Having taught the majority of this school year in hybrid and fully virtual teaching, finding ways to assess students and to check-in with them regularly was a challenge.
As a Spanish teacher, it is important for me to know how they are doing with the content and how they are doing in general. I started to use Ziplet, which helped me to better understand where students were in the learning process, do a quick check-in to monitor wellbeing, or use it for an exit ticket at the end of class.
When I look for digital tools to enhance instruction, whether virtual, hybrid or in-person, having a versatile tool like Ziplet makes it easier to involve students in learning and be able to gauge their understanding quickly.
During this school year, as I had to transition between these learning environments, using Ziplet helped me with staying consistent when it comes to communication. I can send a quick announcement to my students in the group, ask questions and check in with them to see how learning is going or ask about any challenges that they are facing for just a few examples.
Getting started
Using the question templates available within Ziplet makes it easy to get started quickly. What I appreciate is that you can choose from the response types which include emojis, multiple choice, open responses, or a rating scale. I like to select two different response types such as asking students an open-ended question and doing a quick check-in using an emoji or a scale.
Questions can be saved under your favorites so that you don’t have to create a new question every single time you use it.
[template options with sample questions that appear for each]
Reviewing responses
Accessing student responses is simple and through the scale or emoji options, it’s easy to get a quick glimpse at how students are feeling about a particular topic or their well-being in general.
Asking a quick question such as “How do you feel about the lesson covered?” and using the scale of 1 to 5 makes it easy to gauge a student’s responses and the text response helps students to elaborate or reflect on the lesson. Answers can be posted anonymously and responses are private between student and the teacher.
Messaging with Ziplet
You can also use Ziplet to send a quick message to your class. Since Ziplet integrates with Google Classroom, you can easily import your student roster and share questions directly.
If your school does not use Google Classroom, students can join using the group code provided by the teacher or can be added with email. You can use the email to post a question and students will receive an email message or a notification through the Ziplet app.
Ideas to get started
Start class with a quick check-in to see how students are doing or ask specific questions about the prior lesson. Another great idea is to use Ziplet for a 3-2-1 exit ticket which encourages students to think closely about what they are learning and help them to become more self-aware which is great for developing SEL skills.
Check out the example exit ticket ideas for different content areas here.
Key features
- Ziplet meets all privacy and security requirements, COPPA and GDPR Compliant
- Collect classroom or even school wide responses instantly
- Use it for a daily check-in or a weekly reflection
- Create announcements to share with students
- Schedule questions in advance
- Promotes timely and authentic feedback
Creating accounts
There are several options for getting started with Ziplet including a free plan for teachers to create up to three groups with 50 students and two teachers per group. There are additional plans including Ziplet Plus, a custom plan for K through 12 schools and even one for higher education.
Upgraded plans include unlimited groups and students with many additional features such as student response filtering, reply to all, ability to export response data, and more.
Ziplet, founded in 2016 and based in Melbourne, Australia is being used in more than 10,000 institutions including schools, universities and even in corporate training environments.
Ziplet is available on the App store and Google Play. Getting started with a new digital tool often takes time but that’s not the case with Ziplet as there are preloaded questions available that teachers can use to get started right away!
About the Author
Rachelle Dene Poth is an edtech consultant, presenter, attorney, author, and teacher. Rachelle teaches Spanish and STEAM: What’s nExT in Emerging Technology at Riverview Junior Senior High School in Oakmont, PA. Rachelle has a Juris Doctor degree from Duquesne University School of Law and a Master’s in Instructional Technology. She is a Consultant and Speaker, owner of ThriveinEDU LLC Consulting. She is an ISTE Certified Educator and currently serves as the past -president of the ISTE Teacher Education Network and on the Leadership team of the Mobile Learning Network. At ISTE19, she received the Making IT Happen Award and a Presidential Gold Award for volunteer service to education.
Rachelle is the author of five books available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram @Rdene915.
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