Here at the end, when we’re racing to fit everything in and the students are actively resisting, mixing it up becomes even more important. One of my favorite ways to do that is with the video webquest.
The video webquest enables students to learn a lot in a short amount of time, and it does not require direct instruction from the teacher–something that quickly gets tiresome for the students–especially in the spring.
Students watch a series of short film clips and respond to them. It’s a great strategy, but I’ve often thought that it would be great if I could shorten some of the clips I want to use, insert the questions directly into the point of the film where the answers come, and track whether or not students actually view the clip.
You can easily do all of these things with EDpuzzle, a FREE app that integrates with Google Classroom.
There are so many seriously amazing apps out there. I often feel that I am behind on trying them out–it can certainly be overwhelming. I try many, but I have three criteria for actually implementing a new one in my classroom:
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It has to be easy to use.
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It has to truly save me time.
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It has to engage my students.
I’m just being honest when I put the first two reasons first–this teaching gig is quite involved. The EDpuzzle app made my cut, and I am really liking it so far. And setting it up is unbelievably simple.
Here’s How to Get Started with EDpuzzle:
I especially like that it keeps track of who watched the film and who didn’t and who submitted on time and who didn’t. So how am I using this?
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As a bellringer (warm-up)
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To review a concept before a quiz.
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As a quick assignment to break up a lecture.
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As an exit ticket to both review what we learned and to check for understanding.
EDpuzzle provides a user-friendly platform for short and engaging formative assessment. I will not give up my video webquests for the more involved lessons (like Trench Warfare or the Holocaust), but EDpuzzle is invaluable for breaking up a long lesson, introducing short bursts of content, and assessing what students have learned so far.
How do you use EDpuzzle? Is there an app you can’t live without? Leave a comment below to let me know. And be sure to check out my other quick and easy Spring Tech Tips:
