Technology plays an ever bigger role inside
and outside classrooms. Algorithms have been particularly
successful as anti-plagiarism and anti-anti plagiarism tools. Meanwhile, multinational innovators
like Apple and Google redefine education by transforming text books
into learning modules or by creating social media
enhanced study environments.
One of the more recent teaching innovations is
the app "Understoodit" which allows lecturers to track
classroom confusion in real-time. Instead of giving feedback when
all classes have finished, students can vote via smartphones,
tablets and laptops during the lecture whether they understood the
material or not.
Real data from large
classrooms
Liam Kaufman who created the app argues that
this is especially useful when classes are taught in big lecture
halls. "It's anonymous, so it lets students communicate whether
they're getting the lecture or not, because once a class has 60 or
70 students, hardly anyone raises their hand. It's also helpful for
students who don't speak English as a first language, and it works
through the browser on your iPhone, laptop or tablet so there's no
cost."
Teachers have already picked up on the service with first
experiments starting at Harvard, Stanford and co. A teacher at Duke
University describes his experience: "I stand for more than an hour
in front of a class delivering information, but usually the first
sign there's a problem is when a trail of students follows me after
class with questions. How much better would it be for me to know
right at the time? I try to study faces looking for quizzical
looks. So to get real data would be great. I'm a psychologist, not
a psychic."