Some used clickers are coming from classroom kits where, because they are used differently than we do here at SBU, have had their clicker IDs changed and they no longer match the ID printed on the back on the device. This will result in your course results not processing correctly.
To check to see if you device ID is set correctly…
press the wrench button
then the go right button twice
press the button under where it says OK
press under OK one more time
You should see Device ID: and whatever the device is set to will show here.
see if that matches what is on the back, printed on the clicker.
Right now – SBU is using Turning Point Cloud for clickers in our classrooms. As of tomorrow (May 31st), Turning Technologies will be releasing a new version of the software called Turning Point 8. It will show up as a download from your instructor user account through Turning Technologies:
Turning Point 8 is NOT backwards compatible. Any assessment and quizzes made with Turning Point 8 will NOT work in our classrooms and lecture halls. (See above in the screen shot where it says “Before you download, please check with your institution…”)
The new version also will not be compatible with loading grades into blackboard until we decide to switch to the new version… so even if you only teach with your own laptop, you will not want to use anything but Turning Point Cloud at this time.
Turning Technologies will last a few more seasons, but Fall 2014 will be the year when they jumped the shark. It’s too close to the advent of newer methods of student responses for such a large hiccup. Really a shame they couldn’t have gone out more peacefully.
I’m happy to say that it is supposed to work much better this spring. (Installing the new version on my computer as we speak.) You can check to see if you have the newest version by opening up your application, then clicking on the TurningPoint Cloud logo at the bottom on the screen. A window will appear and one of the buttons is Check for Updates.
We use clickers with an LMS – namely Blackboard (9.1.110082.0).
When you use an LMS, you need to register your online Turning Technology account with your school email address and indicate that you are either an instructor or a student.
Once registered as a student you can not start the TurningPoint Cloud program. So, if you have to use clickers for a class – and you have to run the software because you are a TA, you will need to use a non-university email to register as an instructor. You won’t be able to sync anything like your roster, because the email address isn’t associated with your LMS.
No explanation has been giving for why allowing students to run the program is such a bad thing.
Once registered as an instructor, you can not register a clicker.
The instructions for how to use your license code that come in the box with a new clicker, contain instructions that are for students that do not use an LMS. Following them can result in needing Turning Technologies’s support people to assist.
Courses that have rosters of more than 400 people cannot successfully connect with the Turning Technologies server without experiencing a time out. This goes for downloading the participant list and also for uploading grades. Turning Technologies currently is manually delivering the participant lists to our instructors via a support account that has been entered into those classes as a TA or Instructor. They are working on this and need to fix it.Fixed by software update from company. On the other hand, maybe not. they are blaming our Blackboard “trafficking” on server time out issues.
Courses with large enrollments also getting server errors when attempting to start responseware.Fixed by software update from company. ??
During the first two days of class, students were receiving messages when trying to register saying that the code was invalid – but this was only because their server was over welmed. Apparently it was actually taking the license. If a student tried again later, they would get a this code has already been used error.
Due to the tightening of security on the turningpoint system, session files and participant lists can no longer just be shared with another person by dragging it out of the folder and attaching to an email or shared drive space. (Note course coordinators!) These files must now be exported with a password that you then share with whomever you want to be able to open the file.
Also note previous post: https://you.stonybrook.edu/jadams/2014/08/26/turningpoint-cloud-is-damaged-and-cant-be-opened-you-should-move-it-to-the-trash/
There is no longer a lookup device IDs for students who have registered in the Cloud only. I used to use the Device ID lookup tool quite often to assist with Lost and Found devices.
Using RemotePoll for remote clicker sessions (we use it mostly for courses where we have more students than we can fit into one room. In this case we would stream the video into a second room and setup remote poll so that the students in the overflow room can still participate with the clickers), is now only between two windows machines over direct IP. It used to have to be on a windows box in the remote room, but could be mac on the presenter machine.
I will update this as issues are resolved. Our classes started on 8/25/14.
Turning Technologies, maker of the student response system, TurningPoint Cloud, will be here to demonstrate and discuss the new version of their software. Feel free to drop in at anytime.
8/27/14 – Melville Library Classroom A – 9:00am – 12:00pm
FAQ — when getting your participant list through TurningPoint Cloud – the server address at Stony Brook University is https://blackboard.stonybrook.edu
This letter went out to all SBU students that had previously registered clickers (and were registered for class in the Fall 14 semester) from within our Blackboard system:
Dear Student
As a previously registered clicker user you are receiving this code so that you can have a free Turning Account and ResponseWare license which will last without further payment for 4 years (48 months).
This license code is for you, do not share this with anyone else.
To Create an Account and Activate License:
Create an Account and Register Devices:
1. Log into https://blackboard.stonybrook.edu – go into any course, then Tools -> Turning Account Registration. You will be taken to the Turning Account Registration website.
2. Complete the necessary fields below Sign Up and click Create Account.
3. Complete additional information and click Save.
4. Sign in with Username and password.
5. Click License tab.
6. Click Purchase.
7. Enter 4SBU and submit.
8. Enter your license code: fakecode
9. Click Redeem.
Any questions can be directed to our Technical Support Team at support@turningtechnologies.com or 866.746.3015.
You need to create an account if you are an instructor using clickers.
If you are a student buying a new clicker – the box should contain a code so that there is no charge to create an account.
If you are a student and have an existing registered clicker and are registered for the fall 2014 semester – you will be receiving a code via e-mail at your stonybrook.edu account. This code will get you a account and a year of responseware free. Do not pay for an account.
This Fall, Turning Technologies is changing their software to a cloud based registration system. This doesn’t change it’s functionality for it’s use in the classroom or class preparation, and the software is already available online here:
As an instructor, be sure to create a turning account that is an “Instructor” account.
We are still using Turningpoint 5 till the end of the Summer II session, and therefore do not have the new building block for the cloud version installed on Blackboard. (Getting a roster/uploading grades will not work in TurningPoint Cloud till the Fall semester.) Just tried – and you can get your roster from the new software with the current production server of Blackboard.
The only difference in functionality is that we are allowing the use of ResponseWare for iOS/Android/web. This will allow students to use their smart device or laptop instead of a physical clicker — if you allow it. There are things to consider beforehand; like whether you want them using their devices in the classroom, the fact that they can poll in from remote locations (with assistance from a student in the class feeding them info), possible saturation of our wireless infrastructure and possible lack of cell service penetration.
Call me if you have any questions and here is a video showing how to download the new software and create your cloud account:
Clickers are used to gain student involvement in even the largest classrooms. At Stony Brook University, a lot of our instructors will assign points to the students whether they get the question right or not. Sometimes the same amount of points, sometimes not – and sometimes those grades make it to the grade book and sometimes, they only measure whether the students were responsive enough to merit attendance for the day.
So what does it mean if the results manager shows a 0 in the situation where the instructor gives points whether the students got the answers wrong or not? First, make sure that the instructor marked something as correct. If most students have a grade of some sort – but one or two students have zeros across the board, this isn’t likely the issue. You can double check that something was marked as correct, by going to the Turningpoint Manage tab selecting a session, and clicking Edit Session.
example of the edit session window
In the above picture you can see that answer 1 is marked correct and that both incorrect and correct answers would get a value of 1. So this doesn’t account for the 0 in the results manager or grade book.
The next thing that could be wrong, could be that the student unwittingly was in “Send Message” mode, rather than just in the regular polling mode. To find out if this is the case, go to Manage tab, then while having a session highlighted, click the Reports button.
where to find the Session Log report
Then for the type of report, choose “Session Log.” Here is where Turningpoint keeps messages that were sent to you when polls were open. You can see below, someone did in fact send “Hi.”
Session Log from Turningpoint
However, you can also see that two students were sending in what they thought were answers to the polls. If these students have zeros – you now know why.
