VotApedia:
We are immersed in a constant changing world, with the development of technologies and communication becoming the basis to everything we do. Most students come to school being digital natives. As an educator we are seeing a common accessory for students to have their own personal mobile phone or access to the internet. Therefore teachers should engage students in the technology they are exposed to and surround by in day to day life and use it as a tool.
Actively involving students in their learning is vital for increasing student engagement and learning outcomes (Habel 2011). One way in which this can be achieved is through the use of an electronic classroom response system (ECRS). ECRSs have been shown to increase student enjoyment and to provide teachers with feedback on how well students have understood key concepts, enabling teaching to teach accordingly (Habel 2011).
An example of a ECRS is the Votapedia which uses mobile phones as “keypads” and the internet as the receiver and processor of received signals. ECRS are a fantastic tool in the classroom to set up and deploy quizzes and surveys, the possibilities are endless. Votapedia can be used in a classroom setting, to enabling users to vote for specific answers, with the results shown in a bar graph. It is free to set up for teachers, however costs money to call or text a vote for students unless using the online option.
Not only is the use of Votapedia engaging for students in the classroom environment but it also lets students provide a answer in an anonymous way where they will not feel intimated by their peers if they answer the question incorrectly. Students are able to take risks in their learning.
The use of ECRS can be used as a move towards more interactive assessment in an electronic learning environment, with teachers able to measure student engagement and understanding (Maier, 2009). Votapedia is not only effective for teachers to check for student learning but to also be used as an effective reflection on teachers own instruction.
References:
Habel , C. (2011). Votapedia for student engagement in academic integrity and education. The Journal of the Education Research Group of Adelaide, 2(1), 15-25. Retrieved from http://www.adelaide.edu.au/erga/ergo/0201/ergo_v2n1_p15-25.pdf
Maier, H. (2009). Student participation in lectures using mobile phones. 1(1), 1-6. Retrieved from http://aaee.com.au/conferences/AAEE2009/PDF/AUTHOR/AE090041.PDF
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