LIBERTY - With a quick press of the finger, students in Ryan Philibin's sixth-grade science class can quietly and privately answer the questions posted on the screen in the front of their classroom.
The students fill in the blanks by choosing one of four possible answers.
''Everybody has a chance to answer,'' said 12-year-old Salam Picard. "It's good practice. I think it actually helps us because you know right away how well you did.''
Last year, with money made available through a $120,000 STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) state grant, Liberty School District purchased the student response system TurningPoint from Turning Technologies of Youngstown for various programs.
Philibin has been using the system since fall to help his students at W.S. Guy Middle School learn some basic science facts.
''It works,'' Philibin said. ''It's like a video game, something they can be competitive at, but not be embarrassed if they get the wrong answers. No one but the teacher has to know whether they got it right or wrong. It's fun. It makes them want to learn more.''
The students enjoy it so much that it's not unusual for them to ask Philibin as they file into class whether they'll be using their clickers today. The clickers, technically known as Response Card Keypads, are the palm-sized remote controls students use to register their answers. They look a lot like hand-held calculators. Students simply choose an answer, point the keypad and click. Their answers are recorded and remain confidential.
''I like the fact that no one knows, except Mr. Philibin, what my answer is,'' said Sydney Kocher, 12. ''It's nice because if you do get it wrong, none of the other kids know that.''
Todd Craig, K-12 salesman at Turning Technologies, said the technology has been catching on at schools across the Mahoning Valley. Other school districts in Trumbull County, including Lakeview, Niles, Girard, Bristol and Warren, along with Austintown, Canfield, Poland and Boardman in Mahoning County, use some form of the technology in their classrooms.
Additionally, Craig said about 50 percent of the colleges and universities across the country use similar systems, and the technology has caught on in K-12 school systems across the state.
The technology engages students individually while involving the entire class. It also gives teachers a powerful assessment tool that collects real-time student responses and has the potential to dramatically improve productivity and results, Philibin said. It also gives a voice to the quiet students who aren't likely to raise their hands, participate in classroom discussions or volunteer answers, he noted.
''It really helps me because I can see who knows what and who doesn't,'' Philibin said. ''It leaves less to the imagination. Some kids are pretty good at looking like they're paying attention and looking like they know what they're doing. You just move on not realizing they really don't understand something and that they need more help.''
Kathie Carlile, grants, curriculum and education technology director at Liberty, credits the district's use of the technology with an increase in classroom participation among students.
''I think it's wonderful and the feedback we've received from students is tremendous,'' she said. ''It challenges them in a whole new way, yet it doesn't overwhelm them. They look forward to coming to school, to being in class. That's a good thing.''
For 11-year-old Courtney Weimer, using the clickers is nothing short of ''intense.''
"You try to hurry and get it right. Sometimes I do; sometimes I don't. But it's OK. I just really like getting the right answer,'' she said.
