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14
InterWrite PRS – PRS Menus
Configuring
Clickers
for a Closed
Class
Chapter 1
The primary characteristic of an RF Clicker that is configured as a Closed
Clicker is that it is bound to a unique, instructor-assigned Class ID, inextricably
linking it to any Closed Class that uses that Class ID. Closed Clickers, which
include Closed Loaner Clickers and Closed Master Clickers, will automatically
find and join the Closed Class based on the link to the Class ID. Clickers that are
not bound to the Class ID will not find, nor can they join, the Closed Class.
What is the practical application of Closed Classes and Closed Clickers? An
instructor or the school buys an RF Class Pack, which consists of an RF Receiver, the PRS software and x-number of RF Clickers. The Clickers are kept in
the classroom and are distributed to the students for use during a PRS Session.
When the instructor starts the Closed Class, the Closed RF Clickers will
automatically find and join the Class. From that point on, there is no difference in
the way the Closed Clickers function in the Session. Like all Clickers, both IR and
RF, they are used to electronically transmit Responses to Questions. Basically, the
Closed Class model allows the instructor to maintain control of the PRS equipment, relieves students of the responsibility of having to remember to bring their
Clickers to class, and makes it easy to find and join the Closed Class.
Once the decision is made to configure the RF Clickers as Closed, the next issue
to be addressed is whether the Clickers should be configured as Closed Clickers or
as Closed Loaner Clickers. If the classroom Clickers will always be used by the
same students, configure them as Closed Clickers, input an ID that will uniquely
identify each student, and label the Clickers in a way that will make it easy for
each student to recognize the Clicker that contains his ID. Remember, it is the
Student ID that is transmitted with a Response and which ultimately provides the
means of identifying the student in the Class Roster and accurately attributing his
Responses to him.
If the classroom Clickers are going to be used by different groups of students
throughout the day, it is recommended that the Clickers be configured as
Closed Loaner Clickers. Any Clicker configured as a Loaner, whether as a regular
Loaner or as a Closed Loaner, will automatically prompt for the Student ID before
it can join the Class, guaranteeing Response attribution for each student who uses
the Clicker.
The last thing to consider when configuring multi-user Closed Clickers is naming
the Class and assigning the Class ID. The Class ID is a 4-digit Hex value that will
be used to bind the Closed Clickers to the Closed Class. The 10-character Class
Name identifies the Closed Class that is linked to the Class ID and is the name
that will appear on the Clicker LCD display when it is scanning to find the Class.
For the scenario where the Closed Clickers will always be used by the same
students, the process is fairly straightforward: This Class Name will always represent the profiled Closed Class and its Class Roster. But what about the multi-user
scenario? Each group of students using the Clickers throughout the day represents