You wouldn’t give a hyperactive child a can of Red Bull, would you? Heck no. Well, as silly as that question seems, it does bring me to my topic today, on using ring-in devices (those that show who rang in first, not to be confused with audience response pads) when using games to teach. What do the 2 have in common? Well, for starters, many people think that ring-in devices are a necessity when playing a Jeopardy-style game. They feel that the devices add an exciting, game show element to the proceedings. This is true, but does it provide the desired outcome for your training session?

Many years ago, when I first started using games in the classroom as a review tool, I used ring -in devices to amp-up the energy in the room. Not only did they add to the “game effect,” but the ring-in devices also provided a clear answer to “who rang in first?” It seemed to make sense at the time, and for about a year, I continued to use the ring-in devices, because of what I thought it brought to the training session. Then one day, I was doing training for a group of Police officers, and when I got to the location, I realized that I had forgotten the ring in devices at home. I truly believed the game would not be the same without them, and as it turns out, I was right. So for that session, I needed to control which team would answer a questions. I decided to play the game in round robin mode. After the first 4 questions, I realized how much smoother and more controlled the game was playing. In fact, I found that not using the ring-in devices, not only improved the quality of the training session, but to my amazement it did not affect the engagement factor for the students. With this group, the lack of a ring-in device had a calming effect, compared to the hyper-competitive effect that ring-in devices created in previous training session with them. I found it easier (and less distracting) to present my content to a group that was more concerned with getting the answer right, than ringing-in first. Playing the game in round robin mode help me create that environment.

In retrospect, I realize that I was influenced by TV game shows and how I saw others use ring-in devices with similar style games. I thought that I needed to ensure that the game was competitive, by introducing ring-in devices. What I found, was that the game provided enough stimulation, without the help of ring-in devices.

I am not saying that ring-in devices don’t have their place (in the right environments, they provide order, so you don’t have to spend all of your time discussing “who rang in first”), and with some groups you may need an extra boost of energy. The key, is to not be afraid to experiment. My mistake, the day I forgot the ring-in devices, was probably the best mistake I’ve made in a long time, and it greatly influenced how I’ve used games in the classroom since.