There were many different clickers / student response kits on show at BETT 2014. One that caught my eye was Ombea, a new company that produces a very simple but powerful system that plugs into PowerPoint, Keynote and Prezi.
The Ombea system comprises student clickers, but also has a very easy to use browser-based version which allows students to answer via any device – for example iPads, chromebooks and laptops. This makes it very useful for a BYOD classroom.
Using the system it was very quick to put some questions into a PowerPoint presentation, then throw them out to the student devices to answer, even if some of those students were on a tablet rather than using a clicker. All the devices connected via the internet, rather than having to share the same network.
The analytics package that comes with the management side of the software is pretty powerful. It allows you to sort, mine and pivot sitewide usage data in many different ways. Schools can also identify the most active teachers and departments.
It’s a very impressive set up. You can find out more, and read some case studies, via the Ombea website www.ombea.co.uk
