Discovery Ed's SOS

Many educators use Discovery Education for their vast database of videos and teaching materials.  However, there are many other resources found in the DE system.  For example, the Spotlight on Strategies (also known as "SOS") initiative has laid out a wealth of instructional strategies that teachers from all curriculum areas and levels can utilize.

To find these effective teacher created resources, log into your Discovery Education account and search for SOS:

 You may want to click the VIEW STRATEGIES BY SKILL button:

The strategy categories will appear, such as ASSESSMENT, COMPARE AND CONTRAST, SUMMARIZING, etc.

 Click VIEW ALL from within a category area to see more strategies:

Select the preferred strategy to view a description, a short video, and a PDF explaining the strategy:

Click the  to ADD TO MY CONTENT, ASSIGN TO CLASSROOM/STUDENT, ADD TO BUILDER TOOL, or SHARE.

Flippity

Flippity.net has several wonderful tools that can be used by teachers and students along with their Google account.  If you can enter information into a Google sheet, you can utilize all of the resources at Flippity.net.  Each tool includes FREE instructions along with a FREE demo and template doc.  Look for the following options found under each tool along the right side of the webpage:

The template docs force the user to create a COPY:

Flippity Random Name Picker

The random name picker can be so valuable in quickly selecting students for classroom jobs, checking for understanding, and answering questions.  In addition, the tool can quickly create groups based on number of students per group or groups per class.

 

Click the template link found under Flippity Random Name Picker to begin.  Replace the fake names with the preferred names.

Continue to follow the instructions.

Flippity Quiz Show

The quiz show acts very similar to a Jeopardy game board.

The tool allows for images and helps in keeping score by adding or subtracting points based on the question location on the board.  Simply click the check for correct answers or the X for wrong answers and points will be awarded to the appropriate team:

Follow the instructions here to create your own quiz game using the Flippity.net template.  

Flippity Certificate Quiz

The certificate quiz can be used to create a student-paced quiz that earns a certificate for mastery.  Simply use the template provided to enter in questions and answer choices of your own.  In addition, images can be added to both questions and answers.  YouTube video links can also be added to questions.  See instructions here.

Flippity Progress Indicator

The progress indicator is a fantastic tool to track student progress.  The template offers a few ideas, such as pages read, miles ran, books completed, or questions answered.  The progress indicator could be used along with student goals throughout the year.  Like the other Flippity.net resources, excellent directions and a template to get you started can be found on the website.

Flippity Flashcards

The flashcards tool can create an effective study tool for students.  Simply copy the template found at Flippity.net, modify the spreadsheet cells to match your content area, and follow the instructions for publishing a link for your students.  In addition to flashcards, students can view a list of questions and answers, visit a auto-generated word cloud, and print a quiz over the material.

Visit the Flippity.net FAQ page to find out more.

Plickers

Plickers is a great way to gather information from students without each student needing to have a device.  The simple requirements are:

• Only ONE device (can be a phone)
• The plickers app (available for iOS or Android)
• A set of Plickers cards (can be printed for FREE here or a laminated set can be purchased here)

 Download the app today and follow the instructions here to get started.

NOTE: If searching the App Store on an iPad, change the search settings to include iPhone Only apps to find Plickers:

Bingo Baker

Head on over to bingobaker.com to create printable or online Bingo cards.  The free resource allows users to enter in their vocabulary words/phrases into the Bingo card template and let the system generate randomized Bingo cards. When using the online cards, students can access these via a link on a mobile device.

The low cost of $9.95 will give teachers a lifetime membership allowing them to save and edit cards and print more than 8.

Flipped Classroom Resources

When flipping the classroom, wouldn't it be nice to have students assess what they are learning while watching a YouTube video, a teacher-created video, etc.?  Two easy-to-use tools will allow teachers to embed formative assessment INTO the video experience.

EDpuzzle offers several features: open-ended questions, multiple choice questions, and comments.  In addition, teachers may want to add video notes to introduce the video to the students or add comments along the way.  The web-based tool provides straightforward pop-up help messages and tutorial videos for the teacher to quickly learn EDpuzzle.  The teacher can control whether the student can skip ahead in a video.  Students connect to the class videos with a unique code.   A scientific text editor is included for use with math and science.  Edpuzzle Analytics provides useful information for educators, such as percent correct per question and per student, whether students watched the video, and number of times a student watched a video position.  Edpuzzle help videos can be found on their blog as well as their YouTube channel.

eduCanon also converts passive viewing of content into active viewing with embedded objects, multiple choice questions, and check all that apply questions.  Open-ended questions are available with the premium version.  Videos from YouTube, Vimeo, and TeacherTube can be used.  Embedding the interactivity is as simple as pausing the video and clicking a Build Question button.  Teachers may want to add feedback text for each correct or incorrect answer choice.  eduCanon prevents students from forwarding past content not yet viewed. A real-time grading feature is provided to monitor student progress and data.  Watch and interact with this eduCanon video to learn more about this free resource. View their Knowledge Base for other questions.

Kahoot

Kids are loving this new, engaging assessment tool called Kahoot.  Kahoot turns reviews and quizzes into an exciting game-like experience.  The game-show music draws the participants in and may bring out that competitive side of any user!

To create an account, go to https://getkahoot.com/. Once logged in, Kahoot will guide you through creating a quiz, discussion, or survey.

Once the item is complete, students can access the quiz, discussion, or survey from https://kahoot.it with a code provided from the teacher.

Teacher Screen:

Student Screen:

After each question, a graph displays student learning:

and results can be downloaded with the DOWNLOAD RESULTS button:

Other educators are making their quizzes public and are very easy to access here.

Kahoot's Help Page

Infuse Learning

Infuse Learning is an incredibly powerful and FREE assessment tool for teachers.  Either use the spontaneous questions or prepare a quiz, test, or review ahead of time by entering the questions and answers into the online resource.  Teachers create an account on the Infuse Learning website, then give students their room ID (provided by Infuse Learning).  Students then go to www.infuselearning.com, click Student Login, and enter the room ID.  Any computer or device connected to the internet can access Infuse Learning.

Infuse Learning Quick Assessment options offer teachers a reliable tool to gather quick data about learning in their classroom:

MUST  SEE: Watch this short, 4 minute video to learn more:

Follow the guide below to get started:

Check out How to Get Started With InfuseLearning by Infuse Learning on Snapguide.

Padlet

Padlet (formerly Wallwisher) allows users to post ideas on a "wall."  In addition, pictures and files can easily be added by dragging and dropping them into the wall space.  A login is not required to access the walls (more information explained here).  Users simply double-tap the wall to type.  Padlet walls are accessible on a computer or ipad by accessing the web browser.  The URL of the wall can be shared to give others access for collaborative projects and brainstorming sessions.  Padlet provides a great place to create formative assessment tools.

A wall can have various privacy settings:

• Private - the  user and those invited via email can see the wall
• Password Protected - visitors are required to enter a password to see the wall
• Hidden Link - the wall has a public link, but it is hidden from Google and public areas of Padlet
• Totally Public - the wall is completely public and can show up in Google searches and on Padlet's homepage

Check out the privacy settings for a wall to learn more.

Padlet walls can now be exported.  Click the Share/Export button on the right side of the screen and select your preferred format. 

Find out more information and watch several quick videos here to learn more about Padlet.