It can be a challenge to keep lectures engaging and stimulating, especially when there is so much material to cover and the physical layout is not conducive to interaction. Fortunately, mobile technology provides some tried and tested digital tools that can help get students thinking and responding to your teaching.
They can be used in a variety of ways, for example:
- Ascertaining what students know at the start of a lecture to direct your teaching for that session
- Breaking up long didactic sections with a bit of interaction
- Getting students to think and commit to a decision
- Indicating students’ understanding towards the end of a lecture to see if they are taking in the learning objectives
- Getting feedback on an aspect of the course or your teaching
Here is a list of some of these tools. If you would like some help in trying any of these out, get in touch with the BSMS Learning Technologists Tim Vincent or CJ Taylor. Several BSMS faculty are using PollEverywhere, for example, in their large group teaching – look out for future posts discussing their experience.
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Poll Everywhere is an online voting system that uses responses from your audience to answer questions and/or provide feedback in real time. Audience members use their mobile devices or laptops as a way to vote instead of having to hand out clickers. Students can respond via text message, mobile app, Twitter, or the web. Presenters can pose different types of questions including multiple choice or open ended questions. |
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Nearpod is a mobile app and web tool by which a teacher can ‘push’ their presentation to appear live on students’ own mobile devices (laptop/phone/tablet) in the classroom. It has several in-built interactions (polls/text/click-on-image) to increase the engagement and interaction in the session. It is particularly helpful if there isn’t any lectern PC or projector. |
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Kahoot is a quick-fire quiz tool with points and a scoreboard. It is more of a light-hearted interactive tool that can be great in small or large group settings, individually or in teams. | Pros
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Socrative is a similar alternative to PollEverywhere – polls in a variety of formats for students to respond by mobile device. There is a ‘freemium’ account (with limitations). | Pros
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Quizizz is similar to Kahoot – a playful, race-against-the-clock, quiz game with points. You can search for, and use, other people’s quizzes across a wide range of subjects. |
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| The following tools are more focussed on self-directed interactive tools outside the classroom: | ||
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Formative is a more comprehensive formative assessment tool. Assignments are provided for a group of students to respond in class or outside of class. Teachers monitor their progress live and provide feedback. | Pros
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Synap is a revision quiz tool created by medics for medical students. It is for students to use outside the classroom. They can create their own quizzes and share them with others. |
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Vizia is a video-based tool that seeks to add interaction to educational videos on YouTube by creating stop-points at which students are asked questions to answer before continuing. | Pros
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Playposit is similar to Vizia but with more comprehensive features. You can upload your videos as well as online videos and it includes marking and feedback. | Pros
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