Socrative

   I used a great new app today with the students. It is called Socrative. It is a student response system which allows me to generate questions ahead of time, and for students to use their ipads to answer the questions and get immediate feedback.  Today we took a quiz on Vermont geography. Students were encouraged to use the maps that they have been collecting to answer 10 questions.  The questions were multiple choice and short answer.  The students signed into my "room" by simply typing in the "room" number. They then typed in their names and once submitted, started their quiz.
   Who would have thought that taking a quiz could be fun? When technology is involved, the students seem to miss the fact that they are doing real work.  So I watched as they focused intently on choosing the right answer, or typing in the perfect response.  I heard little cheers when they were given the green correct box and the disappointments when they red incorrect box appeared.
   When all students work was submitted, I was sent a print out of all of their responses and the scores that they received.  It gave me immediate feedback as to areas that the entire class seemed to be struggling with.  What a wonderful tool! This is just one more benefit to having ipads in the classroom. The fourth graders are truly lucky.