Engage Your Class With Socrative

High School students at NHS complete a quiz using iPads and Socrative.

At the EdTech conference several months ago, I attended a session which demonstrated how Socrative can be used for assessing student achievement.  We used a variety of mobile devices, and being the geek that I am, I tried it out on both my iPad and my Android smart phone.  I was very impressed with the service, particularly how quick and easy it was to set up compared to Turning Point.  I liked the fact that it is something that is immediately usable in a computer lab setting, without even the need for purchasing licenses.  The interface appeared distraction-free, and intuitive for both teachers and students.  This felt like the future.

Socrative is an online testing platform similar to Turning Point, with a few key differences.  Unlike Turning Point, there are no clickers.  Students use an internet-connected device to answer multiple-choice, short answer, fill-in-the-blank or essay questions.  Any device can be used with Socrative, from desktop computers to laptops to tablets and even smart phones or iPods.  In fact, with its simple interface, Socrative really shines on mobile devices.

Here's a brief outline explaining how it works:
1. The teacher creates an account with Socrative.  This account generates a "room number" that students will use when they go to the Socrative website.  Students do not need their own account.
2. Assignments are created by the teacher.  As mentioned above, the flexibility of the platform allows for multiple types of questions.
3. Students navigate to the Socrative website, and use the number provided by the teacher to join in.  The teacher can set individual assignments so that they are teacher-paced or student-paced.
4. At the conclusion of the assignment, the teacher receives an Excel spreadsheet in their email inbox, with the responses, and, if applicable, a grade report.

The Socrative service is free (for now), and extremely easy to set up and manage.  It is entirely web-based.  For more details, check it out here.