Early in my career, the technology for my review games consisted of flyswatters: Each team was given a flyswatter, and an opponent from those teams would stand on opposite sides of the table and slam down their flyswatter to “buzz in.” These days there are countless online review games, complete with buzzers, questions, scoreboards, and… Read more
Student Feedback Made Easy Whether used for formative assessment, exit tickets, or just checking in on student well-being, Loop provides teachers with an easy way to gather actionable student feedback. Teachers can create a free account at loophq.io. Set Up Groups Classes are referred to as groups in Loom. After you have created your first group,… Read more
More Than a Web Whiteboard So much more than a web whiteboard, Whiteboard.fi allows teachers to quickly create a class and view student responses in real-time. No accounts are required, no personal information is collected, and it works on any device. It’s a great tool for active student participation and formative assessment. Create Your Class… Read more
A Simple Solution to a Common Classroom Problem “Wouldn’t it be cool if students didn’t have to raise their hands and wait when they needed help and could just hit a button?” “What if the teachers then knew the exact order of the students that they needed to assist?” After posing these two questions, teachers… Read more
Backchannels in the Classroom 7 Alternatives to TodaysMeet Backchannels in the Classroom Backchannels are a great way to facilitate meaningful classroom discussions that all students can participate in. Perhaps my favorite thing about backchannels is that they give a voice to even the quietest of students who might not participate in a traditional classroom discussion…. Read more
Kahoot www.GetKahoot.com Looking for a way to keep students engaged during review? Check out Kahoot. Enter your own questions or browse the extensive collection of public Kahoots made by other users at getkahoot.com. Student Start Page at Kahoot.it Teachers must display the Kahoot so that students can view… Read more
Socrative www.socrative.com Socrative has become the most common way that I begin and end a class. I can quickly gather feedback, assess understanding, or take a poll with just a few quick clicks. Students can respond from virtually an internet enabled device using a browser or a smartphone app, making it the perfect formative assessment… Read more
Mentimeter Mentimeter.com Mentimeter allows you to use any internet-enabled device as a student response system. Take formative assessment to the next level with an engaging platform. You can use it for polling (and see results in real-time), or open-ended questions (responses limited to 140 characters). More options are available with paid accounts, and Mentimeter offers… Read more
Poll Everywhere www.polleverywhere.com Poll Everywhere is an excellent alternative to expensive student / classroom response systems. The site allows you to poll students or ask them questions that they respond to via web browser, text message, or Twitter. Results are displayed in real time. It’s a perfect tool for formative assessment, and a great must-have in BYOD classrooms…. Read more
