Let’s talk assessment. I use a lot of tech tools for formative assessment. The kids love them; I get immediate feedback and all of the tools I use allow me to download the information so I can track results. That’s a win-win in my book!
I love using the short answer question on Socrative. I can throw a question to my students during the lesson and let them show me their understanding of the topic. I always project the results on the board anonymously. Students love to see their thoughts made public in our classroom and because I don’t post names, they are free to take risks. Watching a student read someone else’s answer and then revise their thoughts is amazing. This app also allows you to create exit tickets. Each exit ticket has three questions: how well did you understand (mc), summarize what you learned, and answer the teacher’s question. (Write one on the board beforehand or ask one.) All results are shown on the teacher’s screen in chart form.
Kahoot is hands-down my students’ favorite tool. They will beg me to do a Kahoot if it has been a while. I have reservations about this one. The timed feature severely limits what types of questions I can ask, and speed is rewarded over perseverance. How do I teach them that the struggle and the process are more important than the product and then do a Kahoot? They love it though so we do use it periodically.
Quizizz is very similar to Kahoot but instead of being teacher-led, each student plays on his or her device and moves on when ready. You can turn off the timer and the leaderboard to take the element of competition away. After answering a question, a funny meme pops up, which the kids love. Quizizz includes the option to assign a quiz for homework. I rarely have an issue getting students to do their homework when I use this app.
Plickers works well for classrooms that are not 1:1, as the only device needed is one smartphone. This is another game my students beg to play, even though my classroom is 1:1. I create multiple choice or T/F questions and display them on the board through the Plickers site. Each student has a card glued into the back of their notebook and holds it up with the correct letter facing up. I use my phone to scan the cards. As each card is scanned, that student receives a check, so I know who I missed. My phone tells me who got it right and who needs more help, but that information is not posted on the board.
The last tool I use regularly is Google Forms. Did you notice they just added a Quiz feature? In the past, I have used Forms with Flubaroo to grade and return them, but the Quiz feature makes it even easier. If you click on the settings gear, it gives you the option to turn already created forms into quizzes. How slick is that? I am anxious to give it a try when we return to school. Have you used it yet? Do you like it?
Which tech tool is your favorite way to assess? Please vote below and leave a comment on which you chose and why. Is there one I’m missing? I’d love to hear about it!
McLeod's Crowd 
We are not 1:1 but I really like Google forms.
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I think that is probably the one I use the most. I tend to use it for everything: parent signups, data collection, surveys, etc. The new quiz feature makes it even better.
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Yes, I planning on using it a lot more this year now that we are adding Google Classroom.
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This will be my second year using Google Classroom. I love it!
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What do feel are the most useful features of Google Classroom? Do you also have a website for parents?
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I love having everything in one spot. All assignments are uploaded and easily accessible, making the “I forgot my homework” excuse null and void. I will often include short videos demonstrating how to solve the problems (Virtual Nerd has lots of great videos). I also project our practice problems through One Note. After class, I save the notes as a PDF and upload those too. I don’t use it for submitting and grading as that is difficult with math. I do use it to push out links to sites and activities to avoid typing mistakes. That alone can be a huge timesaver.
I don’t have a site just for parents, but I do have a classroom site through my district. I haven’t updated it for this year yet. Everything I need from parents is on this site. All they need to do is click and join. Unfortunately, they cannot join Classroom since they are not in our domain. But I encourage them to ask their child to open it so they can see what we are doing.
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I prefer the tools that have reports if I need that sort of data. Otherwise I love the tools the kids are engaged by!
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Me too. That’s why I use all of these. I can throw out questions that pertain to IEP goals and then download the reports as evidence of growth. So ready and the kids think they are getting away with something!
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Thanks for the post. I use some of the tools you mentioned. My students love kahoot. I even have staff use kahoot for some of our PD days.
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Mine do too but I definitely am on the fence with it. My students do poorly with time limits and two minutes is not near enough time for them to do anything in depth. Most of them cannot even solve a multi-step equation that quickly so I find it limiting. It also punishes my more careful workers who take their time and get it right. Yet, they still beg me to do a Kahoot. Go figure!
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I have only used Google Forms in my own classroom. My previous school had some issues with consistent internet connections, so I did not explore much knowing the chances of technical difficulties. I know that the new school I am moving to has many teachers that use Quizzizz, so I hope they will teach me about it.
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I think you will like it. It’s very easy to use and there are a ton of already created quizzes that you can either use as is or modify as needed. My biggest tip is to always check the answers! I’ve tossed a couple up on the screen without checking and found several incorrect responses. Frustrating for my kiddos, especially as their immediate assumption is that they are wrong.
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My students love love love kahoot and quizziz. I do not often use these for assessments, but more for review. I like the idea of using Socrative as an exit ticket, thank you. Sharing the students thoughts creates a great reflective environment.
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I use them for review too. The time limit and focus on speed over diligence makes Kahoot inappropriate for an assessment. Quizizz does a better job with that. I can turn off the timer and leaderboard to remove that whole element. (But the kids hate it when I do that!)
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I really love Kahoot! It is just colorful and clever, and my kids love it. Plus despite the fact that we are not a 1:1, all my kids have a smart phone. 🙂
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We went 1:1 last fall which allowed me to really integrate technology. My district runs at about a 50% poverty rate, but the rate in my classrooms is much, much higher. Most of my kids have track phones, if they even have a phone. That is why I love Plickers so much. You only need one smart phone to use it!
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My issue with plickers is the amount of time that it takes to scan everyone’s answer. When I first read an article describing how plickers work, it made it sound like you just take a picture of the class will all the cards held up or do a “panorama” scan with your phone across the room in 2-3 seconds. The few teachers that I have observed using them have to take 2-3 seconds to focus in and register each individual card. The students have lost focus by the time that the teacher makes it all the way around the room and the teacher wastes time trying to get them to focus on the topic again for the follow-up discussion and corrections or next question.
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I agree, this can be an issue. The more I use it the better I get with scanning. I bought the cards on Amazon and had a terrible time with them. A friend of mine printed and laminated a set and they were terrible. I have had the best luck with just a printed version on regular paper. Nothing glossy.
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I have heard that the laminated cards are definitely not successful. The shine just reflects the scanning. I think it is like some phone covers that do not let the laser scan bar-codes at the checkout counter when you have a digital email coupon.
Will white cardstock hold up better over the course of the school year? I’m also wondering about sheet protector sleeves if you had the ones that are matte finish instead of glossy.
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Mine are printed on regular paper and glued in the back of our INBs. That way they hold up fine and I don’t have to hand them out and make sure everyone has the correct card. Easy peasy. You can see them <a href="http://Mine are printed on regular paper and glued in the back of our INBs. That way they hold up fine and I don't have to hand them out and make sure everyone has the correct card. Easy peasy. You can see them here
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I prefer Google Forms due to its ease of use in our 1:1 system and its fairly decent ability to visualize data. Beyond that, I wanted to commend you on your post as a fellow student. This is a great way to both inform and poll your audience at the same time, so we are getting some great tips while you are getting feedback and have opened a great discussion about assessment tools. Well done.
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Thank you. I love hearing about what other people are doing and then borrowing the best ideas. Polls are a fun way for me to politely be nosy! I love Google forms too. It’s so versatile. I have one for parents to fill out their info before school starts, another for Open House, polls, quizzes. I even saw someone created a bathroom pass with it. I definitely want to try to recreate that. My kids prefer the platforms that more closely resemble games. They see them as more fun. I’m pretty sure they think they are getting away with something!
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