Plickers!

 

Recently, I did a presentation on a tool called Plickers.  No not clickers, Plickers.  Plickers is an easy, free, formative evaluation tool that only requires one smart phone, or web connected tablet.  How it works is students are given a piece of paper with what looks like a QR code.  

Using your plickers profile you are able to create classes and add students specific to your class needs. When you enter a student, they are assigned a specific number.  This number connects with the number on one of the codes.  (Did I mention the codes are free pdf's that you can print!)

Each student will have the same code every time you use plikers in your class.

Next:  Create questions
Once you have signed up for your Plickers account you are able to create your classes and then create a library of questions.  There are three options: Survey, multiple choice or true false.  Create your questions and assign them to the given class that you would like.

Once the question is done you can add it to the specific plan you would like.

Then comes the fun part.  Think about those old scanners from Star Trek--

 

You use your tablet or smart phone you scan the room as students hold up their answer codes.   As you scan your classroom, the student names will pop up next to the cards that are successfully scanned. You will also see how many students respond and if their answer is correct or not.

Once everyone has scanned in you can look at the results live on your computer or on your device.

  

Reasons I like Plickers:  This tool is so user friendly, it doesn't matter if you are in a 1:1 program or a teacher using their own phone and computer to get by.  This tool allows for instant feedback without the need for multiple devices. 

Coming from a 1:1 setting, I enjoy Plickers because my students are distracted on the screen.  If we were to use another formative assessment tool, students finish and move onto other distractions on the computer.  This way students answer and focus on the question posed. 

Here is a short video that does a live demonstration of the scanning and data collection.

Cheers!


All images from Google Images

Managing your Google Drive

I love Google Drive, but I know some of you do not.  I think two of the biggest issues preventing people from utilizing it more are a lack of familiarity with it and uncertainty about how to organize your files (not to mention all the files being constantly shared with you!)  We are going to take some time to explore Google Drive together and can hopefully give you the tools and organization you to need to Drive with confidence.  (I apologize for that one.)

If you need a refresher after our meeting, here is a website that does a nice job of walking you through the basics:

Schoology Tools!

Here is the screen cast from our Pro-D Snapshot.  Enjoy!

Teacher Table: Lauren on Socrative

My two favorite ways (and the reasons why) I use Socrative in my classroom:

1. Formative assessment – using the Quick Question feature

This is by far the number one reason I love using Socrative in my classroom. I can ask students multiple choice, short answer, or T/F questions and see their responses immediately. It is instant, live feedback. BEST of all – those can be shown to the entire class (anonymously for an added bonus) and the entire class can learn from the responses of their peers. This allows me to identify quickly if the class has grasped a topic or skill or if that’s something I need to revisit, reiterate, or reteach. Another plus – Quick Questions require absolutely no prep from me. It can be spur of the moment and used immediately in class. All these answers are saved online and/or as excel spreadsheets for later review.

2. Summative assessment – using the standard Quiz feature

Quizzes – or even unit tests! – can be created and given. There are options for student-paced or teacher-paced tests. The multiple-choice and T/F questions are all graded for you by the Socrative program and provide instant grades.

Socrative gives me instant feedback. It does the grading for me. It keeps all answers/results organized online. There is no paper to prepare, print off, or lose. The Quick Question feature allows me to tailor my instruction to exactly what my students need; it prevents me from spending a great deal of time on something my students already know, as well as stopping me from speeding ahead when my students have not mastered a topic/skill yet.

My one main reservation is the one that holds true with anything digital – If the internet goes down, this becomes a useless tool. Always have a Plan B. J

Socrative gets 5 stars from me. It’s a practical, simple, very user-friendly tool that helps me be a better, more effective teacher. …Couldn’t ask for much more than that.