SRS Blog Post

Hey,

I will be writing about three specific student response systems that were presented in class by fellow peers. While utilizing these student response systems I learned how you can integrate them in a classroom setting to help students engage and be more productive. The three student response systems that I chose to write about were Mentimeter, Edpuzzle, and Plickers. Using SRS tools in a classroom can be really interesting to help engage an entire classroom, and have help students have a better understanding of the material/lesson. 

The first SRS tool I found beneficial was Mentimeter. Mentimeter is great for various reasons. Mentimeter is a great SRS tool that helps teachers engage in a small or large classroom. With Mentimeter you have the opportunity to create a fun, yet engaging presentation, to help students interact with one another. In other words, a teacher can pose a question easily and within a minute or two, have aggregated responses from every student. Additionally, Mentimeter allows a teacher to create fun quiz completions which can add excitement to the classroom environment. With a Mentimeter quiz, the teacher can test student knowledge, see if they have been paying attention or simply add a fun twist to the presentation. On the contrary, a deficiency I saw with Mentimeter is that the free version does not have a lot to offer so you would have to purchase the premium version. This can be a problem for students who don’t have sufficient funds.
https://www.mentimeter.com/

The second SRS tool I chose was Edpuzzle. Edpuzzle is a great tool to use in a classroom because it can help a teacher create educational videos for all students in various subjects. For instance, if a physical education teacher wants to educate students about the anatomy of the foot, they can upload a video about the different bones and muscles in a foot and have the students answer questions pertaining to the foot, within the video. This is very crucial for teachers because they would know what the students are struggling with right away and can provide feedback to help them succeed. All in all, Edpuzzle can be helpful for all teachers across the board because it provides various videos to help educate students.
https://edpuzzle.com/home

Lastly, the SRS tool that I found most interesting was Plickers. Plickers is interesting because it allows the teachers to engage with their students with trivia like questions. All students have cue cards that they hold up when the teacher asks a question. One might ask, how does this work exactly? Well, you can download Plickers on the app store and create fun interactive questions. To add on, the app allows the teacher (or whoever is running the lesson) to scan the room as the students have the cue card holding up towards their preferred answer; within a matter of a few seconds, the teacher will have the scores recorded. This provides instant feedback for the teacher. This can also be a good solution to help students review before a lesson. Ultimately, Plickers allows you to assess students' knowledge and understanding, while the teacher teaches the lesson.
https://www.plickers.com/library

I learned so much from hearing all the different Student Response Tools. I am upset I only got to talk about three specific tools because there were so many SRS tools that can be incorporated in classrooms. These tools can help students be more comfortable, productive, and motivated to do better in school. Using these tools can also encourage students to think outside the box. 

All in all, I hope I encouraged you to take advantage of some of the many Student Response Tools. There are many ways in which you can engage and help your students have a better education experience. By using these tools students will certainly make the most of their educational careers.