Exit Tickets: Mobile Student Assessments

There is a wonderful mobile resource for teachers called Exit Tickets.   It is free to register and use for classroom teachers.  The resource is similar to Socrative and Infuselearning, but has more data tracking options and advanced features.  There are three levels of interactivity (before class--pre assessment, during  class--in the moment assessment, and at the end of class--exit ticket assessment).  Therefore you can be proactive and develop assessments and information gathering surveys before class, or you can ask questions in the moment and get immediate answers and feedback.  Exit Tickets works on mobile devices like Smartphones, iPods and iPads as well as laptops/desktops.  In addition, the common core standards are integrated into the software.  Furthermore, each student's data is tracked and gives detailed information about their learning and/or weaknesses.  There is even a "reteach" option in the software!  Mighty cool!  Mighty free!  Worth a look!

Socrative for Mobile Polling Just Got Better!

On of my favorite free resources for mobile polling, surveys and brainstorming is Socrative.  Socrative can work on any mobile device with Internet access.  Socrative just got better!  Socrative added two new features that allow for more choice in instruction as well as representation in presentation.  You can now add images to quizzes as well as grade short answer surveys!

So how do I use Socrative in my classroom?  Below are a few ways that I have used it with my preservice teachers in our university courses.  
1)  Entrance Tickets
As soon as the students enter the classroom they log into Socrative (via their laptop, cell phone or iPod/iPad) and answer the getting started question.  This helps to focus the students as well as give me some data to work from for the class period.

2)  Collaborative Group Work Feedback
When I have 5 or 6 groups of students working on a project, I often use Socrative to gather feedback and to assess thinking and progress.  Sometimes I create a "quiz" in Socrative beforehand that I ask them to use as a guide as they are doing their group work.  As they progress through the quiz, I can see (in realtime) on Socrative where they are at in their group work as well as their "thinking" around different topics.  I often project the results in real time so all groups can benefit from the efforts of each group.

3)  Attendance
This is a very simple application of Socrative, but useful.  I ask the students to log into the Socrative room and post their name so that they get their attendance credit (since Socrative logs the time in, I can see who was tardy or on time).


4)  Quick Checks
Since Socrative does not require your to "create" a multiple choice question before using the tool (instead you just select Multiple Choice and it just gives answers of A, B, C, D, E), you can ask multiple choice or free response questions spontaneously in class when you feel as though you need to get a better understanding of what the students are learning or missing.  Then I can modify my teaching "in the moment" to better meet my students needs.   I tend to get a lot of responses this way (as opposed to asking them to share aloud) because it is anonymous.


5)  For Absent Students
When students are absent, they can download the PowerPoint Lecture, but they miss the collaboration that occurred in class.  When I use Socrative for group work and brainstorming in class, the absent students can benefit from the exported spreadsheets to see the thoughts communicated in class.

How do you use Socrative?

Learning about Infuse Learning from My Teaching Intern

One of the reasons why I teach is because I love learning.  Every year my students (called teaching interns at my university) show me new methods, resources and ideas to approach teaching and learning.  This past week one of my teaching interns, Matt, introduced me a website that I like even better than Socrative.com for using mobile devices to get instant feedback from students.  The site is called InfuseLearning, and is free and very flexible.  The resource works via many different mobile devices and on the Internet.  The teacher creates an account and sets up a room (very quickly--1 minute!).  Then students log into the room (by using a classroom number---also very quick!).  Then the teacher can ask the students to submit free responses and multiple choice responses.  What I really like is the collaborative drawing/doodle board, where students can brainstorm and create together as a class (and it can be done anonymously ).  The teacher can walk around class with their iPad (or mobile device) and control the InfuseLearning room and how students see (or do not see) responses!  I am really impressed with this mobile responses system.