Page |1 CPS Pulse vs.

Turningpoint Poll in PowerPoint

for use in High School Social Studies Classes

Reviewer: Anna Newton Part I: Software Publication Details

Date: 02/11/2011

A. Title of Main Software: CPS Classroom Performance System specifically, the CPS Pulse student response system. Version: 6.51 Medium: Compact Disk, you can download updates on the internet Year: 2006 published

Publisher: eInstruction Corporation Cost:

With CPS Software* 24-pad CPS Pulse Classpack.......................... $2,095 28-pad CPS Pulse Classpack.......................... $2,395 32-pad CPS Pulse Classpack.......................... $2,695 40-pad CPS Pulse Classpack.......................... $3,295 Additional CPS Pulse pad............................... $84 Additional CPS Pulse CPS Hub Kit .................. $250

With Response Software* 24-pad CPS Pulse Classpack.......................... $1,780 28-pad CPS Pulse Classpack.......................... $2,035 32-pad CPS Pulse Classpack.......................... $2,295 40-pad CPS Pulse Classpack.......................... $2,800 Additional CPS Pulse pad............................... $84 Additional CPS Pulse Response Hub Kit........... $250
URL for Publisher or Website link to software: Publisher Website: http://www.einstruction.com/ Website link to software: http://www.einstruction.com/support/downloads Target Grade(s) /Age(s): Adaptable for any grade

Subject(s): Adaptable for any subject Newton Software Review: CPS Pulse vs. Turningpoint Poll in PowerPoint

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System Requirements: PC MAC

Intel Pentium or higher microprocessor At least one open serial port or USB port A minimum of 64 MB RAM required; 128 MB RAM is recommended At least 20 MB of hard drive space for CPS software; databases require more room Windows 95 operating system or higher Screen resolution of 800x600 or better Projection system, i.e. projector, Liquid Crystal Display (LCD), or TV (recommended, but not required)

G3 or better processor One open USB port 64 MB RAM required; 128 MB RAM preferred Mac OS 9.1 or better Screen resolution of 800x600 or better Projection system, i.e. projector, LCD, TV (recommended, but not required)

B. Title of Comparative Software: Turningpoint Version: 3.0.65 Medium: Compact Disk, you can download updates on the internet Year: 2006

Publisher: Turning Technologies LLC.

Cost: (I could not find the price of the old version so I found the price for the 2008 version

Name

Price

Qty.

Extended Price

TurningPoint 2008 Receiver ResponseCard RF-02 Case -100 Support/Maintenance months Support/Maintenance months

RF

Software,

$395.00 $39.00 $0.00 $0.00 $859.00

1 100 1 1 1

$395.00 $3,900.00 $0.00 $0.00 $859.00

& Upgrad es & Upgrad es

12 24

Newton Software Review: CPS Pulse vs. Turningpoint Poll in PowerPoint

Page |3 URL for Publisher or Website link to software: Publisher Website: http://www.turningtechnologies.com/ Website link to software: http://www.turningtechnologies.com/responsesystemsupport/downloads/ Target Grade(s) /Age(s): Adaptable for any grade Subject(s): Adaptable for any subject System Requirements: PC

MAC

Windows XP, Vista 32 or 64 bit OS Office XP, 2003 or 2007 Intel or AMD 600 MHz class processor (1 GHz or higher recommended) 256 MB RAM 60 MB hard disk space (an additional 32 MB is required if you do not have Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 installed) 1024x768 resolution at 32-bit color or higher Standard USB 1.1/2.0 port (for USBbased hardware devices or USB-serial adapter) Ethernet or 802.11 compatible wireless network card (required if ResponseWare is used)

G3 processor or better / Intel processors fully supported (Universal Binary) Mac OS X 10.3 or higher 256 MB RAM (512 MB recommended) 10 MB hard disk space Microsoft Office 2004 for Mac Available USB 1.1 or USB 2.0 Port

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Part II: Criteria for Evaluating Software Brief Overview: eInstruction was founded in 1980 by Dr. Darrell Ward. In that same year, the Classroom Performance System (CPS) was created. CPSs purpose is to report and analyze student performance data that is collected during sessions in which the CPS student response system is used. It also is designed to keep students engaged and to encourage participation and interaction in the class. CPS is also designed to help teachers analyze student performance quickly in order to help further improve student achievement. I will be evaluating the CPS Pulse system to see if it meets its previously stated purposes. The set up of the CPS software is easy to follow. First, you must create your classes. You must type in your class lists exactly as they are in your gradebook, i.e. IGPro. Once this is set up you do not need to do it again and you can export the grades from assessments and assignments from CPS directly into your gradebook. To create an assignment/assessment, you click on the appropriate icon because there are a few ways to set it up. One way is student paced and the other is teacher paced. The teacher can create questions in the teacher based option with up to eight options. For student paced assignments you give the students a printed off copy of the assignment that the students do at their desk, but the CPS software has been programmed with the answers and grades the students. It also shows the teacher if the students are answering correctly in real time. Educational Value: According to Roblyer & Doering, the CPS Pulse is a student response system, which is a form of a data collection and analysis tool; it is a combination of handheld hardware and software that permits each student in a classroom to answer a question simultaneously and

Newton Software Review: CPS Pulse vs. Turningpoint Poll in PowerPoint

Page |5 permits the teacher to see and display a summary of results immediately (pg. 149). The immediacy of the results is what makes CPS an excellent tool to help teachers and students check their comprehension of a subject. Specifically in my World History classroom of eleventh graders, I used CPS Pulse to review for a rather large unit test. My specific goals were to check the comprehension of key subjects in the Imperialism unit and to re-teach any areas in which at least 40 50% of the students answered incorrectly on the review. I also had a goal of creating a review activity that got all of the students involved and engaged in preparing for the test with a fun interactive activity. The goals I set up at the beginning of the review activity with CPS Pulse were met. The results were shown at the end of each question. I could easily tell the percentage of the class that got the question right or wrong and the clickers told the students if they got it correct. I use this information to create my own feedback to the class to re-teach ideas when needed. When students get immediate feedback, it means the students are no longer guessing if they got it right or wrong and misconceptions can be cleared up quickly. As the teacher I also get reports on each of the students performance. I can then ask certain students to come in during our hour lunch for extra one on one tutoring. The software allows for various uses. I have used it for a review, as I described above, but it could also be used for taking tests, class discussions, and comprehension checks. This variety means that the students will not get tired of activities of the software. The nature of the software also allows for more students to participate in class. In many classes there are students that either does not raise their hand out of lack of confidence in their answer or due to their shyness. If I posed a question to the class, I could poll them which would get their answers without the fear of being called on and giving a wrong answer. I could also pose a discussion/opinion question. I then could use the answers to create interest in the subject and have the students participate in a discussion based off the results of the polling of the class. Comprehension checks are also an excellent way to make sure that the teacher can check for

Newton Software Review: CPS Pulse vs. Turningpoint Poll in PowerPoint

Page |6 understanding before moving onto a more complex subject or a subject that builds off of the previous one. The CPS Pulse is an effective piece of software because of its design. The software has a readability and difficulty level appropriate to the class because it allows the teacher to create the questions, answer choices and the number of answer choices. The presentation on the screen is straight-forward and there are no graphics on the screen to distract the students. The only graphics on the screen were inserted by the teacher based on the question being asked of your students. For example, if a timer is distracting to your students, the timer can be hidden. The feedback is also appropriate for the class. It does not single out students by showing the specific numbers of students that got a question wrong. It gives percentages of those who got it right or wrong and it gives the correct answer. It allows the teacher to give feedback verbally to the class based off their performance. It is not a prefabricated response that may or may not help the students. The activity can be paused to take questions from students. To see CPS Pulse in action you can go to the following website (http://www.einstruction.com/products/student-response-systems/cps-pulse) and click on the link titled View CPS Pulse and Mobi in action. Interest Level: The software was engaging for the students because it allows them to take a hands-on approach to their learning. Many of their history classes in the past have been lecture based with few questions. With the CPS Pulse students can give their answers and see the results first hand. In review games, students get competitive and it creates an environment in which they want to find out the correct answers. The CPS Pulse is also motivating for students because it gives them the results immediately. The world we live in today is fast paced and the students want to see their results right away. The CPS is also motivating because they can see on the screen that the technology is working. Their number will change colors if they answer the Newton Software Review: CPS Pulse vs. Turningpoint Poll in PowerPoint

Page |7 question and change to another color if they change their answer. Many of my students commented that they liked that feature. Ease of Use/Installation: The CPS Pulse was already downloaded onto my computer from the disk, but it is extremely easy to download updates on the eInstruction website for teachers. Downloads are free as well. Once the program is open and all your classes are set up, it is easy to set up various activities in the program. Students find the clickers are easy to use because the buttons are clearly labeled and the screen is clear. The only issue I had with CPS is the signal. One day the clickers were not working due to the radio frequency. At the end of the day I was able to fix it due to other teachers that have used this software in my building. When using CPS Pulse I do suggest that you do not use it for a warm-up because it does take a few minutes to get the software to open and to pass out the clickers. I also suggest you check the batteries of the clickers before use. Absence of Bias: Based off of my experience with CPS Pulse, there is one main bias. There does not seem to be any options for the blind and deaf. Students have to be able to read the projection screen or tests. They also must be able to read their own small screen and push the appropriate buttons to report their answers. I did not see any evidence of bias regarding gender, race/ethnicity, socio-economic status, sexual orientation, or language because none of that information is entered into the CPS program. Comparison with Another (2nd) Software: In order to understand the CPS Pulse software better, I compared it to Turningpoint Poll in PowerPoint software developed in 2006 by Turning Technologies LLC. Turningpoint Poll in PowerPoint is another student response system. In both programs students received a clicker to respond to questions. After spending time with both programs, I prefer the CPS Pulse for Newton Software Review: CPS Pulse vs. Turningpoint Poll in PowerPoint

Page |8 several reasons. First, the CPS Pulse clickers are bigger and have their own individual screens for students to use. Second, CPS Pulse can be used for multiple reasons. Turningpoint is most useful for review activities. CPS Pulse can also directly export to my IGPro gradebook. Turningpoint can only create a list of results based off the number of the clicker. I have also had many occasions when some clickers in Turningpoint are not being recognized by the receiver for no reason. Finally, since CPS Pulse uses a radio frequency my students do not have to worry about aiming their clicker at a receiver. Turningpoint does have one advantage. It is easier to set-up. It uses PowerPoint to create the activities, which is easier to use for most teachers. Overall (Holistic) Evaluation of Software: Overall, CPS Pulse is an excellent student response system that helps students and teachers check for comprehension, analyze student performance, and engage the class in reviews and discussions. It allows the teachers to quickly check to see if students have grasped a concept or if more time needs to be spent on a concept or term. It also engages students in discussion activities by polling the class. This gives students ideas what others are saying in class and encourages them to defend their viewpoint and analyze other viewpoints. CPS Pulse also gives a voice to the shy students. It also gives data quickly to teachers for each student that can be exported quickly to gradebooks and can be used to help improve student achievement. I would recommend this software for 11th grade History classes, specifically with 4 out of 5. I used this software to review with my classes. I could have created teams and used portable whiteboards to accomplish the same goal. I do not think this method would engage as many of the students as I did with the CPS Pulse because each student is held accountable with their individual clickers. Even though CPS Pulse is longer to set-up it is still more engaging and gives quicker results than other programs or options.

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References: Roblyer, M. D. & Doering, A. H. (2010). Integrating educational technology into teaching (Fifth Edition). Boston, MA: Pearson Education.

Newton Software Review: CPS Pulse vs. Turningpoint Poll in PowerPoint