Plickers: Assessment without Clickers

Some of you have probably used the clicker technology available on campus. It can be very helpful in getting instant feedback and doing formative assessment. But what happens when not all your students have a clicker, or you are in an environment that doesn't have a reliable connection to the internet? There is of course Poll Everywhere but still it's dependent on students having a device of some kind and an internet connection. 

Wouldn't it be great to have a system that relied on only one device and could be use a wifi or cellular connection? That's exactly what Plickers is. It's a app available for iOS and Android devices that allows you to take clicker technology anywhere. All you need is a mobile device that can connect to wifi or has cellular capability and some old fashion flashcards. Actually the flashcards are a type of QR code the device reads with its camera. Here's how it works:

Here's what it looks like in action:

I love using this in workshops to get feedback about participants and peak their interest on a topic. It's really easy to use and very portable. Just remember that you use your mobile device to control what is seen on the screen if you are using one.

Try it, I think you will really like it.

The Learning Network

Now that you all have access to the New York Times, you also have access to The Learning Network: Teaching and Learning with the New York Times.  This blog is a tool for teachers that includes lesson plans, vocabulary, streaming videos, and up-to-date news articles to integrate into your classes in real time.  Check out this Skills & Strategies lesson on evaluating what is real and what is fake in the news.  Access to The Learning Network comes with access to the New York Times.  To find the blog, go to newyorktimes.com, scroll to the bottom of the page and click on Education.  There is a link to the Learning Network blog from the Education page.  

ERIC Update

Sorry about the delay in posting this week. It's been pretty chaotic in the library with the recarpeting and painting.

Most of you use the ERIC database via the EBSCO interface on a regular basis, which provides direct access to all of our journals. But are you aware of some of the major changes to the database content that have occurred in the past two years? The last reauthorization of ERIC updated its mission to concentrate on research related documents, which has lead to an updating of the list of journals. Some titles such are the Chronicle of Higher Education, Education Digest and Instructor are no longer being indexed because they do not include research based articles. 

ERIC has also raised the bar for ERIC documents with a new, more rigorous selection policy. They are currently asking for feedback on proposed changes to how they indicate peer reviewed for these documents. They are also working on how to incorporate grey literature such as Pew Reports and other 'think tank' reports into the database since they often include significant data. The submission process for those who have documents they wish to be included in the database has also been simplified. 

These changes do have an impact on the results you now receive when searching. ERIC is still the go to database for high quality, research based resources. However, if you or your students are looking for more practical, hands-on and/or news related articles, I suggest you go to Education Research Complete. 

Money Talks

Grants, Grants, and more Grants

Just last week I was doing some research on finding ways to fund a project I'm planning.  As we all know, funding, or the lack of funding, can be problematic for all teachers.  In this day & age, budgets are tight and focus is directed at training for technology integration and incorporating the Common Core State Standards into school curriculum.  It's common knowledge that teachers are encouraged to be creative in their classrooms, but unfortunately, creativity costs money.

Have you ever heard of Edutopia? It's a great resource for all things education -- the tag line reads, What Works in Education. Another interesting fact about Edutopia is that it is a George Lucas Educational Foundation. Yeah, that guy.  Anyway, I receive regular emails from Edutopia and last week they sent out a great article entitled The Big List of Educational Grants and Resources.  Some of the grant submission deadlines have passed, but some are still live and some have rolling submission which means you or your students have lots of time to submit a proposal.  Take a look at the list.  Sign up to receive emails from Edutopia.  It's win/win for you and for your students.