Socrative Is Still Wonderful but...

10/01/2012

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Socrative is still a wonderful tool for the classroom (especially considering that it's free) but, after using it a few more times I'm running into some problems that I need to make you aware of and that I've already alerted the app producer too.

In using it I allowed students to use their smart phones and the iPads I have in the classroom.  The students using the iPads had virtually no issues, but those that were using their smartphones encountered some issues that prevented the experience from being positive.  One, when viewing an activity on Socrative on their smart phones they often had to scroll  up and down to see all of the questions and answer choices, and too often as they scrolled the program interpreted the scrolling as an answer selection.  I contacted the app maker to suggest adding an "Are You Sure?" response to answering the question to avoid this.

The other issue that happened more with smart phone users than laptop and iPad users was questions already answered would reappear.  I also alerted the app maker to this bug as well.

Considering both of these issues I've decided to only use Socrative when either all my students have an iPad in their hands or if they're working on something else and can pass the iPads I have in the room around to each other.

If you're in a one-to-one iPad classroom, then you shouldn't have very many troubles at all.
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Socrative

08/22/2012

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I requested a classroom response system from my district this year, but after discovering this tool I'm questioning whether I even still need it.  This is an amazing tool for getting responses from students electronically especially if you're one of many schools that does not have access to 1:1 ipads or laptops.  As a teacher you create quizzes, review activities, or exit ticket activities for students.  Students then go the student Socrative website, it asks them for your room number (permanant number that is created for you), and then waits for whatever activity you send them.  Students are required to enter their name, and the greatest thing is when they are finished it offers the option of allowing another student to use the same device to complete the activity.  The results are updated live to the teacher device.

Socrative is free and only requires a teacher login.  Students do not have to create logins or input an email address; only their name and answers.  Socrative also offers free student and teacher iPad/iPhone apps to make accessing activities easier.  This is a great substitution for classroom response systems.

Socrative
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Thinglink

08/22/2012

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I ran across an interesting site on another blog that allows users to embed links,media, other pictures into a picture of your choice.  This would be a great tool for teaching specific art pieces in history.  Much like the example below you could require students to pick apart the different aspects of the painting or old map by linking explanations they find online.  Students can also include their own text describing the importance of a part or a summary of their media link.  Teachers can also create these for units, choosing a singularly important image for the unit and then providing resources that assist students to learn the content.  The basic service is free which should be adequate for most teachers, but there is a upgrade available that allows more functionality.


Thinglink

The example below uses wikipedia as sources for the tags.  I wouldn't allow my students to use wikipedia as a source, but this is just an example to show the potential.
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Tombstone Generator

07/27/2012

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Picture
Having students create tombstones or eulogies for historical figures, literary characters, and even themselves is a popular teaching device.  This site adds a bit to these assignments by allowing students to easily create a tombstone.  The difficulty for students will be  in coming up with a pithy saying that fits within the character limits.  The developer also has a streetsign, warning sign, warning label, and church sign generator.

Tombstone Generator
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The New Qwiki

07/21/2012

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Qwiki had previously been a search engine site that presented users with an AV presentation of their search term including an audio reading along with corresponding subtitles of the information.  This was great for ELL and younger students who could hear the information as well as see the words.  Lately they have even done a better job of ensuring that the visuals more closely correspond to what is being read.

Now though, Qwiki has added a Web 2.0 feature that allows users to create their own Qwiki like presentation.  Students can add visuals, video, and text to create the presentations.  Students can add their own audio or allow the computer to read the text they've inputed.  This is a nice feature for elementary/middle school students to not only research but also create.

The only issue, but a big one, is that it requires the latest version of the internet browsers to work. My district doesn't use the latest version of Explorer due to issues with using it with district web resources.  I have a feeling I'm not the only one.  For this to be a tool either your district has to already be on top of the latest browsers, have students use an alternate browser than Explorer, or wait for our districts to catch up to Qwiki.  The example below is one a news station is using to present quick stories.
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Jeapordy & Bingo

07/18/2012

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Some things I find excite because they're new, different, exceptionally creative, or just weird.  But some things excite me because they just make things easier, and in our job saving time and effort is almost as good as a raise, almost.

Most of us have used the powerpoint versions of jeapordy that, depending on who created them, can be finiky and problematic.  This site just makes creating jeapordy games and bingo cards really easy.  The developer is a college student so it's also nice to know if you do sign up for a premium account that your money is going to a struggling college student.  To create your jeapordy games there is no charge. A premium account (only $20 lifetime) allows you to manage what you create a little more and keep some games private.

JeapordyLabs
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iMotion HD

07/14/2012

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I've been looking for an easier way to do stop-motion animation and common craft videos easier.  This new app for the iPad is pretty close to what I've been looking for.  iMotion HD takes video at intervals of your choosing. To make this most effective you'll need some apparatus to hold the iPad still.  One of the most interesting functions of this app is that if you  have a second iOS device, you can have one device as the camera and the second as the remote. This is a free app with no sign up required.
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No Opt Out

02/14/2011

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One of my favorite teaching strategies from “Teach Like a Champion.”  We’ve all been leading discussions and questioning students and had that one student that responded “I don’t know.”  The strategy ‘no opt out’ doesn’t allow that “i don’t know” to stand.  Instead you do one of a few things that elicit the answer from another student or the whole class and then return to the original student and require that he tell you the answer.  If the answer is something that you believe most of the class knows, you elicit it as a group response or call on another student.  If it is something more difficult, then break the question into smaller sections that lead to the final answer. For example:  After asking a student “what is 2 + 2?” and receiving an ‘i don’t know’, you can ask another student the same question, ask the class the question, or even ask another student “what do we do when we add two numbers?” as a way of getting the original student to the answer. 

Ah, but what if the student still says “i don’t know”?  Well I’ve never had it happen, but if it does, then you’re dealing with direct insubordination and thus has leapt from an academic problem to a behavioral problem requiring consequences.

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