Snapshots Of Understanding? 10 Smart Tools For Digital Exit Slips

Snapshots Of Understanding? 10 Smart Tools For Digital Exit Slips

contributed by Ryan Schaaf, Assistant Professor of Technology, Notre Dame of Maryland University

Do they get it?

After an instructional lesson is over, educators are left with a classroom full of students looking at them. Did my students get the lesson? Are there any ideas, concepts or skills they are still unsure of? Do my students have any misconceptions about the lesson and its content? Do I have to review anything tomorrow?

These are just a few of the questions reflective educators are left to contemplate after the bell has rung.  In truth, many of these reflective questions educators are left asking themselves can be addressed if they use an exit ticket. Exit tickets are a simple, quick and oftentimes insightful formative assessment method employed close to the end of a lesson. It is a simple task that requires learners to answer a few questions or perform certain tasks explored during the learning process.

The format of an exit ticket varies. Educators can use a variety of question/activity types. There are multiple choice, true or false, short written response, matching, cloze (fill in the blank) and survey or polls to name but a few. In terms of classroom implementation, exit tickets should be short, concise and engage learners in a review of the skills, concepts and experiences explored during the lesson. They are also ideal for continuing the learning into the next class – many educators begin with the exit tickets from the previous lesson to activate students’ previous knowledge.

In the age of digital learning, exit tickets are no longer confined to small slips of paper collected by educators as students leave their classrooms (although this method is still fine). There are numerous digital tools at the disposal of educators to collect this valuable performance data from their students.

Here are ten digital exit slip tools to choose from.

Snapshots Of Understanding? 10 Smart Tools For Digital Exit Slips

1. Google Forms

Educators can set up exit tickets with varying question types and submit requests to participate via email or sharable link. Recent upgrades now allow questions to include images and You Tube links. All participants will have their responses populate a single spreadsheet. Educators will be able to review every single exit ticket on the same document.

2. Socrative

Socrative lets educators assess their students with educational activities on tablets, laptops or smartphones (ideal for BYOD environments). Through the use of real time questioning, educators and students alike can visualize the data to make decisions about upcoming learning.

3. Plickers

While using Plicker cards, students are able to provide answers to their teacher’s questions. The educator can use a smart phone or tablet to capture student responses and the app collects and reports the data.

4. Twitter

Ideal for older students, educators can ask students to post a 140 character summary of today’s lesson and allow the discussion to transpire after the class has officially ended.

5. Geddit

Another app that is ideal for a BYOD or 1-to-1 computing classroom, Geddit gauges how students understand with the use of multiple choice or short answer responses. What makes it truly unique from the other apps and tools is Geddit allows students to provide feedback on the pace of the class – beginning, middle or during lesson closure.

6. PollEverywhere

PollEverywhere allows educators to provide a poll for students to complete. Data can be displayed to the class in real-time in order to provide immediate feedback and clarity for students.

7. ExitTicket

Exit ticket is a student response system that is ideal for 1-to-1 or BYOD computing environments. Educators are able to receive real-time results using numerous question and activity options. Students are also able to receive feedback, so they are able to assume responsibility in the learning process. A basic teacher account is free.

8. VoiceThread

VoiceThread allows educators and students to discuss documents, presentations, images, audio files and videos using numerous methods. Students are able to add audio, text or video responses for a media-centric assessment experience.

9. lino

As a cloud-based sticky note and photo-sharing tool, lino allows educators and students to post content to an online corkboard. This tool is also a free!

10. Padlet

Similar to lino, Padlet is an online shared space students can post notes, multimedia files, hyperlinks and documents on. Educators are also able to adjust privacy settings to ensure student safety.

Of course there are hundreds of additional digital tools or strategies connected educators could use for administering an exit ticket to students that are not listed here. Please add a comment with some of the digital tools you use for your classroom exit tickets.

Snapshots Of Understanding? 10 Smart Tools For Digital Exit Slips