Perry Samson: A New Generation of Interactive Lecturing

What an amazing creation!! I would love Eastern Michigan University to have this capability. I find it very distracting when a student sits in front of me in a lecture and uses a laptop (especially if what they are doing on it is not class related); it is very distracting. So having a class where every student has a laptop can only have a positive result. What I found from watching Professor Perry Samson's interview is the result of students who used this program; they were more engaged and attentive. I think this may be because of the ability to send the professor questions during lecture that they will answer in the same day. Using myself as an example, when I sit in class and am confused by something the professor said, I try to interpret it in my head and miss what they lecture about after that. A lot of students are shy when it comes to asking questions in front of their classmates; so having this ability to send the professor a question through the laptop is remarkable. Professor Samson went above and beyond his competitors at creating a better system for student engagement during lecture, if he had any competitors. Building a competitive advantage seems to not have been a problem for Professor Samson; it is unique, valuable to students/customers, and difficult for competitors to duplicate. The only disadvantage to LectureTools used in universities and colleges is the fee every student must pay once a year. This small fee would benefit in the long run however by engaging more students to learn during class time and by lowering the price of textbooks. I hope more colleges implement this lecture tool and I think they will. Already having 125 universities and colleges using this tool shows how successful this idea is to education.

LectureTools seems like a great idea. I like classes that are interactive because the information is easier to understand and sticks more in your brain. But usually when professors make classes interactive it usually is done in groups. But this way the material is made interactive and the student is working by themselves. A lot of professors do think laptops are distractions but by putting the lecture and teaching through the laptop it would make them much less of a distraction and would capture the attention of the student. Something that I found extremely important was his ability to find something that was completely different than the learning tools already out there. He definietly came up with a completive edge to separate himself from his competitors. It is definitely something that appeals to his target market. It appeals to the professors that want more students to pay attention in class and be more active in the class. It appeals to students in that they can find the information more interesting and participates. Especially with the feature of sending questions to the professors, I know from personal experiences I am not always comfortable asking questions in class, and I usually wait till I get home to email the professor. But sometimes I do forget, this way I can send the professor the question immediately and get my answer back in a timely manner. The one disadvantage of LectureTools is the fee that comes with it, even though it is a very beneficial idea some people may be turned off by the idea depending on the price of it. I think that once people see how beneficial it is that the fee will not be a major problem for them. And by looking at all the universities that have already started using the program and how the feedback from it has been all positive that small disadvantage of the fee may not even be a factor.

I thought the idea for integrative learning was well thought out and provided a lot of information regarding the benefits and background research that has been involved and is still being worked on. I have heard that clickers are used Washtenaw Community College currently. The student I spoke to about using the clickers is actually a fellow employee. She did state that it was somewhat uncomforatable because you know what students have answered and they do not move to the next question until everyone has answered the one they are on, and everyone knows which student has yet to answer. This is used as a test/quiz taking method for one of her classes. I would hope there are different user methods for the clickers already available as it is stressful enough to take tests and generally test results are supposed to be private. Of course this is all hearsay from a student. Regarding this integrative learning system. I have mixed feelings regarding the use of technology in colleges. I am thankful for the availability of technology yet sometimes I feel overuse tends to create more of a burden financially and intellectually on students. Any student who does not have their own PC is at a massive disadvantage. Students who have children, work, or both, cannot feasible get a degree without having their own PC due to lack of time to spend in the school computer labs. That being said, I do realize it is customary for most people to already own one there are problems when the systems fail. I would like to say that although I do not always agree with the amount of technology we are required to use that since it is hear and steadily advancing, that this is an excellent step toward integrated learning. I have never been bothered with students in class having laptops. At this point, it is hard to keep up with notes in class and I can type much faster than write. Also to save money on textbook cost would be such an assest to students. It seems they come out with new books far too fast and they are hardly different than the last edition. To have online textbooks that can be quickly updated would be a very useful tool that would save students a lot of money. I also think the idea of being able to type in a question as soon as you think of it is a very useful tool. Too many times an instructor is teaching and there is something you need to ask but do not want to interrupt or cannot at the time, then you forget what you wanted to ask. If you could log your question quickly and wait and see if it gets answered more understanding could come from the lectures. This may also help to not focus on the question as to not forget and then lose focus on the rest of the lecture. All in all, I have a step daughter who just started college and I would be interested to know how this type of technology will benefit her in the near future and what type of changes will be related with cost of books.

My name is Dana Mattila and I am senior at Eastern Michigan University. I am currently taking an Entrepreneurship class and one of my assignments is to look on this web site and blog about Michigan innovators. The idea and development of Perry Samson's web-based technology, Lecture Tools, was genius. Lecture Tools is a great idea for students such as myself. The opportunity to use your own laptop or smartphone without purchasing anything extra is a big plus for students. Using Lecture Tools is a big asset for students and instructors, allowing them to interact with each other in and out of the classroom. The new technology in which you can link the textbook with the lecture material will I feel keep the student more attentive to lectures. There was hope of getting the publishers involved with the new technology, which would be good for all students because it would lower textbook prices and we all know that textbooks are expensive. All colleges should offer this web-based technology to their students for a better learning environment. I wish I had the use of this technology during my college years at Eastern Michigan University. Thank you, Dana Mattila

Hello, my name is Jessica and I am a senior at Eastern Michigan University. I have always had trouble learning in a classroom environment and I have always thought that it would be nice if they could come up with a new way teaching. I think that the tool that the tool you came up with is an excellent idea. Lectures can be boring and painful at times but with a better way of getting the information to the students could be beneficial for everyone. The idea of having the text books would be a great advantage for everyone just as long as they can be bought at a cheaper price otherwise students will go to the traditional method. The costs that are associated with being a student are unbelievable. Who knew that knowledge was so expensive? If there was a way that the school could pay for this kind of tool it could become a great asset to them when it comes to enrollment. If the tool proved to a successful learning tool, parents will want to send their children to that school which in turn boosts enrollment numbers.

Hello my name is Kristen Ringel and I am a senior at Eastern Michigan University. Lecture Tools is the type of Software that is the future of the college classroom experience. The Integration of classroom notes, text, and lecture is creating a more cohesive learning experience. It allows for a stronger connection between the student and the coursework. Studies have shown that there are different learning styles. Allowing for a student to view the information in several different ways will lead to increased performance. Students that may have otherwise not been involved in lecture discussions may show greater interest if their comments can be made through the computer. Frantic note taking can often take away from the message of the coursework. Having additional lecture note material may allow for students to critically think about the material and gain a greater understanding. The same students may also use text resources that they had not thought of in the past. Companion websites are a great resource and many do not even attempt to utilize them. Lecture tools will put the resource directly in front of the consumer, which will be another positive tool available to them. It also allows for real-time analysis of how the class is reacting to the lecture. Teachers will be able to collect objective data on classroom discussions, student questions and the effectiveness of lecture materials. The data can aid teachers, text book developers and the university in creating more effective coursework. The lower cost of the text material, and the availability to easily update past editions, is a great advantage. Instead of having to reprint, and distribute text, publishers may have the ability to edit their material and deliver it quicker. In closing, I am looking forward to being able to use this amazing technology. I just hope it is available at Eastern Michigan before I graduate. Thank you very much, Kristen Ringel.

I agree that this is a great idea for the classroom; it would keep at least some students from becoming distracted while taking notes on a computer. I have seen so many people on laptops who are on facebook or who are playing games instead of taking notes (which can be incredibly distracting to anyone sitting behind them in class). There are however a few issues that I can see with adding this to new universities. First of all, I can see an issue with adding the small, yearly fee. A lot of students might have an issue with paying more additional fees to what they already pay for school, especially if the program is being added to a university that doesn't already use and pay for the clickers that were mentioned. On a similar note of cost, I see that it's a possibility to get textbook companies to lower the prices of their books, but would they actually do it? Textbooks are incredibly expensive even though they don't really have to be, the companies just want a large profit. So I guess I am just wondering what having a program that allows textbooks to be made cheaper would actually do. My last note is that not every student has a laptop or takes one to class if they do have one. Many students don't feel that they can type quickly enough to be able to take effective notes on a computer.

Lecture Tools are the wave of the future. This technology is so advanced and new that I wish I was able to use it while I was in school. I’m excited to see what else is invented for students as well as businesses to use as learning tools. Perry talked about lowering the costs of books by as much as 2/3’s and my heart dropped. This is the thing I hate most to pay for and I always feel like I am getting ripped off. I would purchase online books or web books and feel good about buying books with them at that price. Some teachers at EMU are getting involved with the new technological advances and are trying to use them in their classrooms. One teacher of mine used web blogging, virtual discussions, and video lectures. It is nice to see the advancement but disappointing that I was not able to take part in it during my educational venture. Perry also discusses having laptops in the classroom and the potential distractions it may or may cause. Right now students are bringing their own computers into the classroom and personally I feel there in an increase in learning and not too much of a distraction. The students feel they are more in touch with the topic and if they have a question, they have the answer right there at their fingertips. The main concern with Perry and everyone else who wants to bring this technology into the classroom is the skill ability and sustainability. Not everyone is as advanced in technology as others which will make this introduction of technology tough for both students and teachers.

It is exciting to hear about teachers truly embracing technology in the classroom environment. Although laptops put distraction at student's fingertips, I believe that the benefit of Lecture Tools will outweigh the possibility of distraction. Using the computers for an educational purpose will help prevent them from being used for surfing the Internet. As a student at Eastern Michigan University, I have never been involved in a class with Lecture Tools, or with a "clicker." Without this interaction, students have a tendency to tune out a lecture. Although some courses use a discussion format, this still limits participation as three or four students typically dominate the conversation. Using technology to interact with students is a great way to increase involvement and overall learning. I would appreciate integration of Lecture Tools into courses at EMU. Another aspect of Lecture Tools that I find fascinating is the partnering with various textbook publishers. Textbooks are too expensive. A 2/3 drop in cost alone for textbooks would be an amazing benefit of Lecture Tools. Also, carrying one computer to class would be much more efficient than lugging around two or three textbooks. The greatest benefit in my eyes would have to be the search-ability of the digital text. At one time I had an online version of a textbook and being able to search it for words and phrases was an amazing tool. Combine this search-ability with searching notes and the internet for information all in one search engine, and you have a great tool for learning. I believe that the possibilities of growth for Lecture Tools are endless, as every college (and even high schools) could use this technology. If a reasonable price is set, I can imagine integration of this technology into lecture halls and classrooms across the world. If these schools then networked their systems, some amazing data about student learning could be the result. I would not think twice about investing in this project. Thanks, Richard Rich

I have used the “Clickers” in my biology coarse before and I found that in a lecture hall of 300 students, it took a lot of our time up in class the first couple of classes to trouble shoot with students who had difficulty signing their clickers in and using them in class. Once these technicalities were taken care of, the clickers ended up being very beneficial in the class. The professor had pages on their power point with check point questions to see if the class understood what she was teaching, the professor used the feedback very well and made sure she went back over material that the class was struggling with and moved on when the majority of the class answered the question correctly. The direction that this technology has started to go, is now known as LectureTools. This program seems like a much more profitable and successful program. Students text books can be included on this program and teacher and students notes can be taken and kept on this program as well, this is truly filling a niche in the market. It is beneficial to students, publishers, and professors . This program can improve availability of information in a multitude of ways. Questions can be asked during the class, and answered and the class may be viewed after on a pod cast. The application of this could be endless, online lectures could reach a new level and student involvement and understanding may be greatly increased. A down fall may be the decrease in student attendance to the lecture hall if they are able to watch the class via pod cast and get the notes and book online. This may only be a bad thing to some professors and may not affect others. The fact that students can ask questions in class, but ask questions specifically about a specific image is even more practical and exciting. Perry talked about creating a search engine that searches both students and teachers notes and the text on certain subjects for students to find the information that they need.

I find it fascinating how quickly technology has advanced in our school systems throughout the years. In elementary school we had the old Apple computers with very limited color on the monitor, to laptops and Smart Boards 8 years later in high school. Now in college, the technology that is available in schools is astounding! It’s amazing that the more advanced technology becomes, the more students become involved in the course material. LectureTools sounds like the next best thing to hands-on learning in the classroom. The more students are engaged in daily lessons, the more apt they are to learning, retaining, and using the class material at a later time. Many times in a lecture type class, I seem to become sidetracked when the material is complicated. I think by having a program like LectureTools that can guide me along during class, as well as with the podcasts after class, understanding the course material may come easier than normal. An increase in the quality of student learning will come from the enhanced quality of a professor’s instruction by using a simple tool that unites a classroom. One vast drawback of technology in any classroom though is the high cost. It is apparent that Perry Samson has taken this into account. I know there are a few devices and electronics out there made for the classroom that are rather expensive. As Perry states though, almost every college student already has a laptop or other device that can connect to the internet. When looking at the target market of college students, one needs to remember that us college students are paying an arm and a leg for tuition to begin with; not everyone has the extra funds for added electronics that can only be used for one class. Lastly, I wanted to touch on how LectureTools may save on textbook publishing. This is another salient point when looking at the college student target market. As a student, textbooks are one of the worst ways to spend two weeks worth of a paycheck! If LectureTools could not only help cut student’s costs by not having to buy a textbook AND a special electronic device for that one specific class, that is amazing!

Mr. Samson, What a wonderful interactive tool! The current and upcoming generation is coming forth and they are bringing all their high tech items with them! This product incorporates so much of the present, along with room for improvement for future technology. One of my favorite things about LectureTools is being able to respond with an image. I'm a visual learned without a doubt; I associate what I know with what I can show you. Being able to confirm my thinking, versus just thinking it and possibly having the concept wrong, is amazing. I like the instance feedback, as this is definatly how the "real world" operates. When you complete a project for your boss or upper management, you generally receive feedback right away. With the feedback you are able to adjust to improve or stay on track with your current project. I really believe LectureTools is going to be great for freshmen in the upcoming year. My sister is 16, I can barely get her to stop texting while we are eating dinner! LectureTools is interactive and it already has the technology the younger generation is used to seeing. One last thing I really liked about LectureTools was the fact about keeping the price of text books down. Books are so expensive, even for a used book you will pay around $80. It will be nice to have something right at my fingertips where I am able to incorporate my own notes and ask questions right on the spot! Best of Luck, Ashley Demyanovich

Lecture Tools is a fantastic response to what is transpiring in classrooms today. A majority of college students attend their classes complete with a laptop. Instead of being a distraction, Lecture Tools can make that laptop a tool for increased learning. Being a teacher and a student myself, I think that this innovation is incredible. Perry Samson has seen success in his “clicker” product and also witnessed the need for something more interactive in the classroom. Interaction is one of the main keys to engaging students in learning. Lecture Tools is able to reach the same target market of college students with a new and exciting product. Being a professor himself at the University of Michigan, Samson has ready access to marketing measures as he intends to reach other professors to enlist them in including this technology in their classrooms also. Having users at 125 colleges and universities across the country shows great promise for more users in the years to come. The idea of online textbooks that will also link with the Lecture Tool will be received very favorably with students. The ability to link with the textbook while in class taking notes makes for a much richer educational experience. The low cost feature of these online textbooks will also be a hit with students. Many students despise the fact that they have to buy a new edition of a textbook for over $100 and they can sell it back at the end of the semester for only $30. The cheaper book portion of this prospect alone will have a great market. In these poor economic times college students are ever looking for ways to reduce costs. An engaging tool with a ready market, Lecture Tools shows great promise. Students will be able to make better use of their computers and of their time spent in class in ways that increase their learning abilities. I hope this idea spreads as Samson plans, to many universities and colleges so that a great deal of students can benefit. Lecture Tools certainly knows their customers and knows what works. Lori Bradshaw

I think Perry Samson is really on to something with the idea of implementing a more interactive lecturing system. As a student, I often find that I spend a lot of time in class taking notes on something, and then absolutely forgetting everything I've written down. I almost go into a "robot mode" where I'm just a writing machine for the length of the class, and then wind up having to re-read the text because I got nothing out of the actual class time. I think that Perry's ideas of taking notes and associated them to the slide presentations is really an awesome and useful tool. I think it's great because there are so many concepts that can be missed from a verbal presentation that you can find somewhere in the slides. It would also be great to ask questions during the class without disturbing anyone. Some students really get embarrassed by verbally asking questions during class and that tool would help them face their fears and still learn the course material. The main idea that I really enjoyed from Perry's interactive lecturing was the idea of linking your notes to the text itself. That would come in handy during a study session for an exam or for references for a paper. I think that he has an excellent idea and I really hope that it takes off. I also hope that it gets implemented at Eastern Michigan University soon! I wish Perry all the best of luck (although I don't think he'll need it)! Regards, Amy Stencel

Perry Samson’s development of LectureTools is very interesting and can relate to all students. Many student’s tend to sit in class and pay attention for the first half of the class and then they tend to get lazy and doze off. The advantage of using LectureTools, is that it allows students to take notes using a laptop, rather than on notebook paper. Students love being on their laptops, tablets, PC’s, smartphones, etc. Therefore, allowing students to use a laptop to take notes will guarantee students to pay more attention and be more active. Perry Samson’s statement of reaching out to all students is very accurate. LectureTools will reach out to students in many ways. Instead of having some of the students follow along with the professor, while the other’s are unsure, all of the student’s will be able to be on the same page and help the professor know who is understanding the material and who needs assistance. I would really benefit from this because of the ability to post questions rather than asking questions. I am a shy student, and tend to not ask questions because I do prefer raising my hand. However, by being able to post a question and receive an immediate response is unbelievable! This allows students to be interactive with students in and out of class. LectureTools is also a great system for keeping your notes organized. Student’s who take notes on paper tend to lose them or they get messy. By using LectureTools, student’s can keep organized their notes extremely organized. The use of this system will definitely benefit all students whether it be for reviewing, doing homework, or studying for tests. Kevin Sikora

Lecture Tools This interview was completely relevant to today’s classroom setting. Textbooks are becoming few and far between, and I know that there entire libraries that are going completely digital. We need to engage students in new fashions (like information technology) so that we can better prepare them for the real world. There is no getting around it. Technology and its use are critical in every form of business setting. If you think about it, this is completely relevant to today’s work world. Information technology is everywhere. Even the linen distributors and the patient equipment people in the hospital use a computer tracking system to keep track of everything they use (iv poles, amounts of towels, etc). Using technology is there and people are going to have to learn to use it. I have no doubt that engaging technology leads students to engage their education. I wish Eastern Michigan had more of this type of classroom engagement and that they would arrange their classes so that information usage was key to understanding lecture. When students use their laptops in class, they are usually not paying attention, playing with games, or just checking social networking sites. Think of how powerful these applications could be if they were turned towards their education. For example, what if I had a question that was relevant, typed it to the instructor and they had to touch on it. This would be far more useful than raising your hand in a giant lecture only to hope to be called on and to ask a relevant question. Often students are scared or nervous about talking in front of others. Sometimes, they simply get tired of waiting to be called upon. I think Mr. Sampson is on point with this development and I think ideas like this need to be implemented as soon as possible.

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