Case Study: Hickory High School

Implementation cont..

In addition, Barnhardt uses the Activote to check students’ homework. How? She opens a new flipchart and uses Adhoc voting for students to submit their responses. She found that a 15-second wait is optimal as it gives enough “think time” for all students to process information while minimizing the game of waiting until the last second to key a response.

“Using this method has transformed correcting homework from routine drudgery to an exciting competition of sorts. Many students literally cheer when they respond correctly. I am encouraged as to how well I can motivate students, keep them engaged, and monitor their understanding and progress through the use of the Activote and Activboard,” she said.

The Activote also improves accountability in the classroom for both teachers and students, alike. “Using the Activote, I can better monitor how and what students are learning. It has changed the way I prepare my lessons. If I see that students have a problem with a certain area, we can address that right away. I no longer have to wait until I get the test results to adjust my lesson. It helps with just-in-time teaching. That’s a huge benefit,” she said.

According to Barnhardt, polling students via the Activote is better than doing so with a show of hands, like other teachers do. “When you do a poll with a show of hands, students look around and then raise their hands at what everyone else says. Since the Activote is anonymous, students are held accountable for the content. They’re accountable for every single answer,” she said.
 Another feature Barnhardt appreciates is the ability to use the camera feature to capture pictures on the Web. She often captures pictures from the Exploring Life curricula on the Web, copies the pictures to a flipchart page, and then asks questions based upon the concept in the illustration in each picture. She then exports all the Activote scores to an Excel spreadsheet at the end of the period, and reviews each student’s scores.

Thanks to Barnhardt’s enthusiasm and success with the Activclassroom System, Hickory Public Schools purchased six more Activboards for the high school. Beginning in fall 2003, the Activboards will be used in core curriculum areas as well as Exceptional Education and English as a Second Language.