i>clicker Intros Web-based Clicker
- By Dian Schaffhauser
- 03/22/10
i>clicker has created a new student response mechanism that runs through a Web browser.
web>clicker allows students with any device that runs a standard Web browser to vote using laptops, PDAs, and cell phones. To help with accessibility, web>clicker provides screen reader applications and the ability for the instructor to pre-load questions, thus helping those with visual or auditory impairments.
A clicker allows faculty to elicit feedback from students in the classroom. Traditional clickers are small devices that allow the student to "vote" or answer multiple-choice questions anonymously, as they're posted to a display or screen by the instructor.
"Making web>clicker available to students who have multiple disabilities, whether it is a visual impairment or a physical impairment, has opened up a lot of possibilities," said Carlos Taylor, adaptive computer technology specialist at Muncie, IN's Ball State University. "Because students with these impairments can interact with the computer by using any number of software or hardware devices, having the Web interface of web>clicker, along with the accessibility measures put in place when it was being built, allows them to participate in the class alongside the other students. If they can use the computer, they can use web>clicker."
"When you think of people with disabilities first, you tend to make products better for the whole population," said Renee Altier, general manager at i>clicker. "From the initial design of the large buttons on the handheld remote to our vibrating clickers, we are committed to making our products accessible for everyone."
About the Author
Dian Schaffhauser is a former senior contributing editor for 1105 Media's education publications THE Journal, Campus Technology and Spaces4Learning.