EdTech Cohort
Tool Review
by Andrew Klunk
ZipGrade
6
Zipgrade (http://zipgrade.com) is an app that allows teachers to use their phone or tablet to grade and analyze multiple choice answer sheets. The answer sheets can be downloaded from the website and have a .PNG version for editing. The app comes with 100 free scans to try it out. The full access comes in a $6.99 for a year or $2.99 for two months.
Students can be entered from a .CSV file, and answer keys can be scanned or manually entered on the smartphone or tablet. The student’s score is instantly displayed and also added to the class folder. Each answer sheet is copied to the teacher’s account, and item analysis is also available. The time savings alone is worth the purchase of this app.
Some personal experiences:
I wondered about changing an answer on the answer key. After I changed the answer, ZipGrade regraded all of the previously scanned tests automatically. Since ZipGrade only grades the questions on the key, I am able to use the same answer sheets for multiple tests or even as tickets out the door by starting at the next number on the answer sheet for each use of the same sheet.
Scanning answer sheets just became easier.
Andrew Klunk is a member of the TUHSD EdTech Cohort who teaches Science at Copper Canyon High School.
Recently, I was introduced to Google Docs and the ability to collect data within seconds on a spreadsheet using Google Forms. With Google Forms, users have the ability to ask questions that may be short-answer, long answer, multiple choice, True or False, or pick from a drop-down menu. This could be used to just collect data (which is what we did for graduation purposes) or that could be your test or homework assignment.
The data is collected, and users can pull the responses into a spreadsheet in real time, then they may copy it over to an actual Excel sheet. Users may save copies and label them whatever they want.
Another thing that we did was shorten the link to this Google Form by using https://goo.gl/ and then send that link out to students in a Remind (https://www.remind.com/), which is a communication tool that does not share teacher or student personal information. Through a Remind text or email, students can access the link and complete the Google Form from home or anywhere else.
The guidance department found that we needed to get some information from students on a specific day and did not have time to call all the students into the office to collect it, but we knew we had hundreds of them on Remind. So, those who were on Remind provided the data that we asked, and we were set by the time we needed the information.
Google Form and Remind
by Stephanie Finch Nichols
Collecting information and communicating with students.