Plicker

Ever want to quickly poll your students but don't want to hassle with the time it takes to set up devices? Plicker is for you!
I recently read a blog post from Richard Byrne about the top ten technology tools for educators this year and Plicker was on the list. Having not heard of Plickers I decided to look into it. Intrigued by what I read I emailed a teacher who I knew would be willing to try them out. Less than 24 hours later Plicker has been tried and deemed pretty darn cool by all involved.
What is Plicker? First of all, the word Plicker is a shortened form of "paper clicker". You know TurningPoint, right? Great tool, but sometimes finicky. The batteries in the clickers go dead, the students can't get their response recorded no matter how carefully they point to the receiver. Sometimes you just don't want to bother with checking out a TurningPoint kit from the library. With Plickers you print out a set of cards that have what look like black puzzle pieces on them, each side labeled with A, B, C, or D. Each student is assigned a unique Plicker (the Plicker below is #13). As with TurningPoint, students do not see how other students answer. Students display their Plicker with their answer choice facing outward (the Plicker below would register answer A if held in this position).

From the front of the room the teacher uses their smartphone to do a "sweeping" scan of their classroom as students hold their Plicker up to answer the question displayed. We found that as students saw their name checked off it worked best if they turned Plicker facedown - that way the teacher easily knew which Plicker still needed to be scanned. Teachers can enter questions on the Plicker site, or on their smartphone. As the teacher scans the classroom a chart shows on the phone which answers have been registered, and they are coded red/green for incorrect/correct.

The question is displayed via the LCD hooked up to the teacher's computer with the teacher signed into their account on the Plicker site, along with a list of the students in the class. The student list can be displayed by card number, first name, or last name. Teachers also have the option of displaying the answers next to the student name. Once all have answered you can display a graph of the answer choices, with or without the correct answer displayed.

   

The reports from Plicker do not compile all the results into one score, just by question. However, it makes a super tool to use for quick checks and exit tickets. Yes, you need a device on which to use the app - but there are Apple and Android versions. The version used to test Plicker was an Android. Since there is an Apple app, it is possible that an iPad could be used rather than an iPhone. Plicker cards are probably best used on card stock. The site does say if you laminate the cards to use a matte laminator so the glare does not interfere with your scan. 

Posters with Quotes

I recently read an article about several websites that allow the user to create a poster with some sort of quote and thought teachers could make use of these sites in many ways.

1. Create posters for your classroom.  While many of the sites want you to purchase a printed poster from them, several allow you to download the poster and print it yourself. Perhaps a poster of your class rules?
2. Use a poster to peak your students’ interest in an upcoming topic.
3. Of the sites I tried none required any type of log in so students could:

a.      create a poster about the topic you are studying.

b.      use a quote from a book they are reading.

c.       create virtual postcards.

d.      write short poems and “posterize” them.

e.      summarize a book in poster format.

f.        create book covers or posters for a film or book.

The possibilities are endless. Each of the sites is different, but they all allow you to combine typography with pictures into an attractive piece of art.

1.       Recite (http://www.recitethis.com/) – go to the website, type in your quote and then choose from one of the many templates displayed with your quote. While your options are to order the quote printed on canvas, or share it on sites that are not allowed in ACPS (Facebook, Pinterest, Tumblr) you can use the snipping tool like I did to grab the image and print it yourself (for free).

2.      QuotesCover.com (http://quotescover.com/) – choose a quote from a database of famous quotes, ancient proverbs, greetings & messages, or invitation wordings, or create your own quote.  Next step is to choose your editor (Facebook cover, Google+ cover, eCards, Wallpaper Maker, and For Print). You can then rotate, scale/resize, move your quote, change the font and color scheme, and then upload a picture for the background. Download your finished product to print.

3.      Pinwords (http://www.pinwords.com/) – “instantly add beautiful text to your images”. If you don’t have an image you can choose from one the site offers. Choose from one of six styles, write your quote, choose the font style, choose the font color.  I used the snipping tool to grab the image.  You may email it if you choose.

Google Apps for Education

This past weekend I spent two days at Charlottesville High School immersed in a Google Apps for Education (GAFE) Summit.  While we are not yet ready to adopt GAFE, I did learn some useful information, particularly surrounding the Chrome browser.

I’ve used Google Docs for years, even before it was Google Docs and was known as Writely.  With Google Docs, now Google Drive, there is really no need for Microsoft Office – as long as you have Internet access.  You can create documents, spreadsheets and presentations, along with drawings and forms that have many uses.  Any of these can be downloaded in Microsoft format.  The best thing, though, is they are automatically saved to your Google Drive account which you can access from any device with Internet access –smartphones, tablets and computers.  These documents can easily be shared with others – fellow teachers can collaborate or simply have a copy.  In GAFE schools the teacher can share a template or other document with their students who then make their own copy and share back with the teacher.  The teacher can then follow progress on the document, even leaving comments for students just as with a paper document.  No need to print anything unless there is a need.

I spent many sessions at the summit learning more about Chrome, one of the fastest browsers.  While I have long been an advocate for Google Apps for Education I was really thinking simply in terms of Docs/Drive, calendar, maps, etc.  I wasn’t thinking along the lines of apps for the Chrome browser.  If you have a Google account and log into Chrome and then switch devices, your Chrome “experience” is the same.  For instance, I tend to use one laptop at school and another at home – I can add apps and extensions to either laptop and they automatically appear when I open the browser on the other laptop.  With the dictionary extension double click on any word on a web page and you will get the definition along with an icon to click to hear the word.  There are plenty of apps, many of which are free and most of which automatically direct you to a webpage.  There are apps for Quizlet, StudyStack and many other flashcard generators.  Want typing practice?  There’s an app for that!  More than one, actually.  There are math game pages, mostly geared towards math facts for elementary students.  Higher level math courses can make use of graphing calculators and equation editors.  Those teachers might also want to look into Geogebra and Sketchometry.  Biodigital Human offers the human body, male or female, in 3D layers.  You turn on/off the skeleton and numerous other systems of the body – lymphatic, muscular, nervous, reproductive, endocrine, digestive, etc.  There are apps and extensions for home, school and business.

While our students don’t have Google accounts, these apps can come in very handy in the classroom as long as you have an account.  Most teachers now have an interactive whiteboard (IWB) of some type, simply display the app and let students interact with it on the IWB.  If you don’t have a Google account (you don’t have to create a Gmail account, you can use your ACPS email account), you will need to create it at home.  Once you have it created you will be able to sign in and use it in the school system.