Do you use Plickers in your classroom? If not, it's definitely worth taking time to check it out!
Plickers is an amazing FREE formative assessment tool that works like handheld response clicker programs, but it's far cheaper because it doesn't require expensive clicking devices.
If you've heard about Plickers, you might be wondering why everyone is so excited about it, especially if you tried to figure out how to use it on your own. Because Plickers can be a little confusing at first, the best way to learn how it works is to have someone walk you through the set up and explain how to use the program's features.
If you don't know anyone who uses Plickers, I'm here to help! I'm offering a free webinar to show you exactly how to get started and how to use the program to actively engage your students. If you want to know more, click over to the Interactive Teaching with Plickers registration page and sign up now!
In the meantime, let me share a little more about how Plickers works. You won't need to purchase expensive clicker devices because this innovative program uses "paper clickers" that you can print for free from the Plickers website. You only need one card per student, and each card has a unique pattern that can be scanned like a QR code with just about any mobile device.
When you're ready to use Plickers with your students, you'll display multiple choice questions for the class one at a time. Your students will respond to each question by holding up and turning their cards in one of 4 directions. Next, you'll scan all the student response cards from the front of the room by pointing your mobile device camera at the class and “sweeping” it around the room. Within moments, data will appear on your device to show who answered the problem correctly and who still needs help. That same data will also be captured in your online Plickers account to review and analyze later. Being able to capture assessment data quickly and easily means you can teach interactively and adapt your instruction to the needs of individual students without having to take home stacks of papers to grade each night!
I learned about Plickers over a year ago, and I loved it right away! I couldn’t believe that something so amazing was FREE! I started sharing information about it on my Teaching Resources page, and every time I did, the post went viral. Dozens of teachers commented on those posts to tell me how much they loved Plickers and about all the interesting things they were doing with the program.
Free Plickers Facebook Group
I was so intrigued by the program that I set up a Facebook group where teachers who were using Plickers can share ideas or get help with the features of the program. Plickers can be used with just about any grade from Kindergarten through college and in almost any subject area, but it was clear from comments on Facebook that elementary teachers use it a bit differently than teachers of older students. As a former elementary teacher, I wanted to know more about how Plickers is being used with K-5 students, so I decided to make those grades the focus of the Facebook group. If you’re interested in joining this group, click over to the K-5 Plickers Facebook group application form, read the details, follow the directions, and sign up.
Free Webinar: Interactive Teaching with Plickers
The more I learned about Plickers, the more I loved it. In fact, I've already written two other posts about Plickers to share how it can be used. Plickers 101: Digital Exit Tickets and More was the first post, and I followed that with Plickers 102: Innovative Ways to Use Plickers. Between the two of them, those posts have had over 100,000 views in the last year!
The only problem is that Plickers can be a bit tricky to set up and use, and it's hard to explain exactly what to do in a blog post. That kind of information is much easier to share in a webinar, so in early 2016 I presented two different webinars to explain how to get started with Plickers and how to use some of the more advanced features.
However, those webinars took place a year ago, so it’s time for another live presentation! I’ve decided combine the best of my two previous webinars into a single presentation called Interactive Teaching with Plickers that I'm presenting on two different dates in February. Those sessions will be jam-packed with information; I'll cover everything from how to set up your account to using innovative strategies to teach interactively. The first session will be on Wednesday, February 8th at 9 pm EST, and the second session will take place Friday, February 10th, at 8 pm EST. I chose the second time because teachers in Australia will be able to join us if they wish, although it will already be Saturday, Feb. 11th for them. Register here if you're interested in attending one of those sessions.
To get a sneak peek at the webinar content, you can download the free handouts below from my TpT store. These handouts provide an outline to follow during the webinar that many attendees find to be helpful, especially if they want to use the webinar for professional development.
I look forward to connecting with you during one of the upcoming webinars. I know you and your students will LOVE Plickers just as much as I do!
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