GPS, More Display Options Now Available on Clicker
A
new version of the PingPong classroom response system
is designed to allow
teachers to make better use of the notes they take on the system, log in
for
use in a specific classroom and use more display options.
With
the
existing PingPong "clicker," teachers can ask students questions that
can
then be answered on their own mobile devices (with a mobile app) in
several
ways, including multiple choice, true/false or with short selected
answers. The
accumulated responses can then be displayed in graph form on a screen at
the
front of the classroom.
Updates
to the apps include:
- A
firmer
integration with Evernote that will allow teachers to share, highlight and
review with students the notes that they make. They can also save
classroom
activities on Evernote for use or reference at a later time.
- A
GPS that
allows teachers and students to use the app in multiple classrooms
without
having to use a room code to log in each time they move from location to
location.
- A
wider
variety of display options beyond the previous circle graphs, including
bar
graphs and thumbnails.
- A
Quick Menu
that will allow users to make adjustments to how they display content on
the
screen.
Made
by Waterbear Soft, the
company's founder, Young-ji Ma, said the upgrades were
in response to feedback from teachers who have used PingPong.
"We
put
our heads together to come up with ways to help students become more
creative, inquisitive and better at solving problems," Ma
said.
PingPong
already
offered a timer function, the ability for the teacher to randomly
select students to present their content on a screen at the front of the
room,
and a feature to pick winners of contests.
The
PingPong
app is available at no cost in the iTunes and Play stores.
About the Author
Michael Hart is a Los Angeles-based freelance writer and the former executive editor of THE Journal.