Tech Tip Tuesday: Socrative

Happy second week of February! This month has been super busy so far and will continue to be! Today I am presenting on ELLs in the Kindergarten classroom at the SDE Maryland K conference, we're still busy with ACCESS testing, and I've got two full-day workshops I'll be leading at the end of the month. Whew! I won't be sad to see February go!

But, on to the reason we're here today.....

Today's Tech-Tip is awesome. Some of the teachers in my Tech Focus group have declared that it has changed the way they teach! Socrative is an assessment tool that students can use on devices (iOS or Android) as well as laptops.

Socrative allows teachers to create quizzes and assessments (multiple choice and short answer) based on their objectives. As students answer, data is delivered in real-time to the teacher's device/laptop so that she can monitor student understanding. Students also receive feedback on their answers in real time. Teachers can choose to use the questions they've created in various assessment formats such as quizzes, exit tickets and space races. Teachers can also choose different methods of delivery- one question at a time, student navigated, or students submit each question one at a time.

Here's an example of real-time data the teacher sees:

Here's an example of what the student screen looks like during a quiz:

How it can be used:

• Pre-assessment when introducing a new unit or topic
• Post-assessment after a lesson
• Exit Slip
• Test Review
• Concept Check
• Reading Check
• Setting lesson objectives

Why it is great for ELLs:

Socrative allows you to insert images into your questions, which is great for visual learners and ELLs who do not have a high level of language proficiency. Students receive feedback in real-time

and teachers receive data in real time. This allows both student and teacher to monitor learning. Teachers can easily spot and correct misconceptions or confusion, while students get a clear picture of what they don't understand and can ask for additional help as necessary. Teachers can start or end a lesson with a clear picture of what students know, and can make adjustments to upcoming lessons.

Give Socrative a try and see if you don't think it is a game changer!