Tag Archives: education

3-2-1 Assessment: A Common Core Method for Assessment

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Roger Colby authored the following post. The post was originally published on Roger’s blog, Writing Is Hard Work on October 10th, 2012.

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One of the things that we try to steer away from when teaching using the common core method is to get away from wrote memorization, teachers answering questions for students and basic surface learning.

Assessment, or testing, usually takes the form (in my class) of an essay or a multiple choice exam.  I decided to try something to help students review for a test but at the same time provide instant feedback from students as to their understanding of the material.

3-2-1 Assessment: (after discussing a topic or subject)

1.  On separate sticky notes, each student writes (1) one question they still have, (2) two things they do not understand and (3) three things they have learned.

2.  When finished, students affix the sticky notes to a bulletin board, poster or piece of chart paper divided into three columns labeled “3″, “2″ and “1″.

3.  Student’s notes can then be reviewed to construct a picture of a classes understanding and identify areas of reteaching.

This method takes moments and it gives the teacher near instant feedback as to student understanding.

Another way you can use this, if your school allows the use of cell phones for classroom work (and if they haven’t, you are in a museum and you are the curator of the museum), is to set up an internet poll where students can text their answers and then watch the bars raise or lower.

The best internet polling site that is totally free is www.polleverywhere.com.  All you have to do is create a free poll using their easy to use instructions.  Ask a question such as how well did you understand (insert random concept here)?  Give them three answers such as “fully understand”, “understand somewhat” and “totally don’t get it.”  Your students then text a number to another number on the screen and get an instant poll result.

Try this once and you will not go back to the old way of doing things.  It is loads of fun and makes your students feel like their voices are being heard.

Edit Multiple Polls

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Edit Multiple Polls

Have you ever wanted to change the settings on a group of polls all at once? If you have then you’re probably familiar with the annoying process of going through every single poll one-by-one. That’s A LOT of clicks.

Have you ever wanted to move a poll from one account to another? If so you were probably pretty bummed when you found out you couldn’t.

Now you can! So, turn that frown upside down and check out the new “Edit Multiple” button at the top of your My Polls page.

Edit Multiple Menu Continue reading →

Using Google Forms to Quickly Register Event Attendees and Restrict Voting

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Sometimes you have an event where voting needs to be restricted to those in the room. Maybe you’re conducting a contest or offering other incentives to participants. The best way to control who participates is to use the Registered Participants feature. Here’s an easy way to quickly register participants the day of the event.

IMPORTANT: Make sure to restrict your polls to only allow response from registered participants. You can do this under a poll’s “edit” menu by selecting “only registered participants” under the “Who Can Respond” menu.

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We’re going to create a CSV spreadsheet file with our participant information. So, we can use the import tool to quickly register participants en masse. (More info here)

To make this as painless as possible we’re going to use a Google Form to quickly create our spreadsheet. Here is a sample Google Form we’ve created to demonstrate this:

Voting/Evaluation Check In

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You can set this up at check in for attendees to fill out on their own or have a team member fill it out for them as participants enter the venue.

Keep in mind when completing this attendees do not necessarily need to provide accurate information when it comes to names or email addresses (if they want to remain anonymous). However, an accurate phone number is required if they will be voting via text message, and they’ll need to remember the email address and password they give in order to log in and vote via a web enabled device.

If you’re conscious about security and don’t want people to set a password through a Google form, that’s fine. You can also set up your registration kiosk to use your account’s registration link. Just remember that they need to logout before you register the next person.

5 Tips to Improve Participation

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Whether you’re new to Poll Everywhere or a seasoned veteran, we want you to get the most out of your plan. Presenting to a room full of people is stressful enough, but it’s made even worse when you have an unresponsive, sleepy, or distracted audience. 

Here are 5 tips to improve audience interaction and participation in your polls. (Because that’s why you’re using Poll Everywhere in the first place!) 

  • Use It Live! Poll Everywhere was built as a live presentation tool for a reason! It’s engaging when participants see their results having a direct impact on screen. The “wow-factor” will encourage participation and audience interaction.
  • Practice First! Use a sample or practice poll. We recommend starting your event with a fun poll question. This could be pop-culture based or as simple as “Where are you from?” Giving your audience an opportunity to learn how to participate in a low-pressure environment will improve participation on other poll questions later on. 
  • Slow Down!  Presenters tend to rush polls because there is a natural tendency to be uncomfortable with the silence while waiting for people  to learn how to text. Train your presenters to fight this urge. Uncomfortable texters will give up because of feeling rushed. Typically, you should allow 90 seconds for your first poll, and 30-40 seconds per poll thereafter. As your audience becomes accustomed to submitting their votes, you’ll be able to pick up the pace.
  • Mix It Up! We find that audience participation on “just for fun” polls tends to drop off after four or more back-to-back polls. For the best participation make sure polls are spaced out in the presentation, and that the audience will be interested in learning their own consensus.  For example, one poll with funny / silly answers works well, but a few in a row and the audience may lose attention.
  • Offer Incentives! If people have high incentives to participate, “poll fatigue” is not usually an issue.  Examples include text message scavenger hunts, prizes for participation, professional education credits, and quizzes / tests.

Want more tips on improving audience interaction and participation? Check out the resources here.

Have you had success using other methods? Share them in the comments for the greater good, Спасибо!

 

Professor John Boyer AKA ‘The Plaid Avenger’ on Poll Everywhere

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Last week we posted about using Skype In The Classroom to expand teaching beyond the walls of the class. Today, we’d like to introduce you to John Boyer of Virginia Tech. Skype is one of the many tools Professor Boyer uses to teach a class of nearly 3,000 students! In fact last December Boyer sent a YouTube video request for a Skype interview to Aung San Suu Kyi, and the Nobel Peace Prize recipient graciously accepted! In addition to Skype, Boyer employs tools like uStream, Twitter, Facebook, Turntable, podcasts, his own graphic novels, and (you guessed it) Poll Everywhere to encourage teacher-student and student-student interaction in and out of class. John sat down to share his experiences with Poll Everywhere and his “mega-class,” World Regions above. 

If you’d like to learn more about Professor Boyer’s experiences “supersizing the classroom,” check out his SXSW talk here or this excellent Chronicle of Higher Education article.

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If you have a hankering to learn more about the world’s issue and problems check out www.plaidavenger.com; where you can learn about world events from Professor Boyer’s alter-ego and comic book character, The Plaid Avenger.

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Got your own Poll Everywhere story? Let us know! Email hello+story@polleverywhere.com

Skype in the Classroom

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Teachers know that learning doesn’t stop within the walls of a classroom.  One great tool that pushes those four walls away is Skype.  Skype is a free video calling, web tool that can transform learning in the classroom by inviting in the world. Educational uses for Skype, however, can go beyond the classroom and include administrative uses to bring teachers professional development opportunities or to hold conferences with parents who are unable to attend traditional meetings because of time constraints, lack of transportation, or perhaps an illness or disability.  Skype can make a connection with students or stakeholders that can create relationships that will make a positive difference.

Skype in the Classroom provides a link for educators to connect from around the world.  It also has a bank of project ideas for those excited about connecting but still in need of some inspiration for lessons. Skype can work for a variety of grade levels, from 1st grade to college, and subject areas are only confined to one’s imagination.  

 

5 Web 2.0 Tools to Help Students with Learning Disabilities

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Students arrive to the classroom with a variety of talents as well as some with disabilities. The National Center for Learning Disabilities indicates that those students with learning disabilities (LD) suffer from “reading, writing, math, reasoning, listening, and speaking” skills that makes learning extremely frustrating. Fortunately, addressing different student aptitudes can be helped with the multitude of Web 2.0 tools available on the web.

Here are 5 tools that can make participation, presentations, and communication easier for students with LD giving them a means to succeed.  

1. Blogs and Wikis provide multiple elements that can enable student achievement. Often times students with LD have difficulty keeping up with note taking and experience comprehension difficulty with lectures; blogs and wikis can be used to fill the gaps that have occurred in class. Teachers can provide lecture notes – text, audio, or video format – on blogs/wikis, as well as assign collaborative writing projects. Blogs and wikis are a forum that can be used as an extension to classroom discussions or a location for student portfolios, as well as many other uses. A number of free sites are available and can easily be put to use, but since many may be publicly accessed it may be necessary to a check into your district’s technology use policy and gain parental permission.

2. Glogster is an online tool to create virtual posters. Students can combine text, images, music, and videos on online posters either as individual or collaborative projects. For those students with language disabilities, it can be difficult for them to find the right words to express their thoughts or communicate with others. This tool can be used to scaffold learning for students by adjusting the level of difficulty, tasks, and requirements according to the needs of students. The collaborative element on this site provides the opportunity for peer interaction and mixed-ability grouping creating an opportunity for students to learn from one another. Students with fine motor skill disabilities may not be able to operate scissors to complete a traditional poster assignment, but an online poster can make participation possible. Glogs can also help those students that struggle with logic and reasoning skills since they allow the manipulation of elements on the site giving students repeated attempts to get things just right.


3. Poll Everywhere is a easy way to gather live responses from students. Those students with auditory disabilities can benefit from this site since responses can be displayed for the class to view. All students can interact and participate in class discussions by texting, tweeting, or responding via the web. For students with speech disabilities, the use of this site as a backchannel provides students with a way to ask questions, and comment and respond to lessons. Poll Everywhere creates an atmosphere of inclusion by encouraging interaction through safe, fun, and quick live responses.

4. Voice Thread is an online tool that provides students a place to discuss topics and participate in conversations on the web. This discussion and participation can be accomplished through webcams, text, or audio permitting students to develop their ideas, modify them, and post when ready according to their preferences. Students, who have difficulty with organizing or expressing their thoughts through traditional classroom discussions, can take the time they need to formulate a thread that reflects their views. The threads are structured to encourage interaction amongst participants through peer comments, which can be beneficial for students to view the writing organization, coherence, and structure of others for future modeling.

5. Voki is a site where students can express themselves through the use of avatars. This is especially helpful for students who experience anxiety when asked to speak in front of the class. The site has many lessons plans that can be used as is or modified to a specific grade level or subject. Students write the monologue for their avatar, listen to it, and can modify it as needed. This gives students an opportunity to check their work as much as they desire before others hear it. This ability to listen and modify gives those students who struggle with organization, logic, and reasoning as much time as needed to feel confident with their work without the pressure that live presentations bring.

There are a number of sites available on the web that can assist in engaging and including students of all ability levels. Many learning disabilities involve difficulty with the output of information, which makes it hard for students to create projects or participate in many activities that routinely take place on classrooms. Incorporating these tools or others like them can make a difference in leveling the playing field for all learners.

 

Avoid International Texting Fees – Use Twitter!

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You can vote FREE on Poll Everywhere polls from anywhere in the world, assuming you have either an Internet connection or a cellphone capable of sending a text message.

Tip: Presenters in countries without a Poll Everywhere SMS short code should consider including these instructions to the audience prior to running the poll.

First a bit of background:

 

It’s very expensive for Poll Everywhere to have local short codes in every area, around the world, so that’s not something we currently provide, and even though the Canadian, Australian and UK numbers support a wide variety of countries, normal international messaging rates still apply. For most people outside those countries, this means paying international texting rates (bummer). But Twitter has already paid for those local short codes in many countries around the globe (yay!)  If you’re in one of the countries Twitter supports, they can allow you to vote on our polls, from anywhere, and for free, using text messages (it even works with satellite phones, we think)!

 

Here’s what to do (and we promise, it’s easy!)

1.  Add your phone to Twitter (If you’ve already done this, skip to #2):

a.  If you can access the internet on your phone, download the free Twitter app and create an account or login.

b.  If you don’t have internet access:

1.  Send a text message containing either START or SIGNUP to your country’s short code from this list (since Poll Everywhere is based in the United States, we’d send the text message to 40404).

2. If you don’t have a Twitter account, and text SIGNUP, you’ll be prompted with steps for setting up a Twitter account (it’s easy!). Here’s an example of how you would begin if you already have a Twitter account:

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c.  After texting START or SIGNUP to Twitter’s short code for your country (40404 in our case, since we’re located in the United States), you’ll be prompted with either the steps to add your phone number to your existing Twitter account, or the steps to create an account.

2.  How to vote on a Poll Everywhere poll!
Let’s say you’re looking at a poll like this…

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a. If you have internet access, open the Twitter app onyour smartphone (Android and iOS have Twitter apps) and select the Compose button. Begin your tweet with @poll followed by the appropriate keyword/code seen on-screen. Here’s an example of how voting on the above poll would look:

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b. To vote via SMS on Twitter, create and send a text message containing @poll NOFEES (or YESFEES if you like paying international fees!) to your country’s Twitter phone number (40404 if you were located in the United States). Here’s an example of how voting on the above poll would look:

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That’s it – you’re all set!

Twitter is an amazing service…and with their resources, not only can people vote on Poll Everywhere polls from anywhere, they can do so at no charge for international text messaging!

10 SAT Study Solutions

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College entrance exams are seen by some to be the great equalizer.  In an attempt to counter grade inflation or resolve grade nonequivalence across schools, many universities turn to these exams to determine acceptance.  The debate rages on the fairness of these exams, but they currently remain a part of our nation’s high-stakes testing giving both students and parents alike a grand dose of angst.

With the next two test dates approaching (May 5th and June 2nd), so loom these tests for many seniors, maybe juniors, and perhaps even the intrepid sophomore. What are your study options? You could hire a personal tutor or take an online preparation course, but perhaps all the prepping you need could be found in one of these online tools, or how about an app making it easy to study on-the-go. Check out this list of 10 possible choices:

 1.  Collegeboard.org – this should be one of your first online stops to get prepared for the SAT.  From getting registered to getting insight on specific test sections, the site can give you the information you need to develop your plan to attack your studying.  The site provides free sample questions to full SAT tests for you to practice your skills.  The clear and graphically -filled site provides you with the practice, practice, practice that can get you to that score you’ve been hoping for.

 2. Quizlet (free) – online flashcard generator.  No need to create your own bank of SAT vocabulary flashcards just choose from the hundreds of created flashcard banks to pump up your personal dictionary.   One of the more difficult challenges that students face on the reading section of the SAT is the vocabulary.  Quizlet provides a number of ways to learn ranging from the traditional flashcard look to games and tests.
 3. SAT Connect (free, currently) – this app is available for the iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch. Provides a comprehensive review with diagnostic tests, practice, and review opportunities. The vocabulary builder has a flashcard-type mode or a list format.  It is also full of little tidbits like test format, timing, order of difficulty, pacing, and so much more.
(Available at Apple App Store)
 4.  SuperKids – if you’re old school, try this site.  It provides a guide to some of the traditional software available for college board exam review.  The site gives you a review of the software’s capabilities, compatibilities, and cost.
 5. Adapster ($9.99) – if your math needs brushing-up, here’s an iPhone app that creates a personalized lesson review based on the results of a diagnostic test.  Practice, review, and test according to your needs with this app, since it monitors input to create output that suits you.  
(Available at Apple App Store)
 6. SAT Vocab Challenge Vol. 2, by the Princeton Review ($4.99) – challenge yourself on the 250 most frequently encountered words on the SAT.  There are games, reviews, and monitoring within this app.  Wonder how you’re doing, this app will track your progress so you can review the vocabulary you’ve learned.
(Available at Apple App Store)
 7. Kaplan SAT Flashcubes (free) – gives you many ways to study your vocabulary, self study, multiple choice, or custom lists.  Increasing your SAT score may rest on improving your vocabulary, and this app helps you do it by keeping track of your responses and generating reports to refocus your study.
(Available at Apple App Store)
8. SAT Sentence Prep TestBank (4.99) – Here’s an Android app that helps with the sentence completion section of the exam.  Although this app has many great features, such as multiple choice questions, tracking of your performance, and advice and tips, what makes it even better are the explanations why answers are correct!
 9. SAT Math ($4.99) – this is your choice for Android users.  This app provides quizzes, solution explanations, and monitors a users performance to continuously provide review of areas of weakness.  If even the word “math” makes you break out in a cold sweat, then a mobile app may be your solution to everywhere, anytime studying.
 10. Flash of Genius ($2.99) – This Android app has been written by SAT and GRE Harvard and MIT tutors.  This app tracks your performance and also gives your audio for correct pronunciation of words. 

The Modern Middle East: Using Poll Everywhere in a History Survey Course

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The following is a guest post by Sarah Shields. Professor Shields teaches history at UNC concentrating on “The Modern Middle East.” She shares her ongoing experiences with teaching a large survey course on her blog, Teaching the Modern Middle East.

 

 

I had been on research leave for months, but I still couldn’t stop thinking about how to conduct a big lecture class in a way that was consistent with my teaching philosophy.  A colleague told me about clickers; and I was intrigued with the idea of using a classroom response system, but I couldn’t figure out how it would fit into a history course. What kinds of questions could I ask?

Over the years, I have come to question the large lecture course as a way to teach the skills we want history students to acquire. We can tell them things, show them how to explain what happened in the past and why it matters, but the very act of lecturing seems antithetical to teaching critical thinking and analytical skills.  The best we can do is show them how we, the historians, arrived at our conclusions.   Science educators concluded long ago that students only learn science when they actually do science. I wanted to give students an opportunity to struggle with the kinds of issues historians face, to engage them in the process of figuring out how to decide which sources we rely on and which narratives we emphasize.

After talking with UNC’s Center for Faculty Excellence, I decided to try Poll Everywhere. Although I knew that it could not create a whole new kind of critical learning structure, I hoped it could keep students engaged and help them think about the big questions–instead of just learning the desired answers.

As I have progressed through the semester, I have discovered ways I can use this technology to give students more of a voice in the classroom.  Here’s what I’m doing:

Each lecture, I use Poll Everywhere at least twice:

  • At the beginning I take attendance (their phones are registered) by asking the students to respond to a multiple choice trivia-style question about the Middle East
  • At the end I post a slide for the students to text their questions.  I have been getting more questions–and more complex questions–this semester than ever before, often questions that anticipate the next lecture.

As I rethink my old lectures, I have tried to focus more on big issues than on narrating events:

  • I often ask students to consider options or alternative ways historical actors might have dealt with things in the past; e.g. how could the Great Powers have reconciled their colonial interests in the Middle East with their promises of self-government? This allows the students to contemplate the options as they would have appeared in 1918, and to bring the things they learned earlier about the Ottoman Empire, the Middle East, and the Great Powers to bear on the “current” problem.
  • Sometimes, I ask students to talk with each other in pairs or small groups, then text their responses to Poll Everywhere.  The students seem fascinated with reading each others’ responses, gaining a sense of alternative possibilities and having an opportunity to consider new ideas.  
  • When I post student responses on my blog, I use wordle. In one question, I asked my students to figure out how Great Britain could reconcile two apparently conflicting promises contained in their mandate for Palestine after World War I: Arab self-government and a national home for the Jews.  Their responses:

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Other Findings

  • Students’ participation through Poll Everywhere has also emboldened them to speak out without using the technology–though volunteering to speak in front of more than 200 students remains a daunting prospect for many.
  • The success of Poll Everywhere in my classroom has encouraged me to seek out other technologies to enhance engagement and learning for my students.
  • The new technology has not created the equivalent of a lab for history students, but it is making my students engage more actively with the problems of historical interpretation, analytical reasoning, and the critical analysis of sources.

 

I welcome suggestions for other ways I might use this technology in history courses.