With the use of mobile devices such as tablets, smartphones and laptops transforming the 21st century classroom, teachers and professors around the world are looking to streamline and revolutionize the way they present content and interact with students. To meet this demand for Education 2.0, Waterloo technology startup NetClick today announced the release of its new Cloud-based solution that helps educators transform their lessons and lectures into engaging, interactive classroom experiences in seconds and with use of existing class infrastructure. It is a unique, patent pending service, not available in any other Classroom Response System.
Co-founded by CEO and President Krzysztof Pietroszek, and VP and CIO Darren Abramson, an Associate Professor at Dalhousie University, NetClick is a system built by educators for educators. There’s no need for busy teachers and professors to learn a new presentation system or rewrite content. Educators simply create a NetClick account online, upload their static slide content and within seconds, existing materials are transformed into clickable, interactive content.
Students then see the presenter’s slides both on the projection screen and on their smartphone, laptop, tablet, or any other mobile device. Students use their devices to interact with the slides in real time, enabling a more engaged and participatory classroom experience. Answers to questions posed during the lesson or lecture are displayed in the form of a heat-map or pie chart that is displayed on the spot with the class, or accessible later for review. Student interaction can be anonymous, which helps to encourage participation among shy students, or non-anonymous, which allows interaction to translate into a percentage of final grade.
NetClick provides critical insight into students’ understanding of the material and pinpoints areas of confusion, explains Sue Frantz, instructor at Highline Community College and author of the Technology for Academics blog. “NetClick makes it easy me to upload images and files. When showing a neuron for example, I can ask students to tap on the dendrites or tap on the section that releases neurotransmitters.”
NetClick offers a free two-week trial period with unlimited presentations, as well as a range of pricing options for educators and their students. For more information, or to give the Netclick system a try, visit www.netclick.me. Upcoming presentations of NetClick technology include the upcoming Educational Technology Summit in Toronto and EDUCON 2013 in Berlin.