This software is used with CPS hardware called "student response pads" (otherwise known as "clickers"). One can use the software to develop class rosters, gradebooks, and much more. Each student is then assigned a numbered student response pad to use during instruction. For example, Student A would be assigned a clicker numbered one. Student B may be given number two and Student C could be assigned #3.After each student has been given a numbered student response pad, educators then have options for using CPS during instruction. The first option is to go into "Verbal Mode" where one can ask multiple-choice or true/false questions and have the students input their answers using the clickers. This is a fantastic option for teachers who don't want to plan or upload assignments into CPS beforehand and just want to use the software freely.
The second way to use CPS software is to type or upload assignments into the program and have students use the clickers to answer the questions. The program will then provide feedback on how the students scored and will even grade the assignments uploaded. Though this takes more planning than using "Verbal Mode", it does cut down on the amount of time spent grading or providing feedback for students since it does those things for you.
CPS is one of the most wonderful pieces of software/hardware that I've ever used in the classroom. The students always get super-pumped when we use the student response pads because they feel actively-involved in the lessons. Additionally, CPS is a terrific resource for educators because it provides instantaneous feedback of how the students are absorbing the content being taught. For instance, if you notice that several students are struggling on a certain topic, you can spend more time explaining it and take advantage of the teachable moment. Likewise, if you see that the majority of the students are getting ALL the questions correct, you can then determine the content is either well-covered or too easy. Then, you can move on to something more challenging or to a different concept altogether.
CPS software helps me meet my instructional goals because I can easily assess how the students are performing on given objectives in the lesson. Also, an essential part of teaching is providing feedback in a timely fashion. Using CPS, as I stated above, gives students feedback instantly and lets them know how they're scoring.
Another instructional goal I emphasize is differentiating my instruction so that all students are given an equal chance to learn in a positive learning environment. Using this technology, I feel that I meet the needs of several different learning styles including Kinesthetic (hands-on) and Visual.
Lastly, a final goal I set for myself is to constantly motivate students to learn and be active learners at that. Since my students absolutely love using this software, I feel I reach this goal when using CPS. I literally have students arguing over who is going to help me operate the CPS software on the Smart Board when I use it in class (hitting buttons and stuff like that). Therefore, it's obvious to me that CPS is something the students look forward to using and, if they had it their way, we'd use CPS on a daily basis.
Now allow me to discuss some triumphs and challenges I've encountered with using CPS software. First, let me say that I consider myself a novice user of this program, as I only recently started using it and haven't really experimented with it much. With this in mind, I only used the "Verbal Mode" option in class. Therefore, one challenge I've faced is not uploading lessons and assignments effectively in CPS. I tried to upload a test once and couldn't get it to work correctly. This is definitely something I would like to change when I use CPS next year in class. Something else I'd like to change is in the amount of time I spend using this software. Last year I used CPS about 2 or 3 times each week. I would like to at least double that number to the point where I'm using CPS constantly in class.
Having said that, I also had a lot of good experiences with this software. I figured out how to show graphs of the results of student answers to questions during my instruction. The students really enjoyed seeing the amount of correct answers and the number of incorrect choices. Plus, it was easy to incorporate math skills into the lessons because I could ask students to read graphs, tell me the difference between certain scores, and so forth. Since I'm always seeking ways to motivate my students, I turned this into a challenge by saying things like, "If more than 5 people miss this question, we're going to do 5 more problems just like it!"
To sum this blog up, let me say one more time that CPS can definitely bring of a lot of joy to both teachers and students if used in a classroom. Just like many other types of educational software/hardware out there, it will take some time to get acquainted with using CPS, but it's worth the time up front because CPS can save teachers so much time in the end. If you scroll back to the top of the blog, you'll see that the word "eInstruction" is underlined. It looks that way because I linked that word to eInstruction's website that discusses the Classroom Performance System. If you have any questions, I'm sure that website will have a ton of additional information for you to review.
PS- Look how happy the kid in green is...don't you want your students to look like that? ;)
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