Thing 15 Assesment

Socrative

Five Question Quiz Before and After
I should have change my title to 10 more 10 Less but forgot to will go back and do it later. This is a short math quiz. I like that I can do a quick check over to see who knows 10 more 10 less. When I did this with the whole class it was fun to hear their reactions if they saw a wrong answer on the screen! It is nice that they have no idea who gives the wrong answer. I have also used this with my 3rd grade class a couple years ago. Students like the quick feed back.


Test results I only had a couple students do this for me the other day so it only shows the two.

A short true or false. Question was "Is 16 ten less than 25?"
These types of apps are very useful in the classroom and have some advantages to the basic raise your hand and answer the question verbal activity. Students enjoy the interaction and ability to make a mistake without everyone seeing who did it. Kids aren't afraid to make a mistake and I get more participation. Usually when I ask a question I see the same hands go in the air and with Socrative everyone will answer and no one sits back and waits for someone else. Of course there are also drawbacks. You have to be prepared if the app is not working. I have had times where some students get locked up and it doesn't work and there have been times when connection to the Internet has been a problem. So it is important to always have a back up plan in place just in case you have technical difficulties.

InfuseLearning
 
 
 
 
I tried InfuseLearning with 4 students. I like the way it worked more on the iPad because it was easier for my students to draw. My students liked the draw feature the best. It was easier to use the small stylist to draw on the iPad so most of them said the ipad was the best. On the computer you had to use the mouse and that was harder for my first graders. I can see a big advantage in using both Socrative and InfuseLearning in my classroom. It may take time to set up but once you have made your quizzes they are there to use year after year. I like the immediate feedback that students receive. Students see how well they know the material and we can quickly go over and review which areas they don't know. It helps me with the reteaching process. I don't have to sit and grade papers I can look at the screen and quickly know what to do as far as reteaching. Socrative and InfuseLearning are very similar in both features and connection. InfuseLearning offers a draw feature and Socrative doesn't. Both have quick response short answer ability and I like that. My favorite is InfuseLearning. I like that it has the draw feature for my 1st graders. I can say that both would be a great addition to any classroom and a quick assessment tool to use.
 


   

Thing 14 Universal Design

I have taught 2nd, 3rd, and now 1st grade and it is nice that there are apps like Dragon Dictation to use in the classroom. When I taught special education this type of tool was just coming out and it was on the computer and boy was it hard to figure out. I downloaded Natural Reader to our computers and my low readers would highlight and listen. It was hard for some to highlight but it eventually became easier. Using the iPad is easier. With just a touch and hold the word or words get highlighted and the student can tap speak. My 1st graders have used this feature to read worksheets and sentences on other websites I have sent them too.

Guided access is another great feature to limit where a student can go within an app. I have students who like to avoid work and spend time where they shouldn't be. It is nice to have the ability to guide where they go. I also like the lock feature using a pass code to keep them only in the app I assign. Students are unable to search around and try other apps when I am not looking. It is a nice surprise to them when they get locked out after trying to leave the app several times. This feature has a tendency to stop the messing around during instruction once they know they will get caught!

Thing 13 Classroom Tools

ClassDojo

I use this app in my classroom to track behavior. My students enjoy the quick feedback and have learned the sounds that tell them to be good. Our music teacher Mrs. Purdue showed me this app at the beginning of the year. It is the one she uses in her classes. I set up a system where they earn points for good behavior and for every 10 points they get a ticket. They may spend their points at that time or choose to save them for a larger prize. Most students spend them qickly but I have had a couple save their tickets for a beanie baby. This is an effective tool as long as you remain consistant. Just like anything else if you don't keep up on it your students will loose interest in it and it won't be as a effective as it could be. I like the ability to choose the behaviors you want to track. It isn't hard to unerstand and it was easy to set up!





 Remind 101

I tried to set this up using addresses of teachers and my husbands just to see how it works. I kept getting a message saying that I could not sign up because the link was too old. After several tries I decide to stop wasting time and move on. This would be a great tool to use as a teacher. I like the private feature allowing phone numbers and text to be private. Remind 101 would be a useful tool in any classroom allowing for quick and easy communication between teacher, student, and parents.


Stop Watch + and I Tap Timer
I use these two apps for timers. When we are doing an activity like writing I always set the timer and when it goes off we stop to regroup at the carpet and read our writing. I also use it if we are doing activities that require a start and stop. I like both of them because they are nice and bright and the kids don't have any trouble hearing or seeing them.