PLICKERS.COM STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE CREDIT: plickers.com

Have you heard of PLICKERS?

What is Plickers? It’s an audience response system that requires just one person to use technology – the teacher! Excellent for informal formative assessment – think quick quizzes, exit tickets, test reviews, student rep. voting, student/staff surveys… Simply log in online, and use the platform via your mobile phone. You’ll need access to: The Plickers.com website. A mobile device with the Plickers App Access to a screening device (overhead projector/ portable projector/ Interactive Whiteboard), to project the Live View/questions.

How to get started? Log onto Plickers.com and select Sign up. 2. Enter your details, or if you’ve a Google account, sign up with Google. You’ll be then directed to your Plickers’ home screen, where you’ll automatically be taken on a quick tour!

Download the app… 3. Next download the Plickers app onto your mobile phone, available free from… Only you the teacher needs to download this app, in order to scan student responses. FYI: if you’re using an iPad, search for Plickers in the App store by filtering your results by “iPhone only”. To do this click on iPad only on the top left hand corner and choose “iPhone only”.

Add your class 4. Time to set up your class. Unfortunately, this facility is not available on the app, so you’ll have to return to your account on plickers.com. Select Classes. 5. Click on Add New Class.

Input class details 6. Next input class details - for the purposes of this demo, I’ve created a fictional English Language class - and click on Save.

Enter student names 7. You can add student names by selecting Add Roster. This enables you to copy student names from an Excel spreadsheet and paste them into Plickers. Just remember to ensure that each name is on a new line. 8. Alternatively, you can add student names manually.

Card numbers 9. As you enter their names, Plickers automatically assigns card numbers to students. These numbers correspond to the cards which you will use later. You can add up to 63 names!

Card numbers 10. You can also select Sort by to sort by card number, first name, or last name. TOP TIP: Print Roster so that you’ve a record of the student names and corresponding card numbers.

Question time 11. Use the Plickers App on your smart phone or the Plickers website to create questions. For the latter, simply select Library. 12. Then click on New Question.

Question time 11. Use the Plickers App on your smart phone or the Plickers website to create questions. For the latter, simply select Library. 12. Then click on New Question. Then add your question, which can be true or false or multiple choice.

Question time 13. For the purpose of this example, I’m going to enter a number of English Language multiple choice questions: adding my first question and several answer options. If you want to delete an answer option, simply click on the X beside the letter. Remember to tick the correct answer. If you’re adding more than one question, select Save and Create new. FYI: you don’t have to tick the correct answer, if doing a survey this can be left blank.

Question time 14. Notice, that you can also add pictures to questions by selecting Add image, and choosing an image you’ve saved on your computer.

Question time 15. When you’ve added your last question, simply select Save. All added questions will appear on the screen.

Add questions to classes 16. Next, assign the questions to your class, in this case, A2 English Language studies by selecting Add to Queue, and clicking on the class name.

Add questions to classes Notice that the question appears below the class name on the right-hand side of the screen. Add all the relevant questions to your class.

Print the cards 17. On the Plickers website, click on Cards. 18. You can choose from standard size (two cards per sheet) to large font and large card size. FYI: Due to time constraints, I tend to opt for the Large card Size. NB: use thicker paper – printer allowing – and don’t laminate, as the shine will prevent you from scanning the cards.

Print the cards 19. Select print. Alternatively, you can purchase a set of matte-laminated cards from amazon.com / amazon.co.uk.

Class time 20. Distribute the cards to the students. Use your printed Roster to match the correct card with the correct student. E.g. looking at the roster of my fictional English class, card 1, corresponds to Isabella. So in class, I’d give Isabella this card.

Class time 21. Once the numbered cards have been given to the corresponding students, it’s time to sign into the App on your smart phone. My classes will appear on screen. Click on A2 English Language…

Class time 22. Project the Plickers website to your class using an interactive whiteboard/overhead projector/portable projector etc. Make sure Live View is selected. 23. The following will appear. 24. Using the App select the first question you’d like the students to answer, which will be then be displayed via the Live View.

Class time FYI: you can choose to Reveal Answer or reveal a graph to show students answer preferences (this is particularly useful for surveys), but for quizzes/ formative assessment, it’s best to Hide Panel.

Class time 25. Ask students to hold up their Plickers cards. If they think the Answer is A, they should rotate the card so A is at the top of the page; if they think the Answer is B they should rotate the card so B is at the top of the page. Isabella (Card one) thinks the answer is A, so she holds the card with A at the top.

Scanning 26. Using your mobile phone, hit the scan button on the APP, and scan the room. CREDIT: plickers.com

Scanning Notice: as you scan the room, the student names on the app change colour (green if their answer is correct, red if incorrect), their names stay white if you haven’t yet scanned their answer. Here all students have answered: the graph tells me that six students answered correctly, and 6 students answered incorrectly (giving varying answers. When you’ve scanned all answers, click the tick button.

Scanning Notice: a screen appears giving you a breakdown of answers. Click on the back button to queue the next question. FYI: If in the Live view you’d chosen to show the panel (graph view) the following would appear, giving students an indication of how their peers are answering. This option is perfect for surveys.

Scanning Notice: You can also choose to reveal answers. NB: Only choose this option, if you know students won’t change their answer (before you get to scan it).

Reports On the Plickers website, you can also access reports that give you a further breakdown of how students answered the various questions. 28. Click on Reports 29. Click on the question to get more detailed info.

PLICKERS AS A TOOL FOR LEARNING CREDIT: https://blogs.umass.edu/onlinetools/assessment-centered-tools/plickers/

For more info….. https://plickers.zendesk.com/hc/en-usa @plickers