Students nowadays love innovative and cool activities in the classroom. They want something new and unique that is why teachers are continuously looking for ways to engage their students in the class. I think one of the activities that we could use is PLICKERS!
I’ve been using PLICKERS for years now and I can actually see how students enjoy this activity. They are more active and they love seeing their results in real time making it easy to review whether their students understand the lesson or not.
For me, I used this as a pre-test and post-test just to check their prior knowledge of the topic. After I introduce the topic, I repeat the same questions again to check if they understood it or not. If I get a low score on a specific question, that’s when I go back and review the topic again. It really works well all the time!
In this article, I created a step by step tutorial on how you can make and use this as part of your teaching strategies.
Before anything else, here are some of the important things to remember:
- Requires Internet Connection
- Limited to only 5 Questions unless you UPGRADE to PRO
- Cards must be printed
- Expect the class to be noisy and FUN!
Step 1 – Download the Plickers App
It is available on Android and IOS.
Step 2 – Sign up on Plickers.com
Go over to your desktop computer and sign up on Plickers.Com. Make sure you have Plickers on your mobile phone and also on a desktop.
Step 3 – Print Plickers Card
Plickers Cards are free! In my case, I used recycled paper to print the cards. You only need to print one set even if you have multiple classes. Each card has a unique number and four sides. Students will rotate the cards based on the corresponding letter. Perfect for Multiple Choice and True or False questions or Surveys.
If you want a printable copy, Click Here !
You may also want to read:
Step by Step Guide to Checking Students’ Attendance using QR Codes
Step 4 – Add your Classes & Students
ADD CLASSES depending on the number of sections that you have.
Once you added classes, you may now add your students.
Type the NAMES of the students below. You can also copy paste their names too. Click DONE when finished.
Plickers will give each students a corresponding number. Before you give them the Plickers cards make sure they have the same number as listed in your class. E.G. Juan De La Cruz must be holding a Plicker Card with a Number 1 written on it.
Step 5 – Create your Content
Now it’s time to create QUESTIONS. So on the right side, click on NEW SET. Type in your questions. Change the name of the Content and click on the correct answer. You can also place photos in your quiz. If I go to RECENT in the drop-down menu I will find my previous quizzes.
- Choose surveys, multiple choice, or true/false questions. Include images or GIFs.
- On a Free Plickers, you are limited to only 5 Questions.
- Plickers PRO cost USD 8.99 / Month
One you have set all the 5 questions. Go over RECENT and click on the Quiz. On the right side, if all the students are ready, click PLAY NOW to go LIVE!
Step 6 – Scan Student Responses
After you click the PLAY NOW button, this is what your Plicker Desktop would look like.
Now, on your smart phone, OPEN the Plicker App. Click on the class that you are in and you will see the questions that are LIVE. Click on that CIRCLE and start scanning the students responses.
When you click on the CIRCLE, ask the students to raise their responses then scan the students responses with your phone. You will instantly find their answers. With the instant feedback, you can already find out whether they really have a good understanding of the lesson or a follow-up lesson is needed.
You can also watch this VLOG by Teach and Travel to get more ideas on how fun and effective Plickers is.
