iPads and iPhones can be a source of distraction in the classroom. With these apps you can use the devices to keep students focused.
Apps for the classroom: that’s how you keep students engaged
In France they are done with it. After phones and tablets were previously banned from the classroom, students now have to use them completely leave it at home. Anyone spotted with an iPhone in the schoolyard will be punished.
And indeed, there are a lot of disadvantages to using the phone in the classroom. However, that does not mean that smartphones and tablets cannot be useful in school. We have therefore listed the best apps for the classroom.
1. Kahoot: time is ticking
Kahoot is without a doubt one of the best education apps. The colorfully designed app is all about competition, speed and generating energy. The idea is simple: the teacher is the quizmaster (the kahoot) and students must answer the questions as quickly as possible. Whoever does this best, and fastest, wins. Thanks to this competitive element, students participate fanatically, sometimes resulting in chaotic situations.
The questions are displayed on the large screen at the front of the classroom, while students answer on the screen of their iPad or iPhone. That way you can use the technology without losing the group feeling.
Kahoot is useful not only during class, but also outside of school. Teachers can also give up homework via Kahoot, by testing students’ factual knowledge about a particular topic. The only downside to this is that these are (currently) in English.
In addition to standard quizzes, teachers can also submit surveys, discussions, and jumbles to the class. The latter is a form of games in which students must put answers in the correct order as quickly as possible.
2. Socrative: for longer answers
Socrative basically does the same thing as Kahoot, but there is an important difference. The app is a lot less competitive. You notice this especially in the fact that time is not an issue.
Teachers can easily create a quiz (just like with Kahoot) and then invite students to participate via a special link. Pupils can participate individually or per group. The person with the most correct answers wins the quiz.
It doesn’t matter whether you have to think about the answer for two seconds or fifteen. Socrative is therefore ideal for students who want to work at their own pace. Where with Kahoot you sometimes have the tendency to choose an answer (too) quickly, with Socrative you think twice.
In addition, teachers can provide detailed explanations for each question. As a student you can therefore learn directly from your mistakes. Another obvious difference is the design. You could call Socrative’s design formal, while Kahoot’s colors almost splash off the screen. It is up to you which one you like more.
3. Plickers: an offline app
Are you in a smartphone-free school? Then the above apps are of no use to you. Fortunately, Pickers offers a solution. This app, which is only available for teachers, does basically the same as Kahoot and Socrative, but slightly different.
Students do not have to use their smartphone at all. This is how it works: the teacher creates a quiz, shows the questions on the big screen and students answer via special answer forms. Teachers can buy these tickets from the Download Plickers website and then print.
The teacher scans the forms via the app and the results are displayed directly on the screen. This all takes a bit longer than with the two apps above, but that’s the intention. Plickers wants to start a discussion and give students the space to think about their answer. After all, critical thinking is difficult under time pressure. The teacher can also see the answers per student, so that the results can also be used later.
Which is the best?
So, which one should you use now? It mainly depends on what your goal is. Do you want to let students decide quickly and generate energy? Then Kahoot is without a doubt the best app for the classroom. However, when you’re talking about deeper topics, Socrative is the better option: after all, you have more time to think here. Plickers is a good option for starting a discussion.
Monthly theme: Back to School
We prepare the whole month of August iPhone teachers, pupils and students for the upcoming school year. With the nice summer weather you probably don’t mind it, but in a few weeks you will be back in school.
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