‘Clickers’ let teachers see who’s really learning

Hand-held electronic devices for children may catch a lot of flak. But the little plastic keypad that Jill Hanford’s sixth-graders use is revolutionizing the way she teaches her classes.

Hanford swears by the "clicker," a device that looks like a remote control but functions as a silent link between Hanford and her students. The clicker lets students answer Hanford’s questions simultaneously and allows her to see what proportion of the class understood the concept.

The device keeps the whole class engaged. And "it’s fun," said sixth-grader Sydney Dominguez, a student in Hanford’s math class at Amity Elementary School in West Boise. "Also, it’s way easier than having to raise your hand, and you don’t have to share your answer with the whole class, so you won’t get embarrassed."

Classroom Performance System http://www.mhhe.com/cps/whatiscps.shtml

By ANNE WALLACE ALLEN

Full Story: http://www.magicvalley.com/articles/2008/09/27/ap-state-id/d93etlqo0.txt