This new POV from the Dii team details these changes and explores the opportunities and challenges they pose for marketers. Read it on Slideshare, or download it as a PDF here.

Stimulating and continually engaging students in classrooms has always been a challenge for teachers. It has become increasingly difficult, with mobile phones, laptop computers and iPods providing students with constant distractions. i>clicker utilizes emerging technology to re-engage and connect with students inside the classroom by providing them with an optimized learning environment based on their instant feedback on specific class content.

Key Information

The i>clicker is, in essence, a simplified remote control device that uses infrared or radio frequency technology to record user responses and transmit them to a central receiving station that tabulates the responses. To implement i>clicker within a classroom or lecture, a teacher or professor develops content-specific questions and incorporates them into the curriculum at critical junctures. By polling their students at these points, the facilitator can evaluate student comprehension of the topic, identify areas of confusion and adapt the instruction based on student understanding.

The device also increases student-to-student interaction, often limited by class size and a few students dominating discussion, by allowing professors to match students with differing answers and encourage peer-to-peer discussions and learning. i>clicker can also be used to anonymously poll students on controversial issues.

In utilizing i>clicker, teachers require that students actively pay attention and engage with what is happening in the classroom by responding to poll questions. By necessitating engagement with what’s going on in the classroom, teachers turn passive learning into an interactive, participatory environment. The device also creates an immediate feedback loop for teachers, letting them know in real time whether their lessons and key content are really getting through and being absorbed by their students.

The i>clicker was originally conceived in 1997 within the University of Illinois Physics department, and to date more than 1,000 institutions of higher education in North America utilize i>clickers to facilitate active learning and ensure students are leaving the classroom with an understanding of fundamental concepts.

Implications and Action Items

i>clicker’s interactive technology revolutionizes teaching curriculums by providing teachers with timely feedback and engaging students in the classroom. The emergence of this device suggests that schools, universities and teachers are looking to technology to help them tap into instant feedback and curriculum optimization opportunities.

• Create targeted, insightful questions. While anyone can use i<clicker, not everyone can make it a meaningful teaching and learning tool. The key is to create question sets that yield valuable information, inform teaching strategies/approaches and transform the classroom from a lecture into a collaborative learning environment.
• Prepare for engagement. Ask and ye shall receive, so be sure to plan for: 1) incorporating this feedback into the curriculum and 2) how you’ll handle increased engagement. Solutions may involve making class topics more flexible, asking students to break up into smaller working groups, conducting in-class debates, etc.
• i>clicker goes mobile. In some cases, students must purchase the i>clicker device ($10) as part of their textbook requirements, but recently i>clicker has launched a mobile app that works seamlessly with their current remote and software. The web>clicker also allows students to vote and participate in classrooms from remote locations.

Every marketer, it seems, wants to hit pay dirt with a viral campaign like Subservient Chicken or something as catchy as that. But as we’ve discovered these past few years, striking gold virally ain’t so easy. In fact, you could say it’s pretty hard.

Think of why. Viral is part PR. Part advertising. Part zeitgeist. And when they all miraculously come together as they did for the Alamo Drafthouse, then my friends, you’ve bottled lightning.

First, watch this. If you’ve seen it before, watch it again. (By the way, there’s a lot of profanity in this one. So wear headphones or keep the kiddies away.) As of mid-June, this has garnered over 1.5 million clicks.

This is so brilliant on so many levels.

• First off, it’s incredible positioning. The Alamo Drafthouse understands its audience – film geeks. These people know Strother Martin’s last movie. And they’re sick and tired of morons who don’t appreciate the art of cinema texting during movies.
• Second, this wasn’t made by a committee. It was probably made by a couple of folks in a room who decided that this was a pretty good idea. Boy, were they right.
• Third, they had fun with it. This isn’t a serious product you’re selling. It’s a movie theatre. The Alamo Drafthouse has a bit of an attitude. Check out the owner’s stance on texting. They’re independently owned. They sell beer. And they show whatever movies they want to.
• And finally, you don’t need a big budget. The key to a successful viral campaign is getting the clicks. Some people think you have to spend a lot of money to create something interesting. Oftentimes, that’s true, as with Smirnoff’s Tea Party. But it always goes that the best viral ads (as with any ad) all start with a good idea.

This little commercial didn’t need any icing or big production values. All they had to do was present the phone call from the irate customer in a clear and concise manner. It’s one instance when the ad literally wrote itself.

What’s your favorite viral campaign? I’d love to hear what’s impressed you. Send comments to jpolsinelli@rtcrm.com.

In March of 2011, Facebook introduced an updated version of their fan pages, moving the focus of fan pages from static content to dynamic social content and allowing brands to interact with fans and other companies. Several key aspects of the Facebook fan page have changed, which poses new opportunities and challenges for marketers.  The following chart describes which features on the fan page have changed and how those changes impact marketers.

For the next two months as part of the lead in to our June issue of Perspectives, I’ll report on my experience participating in the social network DailyFeats.com. “Feats”, as I fondly refer to it, is yet another online social networking platform that has most of the normal bells and whistles. You can login using your Facebook information, set up a profile, invite others to join you and generally poke around in other people’s stuff. But the whole purpose of Feats is to track, record and reward you for doing good. You earn points for accomplishing things ranging from the mundane like eating vegetables and taking the stairs to epic wins such as climbing mountains and planning your career. You are scored accordingly and earn badges once you’ve accrued enough points. It is also one of the best ego boosts this side of a shrink’s door.

So I dived in last week. I quickly setup a profile and began logging my accomplishments. Two points for packing a lunch and getting up early, a few more for running on the treadmill, etc. I downloaded a coupon for a local gourmet store and called it a day.  Later, actually at about 8:30 that night, I got an email. Someone gave me props for my morning run. I was touched that another person had reached out to give me a virtual pat-on-the back. Sure, the extra two points I received were nice, but really, I just savored the feeling.

Daily Feats Tally

Points earned: 233

Feats Done: 22

Props received: 8

Props given: 11

Badges: 1

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Boomers Online-Review of Pew Internet Study

RTCRM Perspectives December 2010