Old Dog New T&L Tricks

Teaching is not a profession which allows you to stagnate for any length of time. There is always a new initiative, idea or revolutionary pedagogy being force fed into our world view (I still not have not forgotten the years spent on fine tuning my lesson plans to include VAK and lesson objectives/ outcomes). This doesn’t mean however that change comes easily. Now I never thought of myself as an ‘old dog’ but after 15 years of teaching, I think I may have have entered into an ‘old school’ mentality. Especially when it comes to this year’s new venture – iPads. This academic year saw all new students given an iPad for the duration of their time at college. This iPad is to be used in every lesson and replaces printed workbooks, folders and notepads.

Teaching and learning go to activities (seriously basic):

End of topic quiz (blooket)
Research moodboard (padlet)
Word Cloud to collect views/ ideas (mentimeter)
Whose argument is better?/ Which crime is worse? – rank (mentimeter)

Time Saving Tips: Before you create your own quizzes (which take a surprisingly long time) check out the previously made quizzes. Most of the sites below have a huge bank of pre-existing quizzes that you can access for free – which is brilliant if you need a five minute filler. The students can also access all the quizzes with a log in. This means that they can work through the different quizzes that appeal to them rather than only completing ones as a whole class (either as revision or an extension task).

Also check out which sites have an AI feature for example Vevox – which means that if you type in a topic area it will generate a short quiz for you based on a google search of the key information linking to this topic…anything to save a bit of time.

Here are some of the best teaching and learning sites I have found so far:

App/ Website	Features
Blooket	Create quizzes with a competitive edge. Students answer in own time so can cover questions at their own speed/ ability. Questions repeat on a loop for retrieval practice. Huge bank of previously made quizzes in a variety of subjects/ topics Like Kahoot but better! https://www.blooket.com/
Padlet	Interactive note board where student can post answers, comments – creating a mood board of ideas. Can be downloaded and saved as a PDF *Note you can only have three padlets created at one time under same name (so will need to download and delete) https://padlet.com/
Vevox	Access to creating multiple choice quizzes Once created a session, there is an option for ‘AI Quiz’ to create a 5 question quiz * Note there is limited access to most of features without upgrade https://www.vevox.com/
Quizizz	Create a variety of differ types of quizzes Access to previously made quizzes in a variety of subjects/ topics *Note often aimed at younger students but the templates work for all ages. https://quizizz.com/?lng=en
Mentimeter	Easy to create interactive Q/A quickly A number of options available without upgrade needed Can create Word clouds, Polls, Open ended, Scales, Ranking and more. https://www.mentimeter.com/

Apps to support students with revision, exam preparation and organisation:

App	Features
Quizlet	Add class notes onto digital revision cards. Use the flashcards to play different games and test yourself https://quizlet.com/
Knowunity	Thousands of free resources (600,000 study notes/content -revision notes, summaries, presentations, flashcards, quizzes, exam help) Connect with other students in group chats Study for your A-level exams https://knowunity.co.uk/
Study Smarter	Flashcards Quizzes Lecture Notes Study Notes Exam Mockups Study Guides Study Planner Textbooks and textbook solutions Study Reminders Study Groups https://www.studysmarter.co.uk/
My Study Life	Track and get reminders for your classes, homework and exams. Syncs between your phone and computer. https://mystudylife.com/

So far I can say that the iPads have been a huge success with the students. It speaks their language. They keep their folders organised, create engaging class notes and can navigate different apps and websites with ease. It also means that mobile phones stay in their bags, as there is no excuse now to need access to them. As a teacher, I am finding the transition harder but I am working on finding ways to incorporate my iPad more into what I do, not just what my students do. This includes ‘learning’ to write with an iPad pen…if I say my writing is totally illegible I am being kind.