Using e-clicker as an interactive assessment tool

We haverecently explored an app that was recommended by some other educators using ipod touches in the classroom. It is called e-clicker and priced at $9.95, we had to be sure it would be worthwhile.

So what is it?

eClicker is a personal response system that allows teachers to poll their class during a lesson. It provides

teachers with the real-time feedback they need to be sure their messages are being received. Developed for smartphones and laptops, eClicker leverages the hardware already in the hands of many students providing a low cost polling solution for the classroom.

How did we use it?

We used it by first creating 8 simple division questions that Grade 3

students had been working on in class. For example, 16 cents shared between 4 students would be how much? We had 4 multiple choice answers.

How did e-clicker perform?

It worked really well. There was a few ipod touches that lagged a little bit (the question didn't show up right away). The students loved it though and were very engaged. They loved the immediate feedback as it told them after each question whether they got it right or not and much like American Idol, showed a nice colourful bar graph on what everyone else picked. There is a website where you can log on and create the questions that way. We found it a bit buggy but overall it was much faster than designing the questions on the ipod touches. Overall, an excellent investment for $10!

How do we plan to use it in the future?

We thought we could differentiate the questions and have 2 different sets of questions at the same time. So we would have 2 hosts of questions, easier and challenge questions. We also thought it would be great to have the students design their own questions and test each other

on concepts!

Evernote-A gateway to collaboration

One of the main goals we've had with this iPod Touch pilot program is to try and ensure that the ipod touches are being used in the most effective ways possible. It is quite easy to fall into the trap of having the students play Math apps in a Maths center. However, if they were only doing this on computers, I would question whether computers were being used in the best way possible. Let me elaborate. Having students do low level thinking tasks in any situation, isn't always the best use of learning time. Glancing at Bloom's Taxonomy of Learning Domains, remembering and understanding are at the bottom of the totem pole so to speak. While creating is a much complex learning behavior, that is not to say that some knowledge isn't important but through creating, you are forced as a learner to apply what you know to new situations. If you don't know anything, it's hard to do that ;)

So applying this model to technology and learning, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that having students create work is a much more meaningful use of their time. Thus, we have been striving to find apps that allow for more creation rather than remembering.

Evernote is just one of those apps. Grade 3 students have been using it to complete reading responses on books from their literature circles. We wanted students to be able to easily read other reading responses on "notes" that they created and respond to them. Much like a blog or Google Doc to create a shared discussion. Finally, after hours of persevering, we figured out that notebooks on Evernote are actually like folders. We created a new notebook for each student and ensured that they tagged their posts with their name. Students could immediately search for those notebooks and tags, read what they wrote and respond to it. A perfect way to collaborate on their learning! Here is an example of what they came up with:

While the challenge is to make it easier to see who wrote what, we will use color codes in the future to make this easier. Within 2 clicks, students could quickly read each other's reading responses. It was simple for the teacher to manage these posts because they came up immediately on his laptop computer.

We are now going to explore using voice notes as a way to differentiate these tasks.

Going deeper into learning

After a busy couple of weeks managing the logistics of putting the ipod touches into place including synching, downloading audiobooks and podcasts, we are now looking at how the touches can start to improve learning in a meaningful way.
Both Mr. Cross and I were looking at ways to go beyond the simple "math games" apps. We are looking for ways to transform learning. Both of us have used technology in ways with authentic purposes and moving from using technology for simple drill and practice to creating a learning environment which students regularly engage in activities that would have been impossible without technology (or at least very difficult). There is a fabulous Technology Integration Matrix here that helps illustrate our point(see image below)

A good example of transformative learning experience using an iPod Touch app is Evernote.

Mr. Cross had a great idea of students making text and voice notes about a book they are reading. Students would then tag there posts with their name and since all students had the same Evernote account, these notes would then appear on their iPod Touch. Students could read their notes and add to what their partner put (much the same as Google Docs). All these notes could be organized on a laptop and then uploaded to his class blog. Could this have been done without this technology? Maybe. It certainly wouldn't have been as interactive nor would the teacher have a digital record of this.

So what other ideas are we working on? The Grade 3 class will be starting a unit on the Solar System so using the iMovie app, students will be making "Captain's Log" (ala Star Trek) entries into iMovie, editing them and publishing them. Alas, I cannot take credit for this idea...this was all Mr. Cross!

iPod Touch Sync station

Our sync station has finally arrived. We ended up purchasing the Parasync iPod touch/iPhone 4 station that has a capacity of 20 ipods.

Initial impressions: Excellent and super easy. Very portable and quickly charges and sync ipods within minutes

Here are some photos:

Our iPod Touches in Action!

So FINALLY, our ipod touches are here after over a year of planning and preparing. We actually decided to wait a month for the brand new iPod Touch 4 version as it has a camera built in among other features. We will be using it with a class of 20 Grade 3 students to help create a 1:1 environment.

We started by introducing it to the kids as a really big deal and they have proven to be very responsible and interested in technology. Also, that it's an "experiment" for the school to see how it can be used as a learning tool and to teach other students in the school how to use it as well. The kids were super excited but were very responsible with them. We had them explore the apps and record their wonderings and questions in Voice Memo.

Here are some photos and videos of it:

For now, we have just added free apps but working on purchasing more. Here is a list of ones we are using so far.

iPod Educational Apps

iPod Educational Apps 

Here are a collection of recommended apps to buy for iPod touch:

App Name	Subject Area	Cost	Description	Screen shots
Kid Klok	Math-Measurement (Time)		Make time telling fun and easy to learn. Your children will love this educational clock because it is fun and has helped children world wide to master the art of time telling. The Kid Klok, praised by parents, teachers, and children, segregates the hour and minute components of time and creates a simple visual link between the numbers and the hands through size and color. This eliminates the confusion and frustration young students experience while learning and using analog time.
BrainPOP Featured Movie	Cross-curricular		Learn something new every day with the free BrainPOP Featured Movie App for the iPad! After watching BrainPOP’s animated movie, you can test your new knowledge with an interactive quiz.
ArithFit	Math-Number Sense, problem solving		ArithFit is an app mainly targeted towards getting children to practice arithmetics, but it is an engaging game, not an app that is just asking questions. Even though it is considered an educational game for children, it can also be totally enjoyed by adults.
Tangram XL Free	Math		Simple version of popular Tangram designed with kids in mind. Avoids unnecessary design and decoration to keep kids attention over important geometric concepts that the game develops.The pieces are handled naturally following the movement of fingers as much to move them or turn them both at once. Double tap on the diamond to flip it.This version does not include any figure template; next version, coming soon, will include figure templates to challenge the user.
eClicker Host	Cross-curricular		http://overview.eclicker.com
Math Magic	Math-Number Sense		Math Magic uses a combination of your choice of vibrant colours, simple interface and a reward system of stars to encourage and teach kids between the ages of 3 and 8. It’s really easy to use. The child simply has to tap on an answer to solve the problem. Whether they get the answer right or not, a real voice expresses appreciation for the child choosing a response.
Dictionary.com	Language Arts		The free Dictionary.com app delivers trusted reference content from Dictionary.com and Thesaurus.com, including nearly 1,000,000 words and definitions and 90,000 synonyms and antonyms. No Internet connection is needed. The app also features audio pronunciations, similarly spelled words and Dictionary.com’s popular Word of the Day that is enjoyed by millions of people.
CountBy	Math-Number Sense		CountBy Interactive Hundreds Board is the touchable math tool that helps elementary school students practice counting all the way to 100, and learn about the patterns that make counting easier
TimesBy	Math-Multiplication		TimesBy Interactive Multiplication Board is the touchable math tool that helps elementary and middle school students practice multiplying all the numbers up through 9, and learn about the patterns that make multiplying easier.
SentenceSpin	Language Arts		SentenceSpin Interactive Language Arts Sentence Builder is the fun, touchable tool that helps elementary and middle school students become better readers, writers and communicators.
Sonicpics Lite	Cross-curricular		Snap, Talk and Share! SonicPics is the easiest way to turn your images into custom slideshow movies to share with your family and friends!
Quickword	Cross-curricular	$8.99	Enjoy superior Microsoft® Word document editing. Easily access email attachments, email or transfer files without MS Exchange®. No desktop client installation required! Edit important documents with confidence.
Sketchy	Cross-curricular	$0.99	Get started now with Sketchy - the easy to use drawing and animation app. You can use different drawing tools, photos from your library or direct from the camera, and even text to create frame based animations (or flipbooks).
Cramberry- flash cards	Cross-curricular	$4.99	Cramberry helps you study with flash cards on your iPhone. As you study each card, Cramberry analyzes your progress and builds a studying schedule for you, reducing wasted effort and letting you study less and remember more.
iStoryWriter Lite	Language Arts-Reading/ Writing	free	iStoryWriter Lite is a the free version of the collaborative story telling application iStoryWriter for the iPhone.  Browse or search existing stories and contribute to stories other users have created
StoryKit	Language Arts-Writing	Free	Create an electronic storybook with text, pictures, and sound
Dropbox	Cross-curricular	Free	Dropbox is the easiest way to sync and share your files online and across computers.
Lemonade Stand	Math-money, addition	$0.99	Remake of the original game where you have 30 days to make money.
Number Line	Math-Fraction, decimals, percents	Free	Put fractions, decimals, and percents in order on a number line.

Getting Started with iPod Touch

Whoohoo! First post of this blog here:

So the year is about to begin and we just found out at the end of the last school year that our iPod Touch Pilot Program is a go for this year. We have budgeted for approximately 21-22 iPod Touches to be used in one Grade 3 classroom! We are very excited to begin this program.

Luckily, myself and Jake Cross (Grade 3 Classroom Teacher who will be using them) met at the end of last year to do some planning. Here is what we came up with for our introductory lessons:

-Basic skills (lessons, practice, etc)

-Starting Apps (dropbox, voice recorder, Safari, email, photo, music, google docs, podcasts)

-Agreements/Rules for students: Keep very structured initially, possibly have a morning routine (DOL)

-Care/upkeep

-ebooks, audiobooks for Language Arts. Nice way to differentiate and integrate into reading

-Letter to parents-surveys for comparing attitudes (pre/post)

-Blog-A professional blog will be used to communicate learning throughout the year

Questions remaining?

Do we send them home with students?

Can we set up email for students?

How do we do a screencast with ipod touch?