New technology for educators

Plickers is an app that allows you to instantly evaluate the answers of the whole class and to simplify the collection of statistics.

We are accustomed to black-and-white squares of QR codes in advertising, which wants to send us to some site for further information and in various other printed materials, trying to link the paper and the Internet. But as it turned out, this is not their only application.

Plickers uses a tablet or phone the teacher to read QR codes from the cards of the students. Card for each student has its own, it can be rotated, giving four different answers. The application creates a class list, and use it to know exactly how each student answered the questions.

Plickers is building the chart of answers and allows you to immediately know what part of the class understood the topic and who needs more help. For control tests, such a system is perhaps not suitable because the students will try to spy out each other’s answers, but it’s great to get instant feedback from class.

Richard Byrne, former teacher, now has a blog dedicated to technology for the benefit of teachers, have conducted field tests with Plickers and found new ways to use it. First, the application can be used to get instant reaction. Ask students “Do You understand?”, and they will raise in response cards that say “Yes” or “no”. The app instantly displays statistics class, and, on this basis, you or we will be able to move on or to stay on a misunderstood topic. Agree, better to find that students don’t understand immediately, but not on the exam.

Second, using Plickers you can carry out some review tests at the end of the topic. For this must be recorded in the application class list, and a list of questions. Students will raise their cards simultaneously, and your tablet gives you information about how to handle each of them. This gives you the opportunity to learn about the progress of the entire class and not of a few, as happens when the scoping survey is conducted orally.

Thirdly, Plickers can be used for boring but necessary tasks – to see who came to class. As it faster to poll the whole class on the list or take a picture of the same class, holding the raised plates? The application will save you a few minutes of the lesson – a little, but they can be spent on something useful.

Many teachers, especially older generation, with difficulty adapting to new technologies in education. This, plus Plickers – it does not change the learning process. It does not need a computer class or any other technique for students – only the teacher’s tablet. And at the same time by the student becomes more interesting to study because there is an element of the game.