There are so many ways teachers can use Classkick -- from embedding resources for future review to asking higher-order thinking questions to using text and scribe features to work out math problems. Science lab instructions are easily laid out in step-by-step slides, giving students the opportunity to demonstrate learning at each step. Or go even further and create a virtual research assignment where students can read information and take notes or add links they can reference later. Take advantage of teachable moments by adding in questions to check for understanding on a slide, or identify students who are strugglingand give them assistance without alerting their peers. Alternatively, encourage peer teaching by having early finishers provide help when their classmates ask. Classkick's unique design makes it possible to achieve these goals whether your students are learning virtually or in person.
Pair Classkick with a tool like Explain EDUto allow students to create their own slides and share with teachers for a collaborative book of poetry, a review lesson, or fun content-related memes or GIFs. Developing creative, differentiated instruction is easy with opportunities to collect student responses via writing, drawing, image uploading, or audio recording. Visual feedback in the form of stickers or text -- or audio feedback for students who prefer to listen -- gives teachers a chance to meet individual student needs, but try not to overdo it. Cluttered slides -- or simply too many slides -- may result in problems keeping up with where everyone is.It will be important for teachers to create thought-provoking assignments that dig deep; if they don't, the assignments run the risk of becoming a series of digital worksheets.
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Classkick lets teachers create and share assignments, monitor students, and give feedback in real time as students work from iPad devicesor computers. Teachers can create rosters via class code, manual entry, or Google Classroom. Upon sign-up, teachers have the option to learn the features through a guided tour of videos and sample assignments. From there, they can search and modify others'assignments or use the Add Assignment option to create their own lesson from an existing file or from scratch. Each assignment consists of a series of individual slides, which appear on the dashboard. Teachers can add images from the device's camera roll, key in text, add files, draw, paste in a web link, or record audio on each slide.
Kids can sign in via a link or class code, as well as with Google or Clever SSO. Students are able to access assignments as soon as teachers share them, and teachers can see their students work as they add images and text, draw, add links, or record audio or video responses. Students needing assistance can use the help feature to get assistance from the instructor or their peers, if it's enabled. Teachers can write or type directly on the slide or create customized feedback by awarding points, providing additional content, or adding stickers to help guide students quickly without distracting others. Also, some question types can be automatically graded, saving teachers some time on objective assessments. On the Basic plan, students can view and work on only one assignment at a time, but on the Pro plan, students can see other assignments. The Pro version also offers a variety of reporting features that enable teachers to make more data-driven instructional decisions.
For all that it offers, Classkick is surprisingly simple to use, with a clean user interface and details that make it especially user-friendly. For example, color-coding of rosters and assignments given to each class or group provides an at-a-glance overview of which students have which assignments, and customizable stickers make it a snap for teachers to provide personalized, real-time feedback. Since students and teachers have exactly the same capabilities for writing and importing images and recording audio, it offers a nice way for teachers to differentiate instruction and promote student collaboration without having to worry about teacher versus student view.
Lots of apps are out there that help teachers go paperless; Classkick's biggest strength is its real-time progress monitoring. While the app doesn't offer instant feedback, it does offer opportunities for almost-instant help, making this a tool that truly empowers teachers by allowing them to build positive relationships with their students both in person and digitally. While it would be a great tool for solo homework, the hand-raising feature makes the app an especially good fit for in-person, virtual, or hybrid classrooms. For teachers with large class sizes, the navigation could make it difficult to stay on top of things, so it's likely a tool that works best with fewer students. Whether kids are working solo or in groups, Classkick is a great way for kids to be able to get attention and support from their teachers and peers when they need it most.
