Assessment Technology Study: All About Plickers

 


    This week, I decided to dive into a new technology that I have never heard of before. This technology is an assessment tool that teachers can use to measure student progress in a more "discreet way". With Plickers, teachers can start a class queue where they can add questions that they want to assess, and students answer those questions with their Plickers cards. While students are answering these questions, the teacher can use their mobile device to "scan" answers and receive real time results. After the session ends, the teacher can print out a score report for recording. 

Pros and Cons of Plickers

    Pros: I do like having a "discreet" way for students to submit their answers. The answer choices are displayed on the Plickers cards where the mobile device can scan for the answers, but students could not necessarily "cheat" with this technology. I also like having instant results that takes away the "grading" aspect of assessments. Lastly, I enjoy the interactive element of this assessment app. Being a primary teacher, I do feel like this would be an easier assessment app that my students would enjoy because they are interactive, but are not too hard for them to understand how to use.

Cons: While this app is interactive, I do feel like there are more interactive assessment technologies out there that I have used with my students. For example, apps like Kahoot! are much more engaging and definitely grab my students interests more. I could also see another con being the fact that the Plickers cards are another thing that my students would have to keep track of and there are other technology is available that do not require students to have a card to answer a question.

The Verdict is in! 

    While I do think a pros outweigh the cons coming from a primary teacher's perspective, I rate this app a 3.5/5. My reasoning behind this rating is due to the fact that I believe older students would not be as engaged with this assessment app, and that the idea of having a card for students to keep up with is not as ideal. I just feel like for older students, there are more technology apps for assessment out there that are a bit easier to use and manage.

Comments

  1. AnonymousMarch 6, 2023 at 12:49 PM

    I feel like I’ve been in a class before where the teacher used this. I have no idea how I could get it to work or if I’d like it, but the whole idea of it intrigues me. I’m definitely going to check this tech out.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Emily RussellMarch 7, 2023 at 7:56 PM

    I have tried plickers before and I have mixed feelings. I think it is another great resource but I think it ultimately depends on your students. One class I had success with using plickers but another class I did not. I have not utilized this with my 2nd graders this year, but I feel like the biggest issue I would run into is them being able to keep track of the "card".

    ReplyDelete
  3. EDUG 647 Blog: Hannah SmithMarch 9, 2023 at 8:53 PM

    I can't believe that I've never heard of Plickers before! I've not tried it and I do not know of a teacher at my school using it! It is certainly an interesting tool idea, although I am not 100% that it would work in my classroom. Try as I might, I do tend to be fairly scatter-brained and a bit disorganized, so I would be worried that I would lose the things that I would need to help make this technology a success in my classroom. Either way, I'll never know if I do not try, so I'll have to try this tech out in my 6th grade English class!

    ReplyDelete
  4. hmusslerMarch 18, 2023 at 9:44 PM

    I have heard of Plickers but have never tried to use it in my classroom. I think you make a great point about the level and longevity of student engagement. While I like that students answers are unknown to their peers, I agree with you assessment of older students engagement levels. I think a game like Kahoot! would keep my highschoolers engaged longer and more consistently than Plickers would.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Dr. ThomasMarch 22, 2023 at 7:13 PM

    Salem,
    Plickers is a favorite of mine primarily because it removes the barrier of access. Yes, it is low level integration, but only the teacher needs the technology. Excellent reflection!

    ReplyDelete

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