Classroom Technology

SRS: Faculty Preparation for Using TurningPoint

1. Set up a "Web Drop" folder or "WebVista" Powerlink for each of your classes.

"Web Drop" folder

In order for faculty to track clicker usage and assign participation credit to individual students for their clicker usage, the faculty member must set up their class in the UMD "WebDrop" system, and then the students must register their clicker on that system. Visit WebDrop Instructions for more information. You will need to set up a folder for each of your classes / sections that use TurningPoint.

"WebVista" Powerlink

If you have not already done so, you'll need to request and acquire a WebVista site for each class you are teaching by completing a WebVista site request form. After that create a Clicker "Power" Registration Link in WebVista.

2. Ask your students to register their clickers, and let them know how to set the channel on their clicker (use channel 41).

Your students will need to go into the WebDrop or WebVista system and register their clicker number there. Additionally, they will need to set the channel on their clicker to the same channel as your receiver. Currently, all receivers default to channel 41, and we will continue to use that channel barring any conflicts (such as two classes right next door to each other at the same time). Instructions are available for students to learn how to register and how to set their channel. Your receiver should already be set to channel 41.

3. Once your students have registered, go back to WebDrop or WebVista and get your class list with clicker IDs.

Once your students have registered, go back to WebDrop or WebVista and get your class list with clicker IDs.

4. Make sure you have the latest version of TurningPoint installed.

If you already have TurningPoint 2006 installed on your laptop, you should make sure you have the latest update. If you have an older version of TurningPoint on your laptop, you should uninstall it and get the new version.

To update to the latest version:

To update to the latest release visit TurningPoint Downloads.

To uninstall an older version:

To uninstall an older version of TurningPoint visit TurningPoint's Higher Education Information.

To install TurningPoint:

To install TurningPoint, complete the request form. Choose the appropriate download based on your version of Microsoft Office as the product to download.

5. Set up your receiver on your laptop.

When you first plug in your receiver into a USB port on your laptop, you will need to follow the instructions on Page 7 of the Presenter's Guide (PDF). (PLEASE NOTE: This is a Portable Document Format (PDF) acrobat file. If you do not have Acrobat you can download the Acrobat viewer from Adobe. This download is for people who do not have Acrobat installed on their computers. It allows you to open and view a PDF file. Additional Adobe free tools are available to assist visually impaired users at Adobe's Accessibility Resource Center. If you need further assistance obtaining the information contained in this PDF file please call the AV Desk at 6222.)

6. Build slides, collect data, generate reports.

You will find a great deal of information in the Presenter's Guide. Additionally, here are two very good online training links:

7. Further Information