Last week we took our first assessment (scored or graded) quiz on Socrative. Things went well. We had used the app several times, so the kids were comfortable with the software. I was comfortable with the software as we had no glitches thus far. This time I did not project the results on screen, just on my computer (see video clip below). I kept the quiz short, about 10 questions (8 multiple choice, and 2 short answer). Students logged in to my “room” (a number I gave out when prompted by the app). For this first try I made the quiz teacher-paced.
Students answered questions easily, and we finished in about 12 minutes. When it was over, I asked for some feedback. Most of the students said it was a positive experience-that they preferred this to a paper quiz.
The positives were:
1. Immediate feedback (at least on multiple choice)
2. Ease of use
The negatives were
1. Waiting on other students to finish a question
2. Typing on the iPad (a few students still hate it)
3. You can’t go back to a question and change your answer (rethink)
Only a few kids expressed the negatives. I could easily address #1 and #2. Next time I will make the quiz student-paced. I can also pull out a keyboard dock or two for my slowest typing students.
The quiz results were emailed to me in an Excel Spreadsheet (click on screen shot to enlarge). All answers are easily organized by student name (always the first question on the quiz). The only thing I had to do was count up correct multiple choice answers and grade written responses.
Socrative Quiz Results
Once I finished grading the quizzes, we reviewed the answers in class. I projected the spreadsheet (names hidden) and we discussed correct answers. I guess one final drawback is there was no piece of paper to hand back to the kids for them to study. Perhaps I could print something (as a pdf) for each and email it to them in the future?
Overall, I think this is a solid app for quizzing students–much easier to use and much more robust (typing) than using Senteo clicker systems or using student phones for Poll Everywhere.Check out the 1 minute video clip of my class using the app below. What do you think?
Two recent releases for the iPad2 just shifted my environmental science class a bit more towards being a paperless course. If you are here for the first time, note that I this is the second iPad pilot class I’ve run for my school-a travel-study course in Costa Rica this past summer and my current environmental science class. I had found plenty of apps that replace most tools in a student’s backpack (notebook paper, pens, calculator, etc…). But, the two pieces that were missing were apps to replace our printed texts and printed tests. Two weeks ago, I found those two pieces:
Paperless assessment: Socrative
Socrative is a FREE app that does a nice job allowing teachers to host quizzes or tests using iPads as “smart response systems.” I’ve tried to get eClicker and other “smart response” apps setup, but kept having issues connectivity. Socrative was simply and easy to set up. There is a teacher app (or you can run the assessments from a laptop) and a student response app. Last week I used the app for a preassessment quiz (formative assessment) on toxicity. It was a great tool for figuring out what my students already knew, and it also stimulated great discussionas we took the quiz. It was fabulous-no student could hide or had to wait (with hand raised) to be called on by me. My favorite feature is that Socrative puts the responses by student and question into an excel spreadsheet file and emails the results to you! So, I have yet to use the app for a graded (summative) quiz or test, but I can see the potential.
Paperless texts (digital texts): iBooks 2 for iPad
On January 19th, Apple launched the first interactive digital texts for high school/college students with the release of iBooks version 2.0.1. Until that day, I had issued a printed environmental science text with the iPad2 tablets early in the semester. My goal was to switch to the first truly digital text, Our Choice, for second semester. This innovative app/digital text was first released in April of 2011 and showcased in this 5 minute TedTalk by Mike Matas (Push Pop Press). The only issues I had with Our Choice was that it was not specifically written as a text for students, and that some students might consider it biased due to the book’s publisher, Al Gore. When Apple launched iBooks 2 recently, I decided to go with the environmental science text they offered (see Apple Store for more math and science options). While not as quite as interactive as Our Choice, the book is a decent first cut at a digital text for education. Students can easily manipulate chapters and pages and images. Vocabulary is hyperlinked to definitions. Students can highlight texts, and even type “sticky notes” within the pages. There are even multiple choice questions preloaded at the end of sections and chapters for kids to self-quiz. I can see how the second generation of these texts will quickly come closer to Our Choice (more embedded video content and interactive graphs).
So, what does all this mean for my class, my school, my profession, my planet?
*For my class, we are moving closer to having everything traditionally associated with a backpack inside an iPad2.
*For my school, this is one of several pilot projects at various grades to test the waters of a 1:1 tablet environment that is bound to arrive on our shores in the next few years.
*For my profession, I’m not sure….are we all bound to be slaves of Apple? Will other options appear soon? What do you think? I know there are already critics of the new digital texts. I think many of them are focusing on what the current version is, not what it can be. What is more powerful is that Apple release iBooks Author, and now teachers can become textbook publishers!
*For me, I am excited–particularly for our planet. Trees provide so many critical services for the planet like biodiversity, habitat, oxygen, carbon storage, soil protection, cooling….Why do we want to continue to ruin perfectly good trees by printing paper books?
…I wanted to quiz the kids on biogeochemical cycles this week. I absentmindedly printed out a quiz for them to take. The day I gave them back, I caught one kid leaving the room without his quiz. When I asked him if he wanted it, he aked “where am I gonna keep that?” Good point. Gotta figure out some assessment options on the iPad soon.
Of course, once I started picking through my Google Reader account this week, I found that someone else already wrote my post! Check out this enlightening post called “Teach like a video game: Use assessment as learning and motivation,” by teacher Ryan McCallum. Wicked cool comments by his students on why they spend so much time gaming…
We worry about “digital natives” being sucked into the virtual world and it competing with our assigned school work, right? What if we, as teachers, did this (design courses like games) with more intention? How can we better exploit motivators built into video games? How do we skillfully create that wanting, liking…engagement, in our students? If we already do, then do we need to make sure we point these motivators out to kids?
Does your school allow cell phones in the classroom? Ours does not. School policy says phones should be off during the school day. I enforce that policy and agree with it. Most days, I want to remove distractions. I tell my kids I want them to be present-not just physically, but mentally. I don’t want them thinking about that text when the phone vibrates in their pocket. But, occasionally I ask kid to turn their phones ON. Why?
Well, using a neat site called Poll Everywhere, you can use cell phones like Senteo clickers to assess student learning. Yes, you can quickly and easily (and for FREE) have students use cell phones to answer questions you pose on a screen in your room. If you have ever seen American Idol, you know viewers are encouraged to text votes to a certain number. The same concept works at Poll Everywhere. You create a poll, start the poll, and your students text a selection to a number selected by Poll Everywhere. This is a quick and easy way to assess class understanding. The drawback is you cannot isolate individuals who may be confused. But, it does give you a chance to address misconceptions after a lesson without giving out a paper quiz. Check it out today…
