Research School Network: Using Digital Technology for AfL

Next month the Digital Technology Guidance Report from the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) will be released. Like an eager kid before Christmas I am going to pick up the parcel, shake the box and see if I can guess what is wrapped inside.

I suspect that the report will take the perspective of how different subjects, including computer science and ICT, can use different digital technologies to help with assessment for learning (AfL), homework, and other interactive parts of the lesson.

There are plenty of different digital technologies that can be used for AfL in the classroom. I am going to briefly talk about three which are: Kahoot!, Socrative, and Plickers.

Kahoot!

Kahoot! is a web based technology that allows teachers to create and execute multiple choice questions in class. Teachers can choose different options such as how long each question will be displayed for and how many options are available. After the game is over, Kahoot! will generate a report that you can download to a simple spreadsheet for processing. A downside to this however is that students may not give their name meaning tutors cannot always get the secure results they are looking for. Pupils find Kahoot! an extremely engaging activity and usually ask for another go after their first attempt.

Pros

• Fast Paced
• Engaging
• Competitive
• Gives detailed feedback

Cons

• Pupils can’t work at their own pace
• Pupils may not use their real names meaning deciphering peoples scores can be tricky
• Restricted to multiple choice

Socrative

Socrative is another assessment platform allowing educators to use multiple choice, true/​false, and short answer questions. When Socrative is supplied with the correct answers it can do some self-marking however, this is not completely accurate and can cause extra work for teachers. Socrative has a wealth of different activities which include student led quizzes where pupils can go at their own pace and there is also a teacher pace meaning teachers can choose when to move the class onto a new question. Finally, Socrative has a“fun” function where students will be randomly assigned to teams where they can perform a space race. Individual reports are available as well as a class spreadsheets.

Pros

• Very sophisticated
• Different range of responses
• Outputted to individual reports/​whole class spreadsheet
• Teachers can ask pupils to supply their name
• Self-marking

Cons

• More advanced functions need to be paid for
• Self-marking is not 100%

Plickers

Plickers is a way of using a set of QR (Quick Response) codes to be able to answer multiple choice questions. This is useful for quickly surveying a class for ideas or even understanding. Each student gets their own QR code. Because QR codes are square students are able to have answers A, B, C, and D. Each option is defined by each side of the code. Every lesson each student gets the same code meaning that you can track which students gave what answers. Codes are scanned by an app that uses a camera. Due to the use of the camera this can be a potential GDPR issue and also an issue if students have not given consent for being on camera.

Pros

• Easy to set up
• App is available for iOS and Android
• Results are instant
• Students are linked to a QR code

Cons

• No Windows app
• Potential GDPR violation
• Some pupils may not be comfortable being on film

Digital technology can undoubtedly play a useful role in AfL,and as is often the case with new ideas the first step is often the most important, requiring a little trial and error for how it best fits into your classroom. Of course, we will have to wait for the new year to unwrap the guidance report and see if my predictions about some of its content come true.Whatever the content, I am sure the guidance will be able to give a more in depth view of how digital technology can aid pupil learning for the better. 

Tom Lund, Computer Science and ICT Teacher, Huntington School