students texting in or provide a collective experience for distance learning.  This is a great suggestion that can help a teacher get a sense of how well students are understanding a lesson.


Interested?  Watch this demo on creating a poll and receiving results.  This video goes beyond the free version that many teachers currently use; so if you've ever wondered what a paid plan would include, then check this out.  From registering participants for assessment purposes to creating spreadsheets for data comparison over a period of time, this video can give you that info.

Fairfax Times
 A teacher in Virginia made the news in the Fairfax Times! Frank Franz of Madison High School posed a question of the day to begin his class and had his students respond by texting responses via their cell phones.   Using Poll Everywhere, Mr. Franz displayed his question and the entire class watched as responses were displayed on the screen in front of them.  His motivation is about "Attracting students’ attention and getting them to focus early in the class," and students have responded positively through engagement and connection with his lessons.

Mr. Franz wasn't the only tech savvy teacher featured in the Fairfax Times, two Hayfield Secondary School teachers, Ken Halla and Deirdre Forgione, are using blogs to connect with students.  Mr. Halla has increased his students' engagement by incorporating blogs on history and government in his lessons.  Ms. Forgione uses blogs and Twitter to display and promote her students' artwork to others.

Technology is a tool that teachers can use to capture the interests of students. Once interested, technology can be used to transform passive students to active students that are taking responsibility for their learning through the analysis, manipulation, and presentation of their skills.

 

Battling Bans

Texting
Two teachers, Lisa Nielsen and Willyn Webb, have united to coauthor a book, Teaching Generation Text: Using Cell Phones to Enhance Learning. Fighting the ongoing battle of cell phone classroom bans, Webb has integrated cell phone use to enhance her instruction.  She silently pushed the restrictions by adding cell phone activities in her lessons, and quickly found them to be engaging tools for her students.  Her successful implementation eventually won over her principal.

Nielsen's obstacles are greater in a citywide, school cell phone ban imposed by local government.  Nielsen argues that schools are missing out on the resources available on the web, many of which can bridge the digital divide between the haves and the have-not schools.  She identifies Poll Everywhere as one of those resources that schools can be substituting for expensive clicker response systems.  She also has found administrative uses for cell phones.

This article reminds us that teachers are looking for innovative and creative ways to provide instruction daily.  Cell phones are a practical means to achieve that goal.  Allowing teachers to incorporate them in lessons provides another way to increase student achievement and empower teachers.

 

University Use of Mobile Technology

Conference

During a recent joint conference in Atlanta Georgia of the Professional and Organizational Development Network (POD) and Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU), Poll Everywhere was the tool of choice to create a more engaging atmosphere.  POD Network President, Phyllis Dawkins of Dillard University, sought out ways to interact with the audience during her presidential address.  The results of Poll Everywhere were exported to a Wordle cloud and a brief analysis was done as part of her address.  It provided an excellent means to engage over 600 people in the room.

Henry Findlay, President of the HBCU Faculty Development Network followed up with a speech on the use of cell phones in the teaching of statistics.  The use of mobile technology is growing in all levels of education as more and more educators acknowledge it effectiveness to reach students.

 

Attitude Switch

Tracks

This is an insightful article by Eric Sheninger.  Mr. Sheninger is the principal at New Milford High School in New Jersey and writes about how his attitude on the value of Web 2.0 tools in schools has dramatically shifted from one of wariness to one of promotion. He candidly admits once enforcing restrictions to technology that many districts implement today and explains how he came to move from that position.

Although school districts, within the past few years, have made great financial investments in technology, these purchases have come with restrictions that have made it very difficult for teachers and students to properly utilize the devices to their potential.  In fact, many districts proudly point to their purchases as evidence of their commitment to 21st century learning.  The question remains, is a purchase evidence of a commitment or is it merely an interest? 

Mr. Sheninger has moved beyond interest and truly committed his district to developing 21st century learning with his students.  He has also reached out to the district's stakeholders with this same commitment and has engaged them through Twitter and Facebook.  His philosophy on the use of social media in schools is refreshing and perhaps can help other districts develop a greater level of comfort with their own technology uses.  Additionally, he has promoted the use of Poll Everywhere as a tool to engage and create enthusiasm in students.  As part of this article, Mr. Sheninger provides a link to an event where he speaks to this issue.  Not only is this article a must-read, this video is a must-see!

 

Are College Students Plugged In?

Mobile_devices

The topic of emerging technology has spawned numerous university courses examining its reach and possibilities.  The M-Project is a pilot mobile learning course that connects students in universities in Germany and Spain, initiated and taught by Professors Camacho and Buchem. Professor Buchem used Poll Everywhere to help gather information on her students' mobile web use.  She noted that the ability to poll students via computers and smartphones was easy, as well as engaging for her students.  Her plan is to compare the live Poll Everywhere results with larger studies to gain insight on the use of mobile web and monitor changes over the course of the semester. 

Reaching out to students by conducting formative assessments is easily done with Poll Everywhere.  Check out the results and see how students in Germany use technology and how their use compares to your own.

"43% never uses Facebook, Twitter or Social Networks via their mobile devices"

Are they as plugged in as U.S. students?

 

Photo by Niels Heidenreich

 

Providing the Missing Link

Link
The University of Ohio has provided its departments a grant opportunity aimed at improving education through the use of technology.  This improvement looks to a number of issues, including providing educational opportunities to students "anyplace/ anytime."  Poll Everywhere is one of the tools being used in the University's pilot program for Stat145. 

Students within this statistics course are permitted to attend class either face-to-face, online with real-time broadcasted lectures, or recorded lectures viewed at their convenience.  An integral part of this course is the interaction of online students with the lecture in progress.  Poll Everywhere has provided that link for students online through their ability to deliver comments and questions to the professor during lectures.  This communication is made accessible through Poll Everywhere's online and text methods. 

 

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