Pear Deck Slides

Pear Deck Slides is a program that allows teachers to present a slideshow from PowerPoint or Google Slides that students can interact with. The interactive features are uniquely designed to allow students to respond by drawing with different tools, typing a response and selecting multiple choice answers. These interactives make it really easy for teachers to see their students’ knowledge and understanding. Most teachers at AHS use this program by sharing their screens with a presentation code and then having students join the presentation in a separate tab where they can view or complete work at their own pace.

”I love Pear Deck because it feels like we’re interacting together as a class and it gives me a sense of normal school,” senior Alonzo Sanchez said. 

“Pear Deck allows us to track participation in real time, seeing who is participating, who understands what, and who needs help. We can respond to questions in real time. It’s not perfect, but so far it’s been one of the best and easiest tools to give each student a voice in the class without putting them on the spot,” English teacher Julia Hanneman said.

Edpuzzle

Edpuzzle is a great program allowing students to watch videos assigned by their teachers and answer questions regarding parts of the video along the way. Unlike YouTube videos, teachers can track where their students are in the video, avoid advertisements and ask questions about important ideas expressed in the video. It is an amazing way for teachers to ensure that their students are understanding the materials presented in the assigned videos and track their students’ progress. Teachers at AHS use this by finding videos or uploading their own and later editing them to create a lesson that is perfect for their units.

“I like using Edpuzzle because it allows me to do lessons in class and makes sure I’m paying attention and comprehending the video by giving me questions. I also like that I can always go back and rewatch the video if I need to,” junior Audrey Barnes said. 

“I like Edpuzzle because it allows students to listen to information and review it before they answer a question. I like that there are options to do a quick comprehension check by using multiple choice questions. I also like that there are opportunities for open-ended responses about the video or reflection questions about the video,” Spanish teacher Maureen Hunt said. 

Jamboard

Whiteboards have been used as a useful tool for decades. This tool has undergone a huge digital makeover in the form of Jamboard. This program, developed by Google, acts as an interactive whiteboard online. Teachers can pull up a slide or image, draw on it, and present it in real-time just like drawing on a whiteboard in class. Some interactive features are sticky notes and digital pens. Students can work together on slides similar to collaborating in person. It allows students to understand how their teacher and peers achieved their answers as well as a copy of the whiteboard slide that they can look back on any time they need to.

“I like using it because your class can work together collaboratively and because your teachers can give you feedback as you are working,” sophomore Theresa Lee said. 

““I use Jamboard because I wanted a whiteboard to do work on during class. It works just as well as a simple whiteboard. I set up the slides in advance on the problems I want to cover, but it gives me the flexibility to explain concepts further in depth,” Math teacher Evaristo Martins said.

Quizizz

Quizizz is a program that allows students to complete self-paced formative assignments in a fun way. Teachers can assign as many questions as they desire to their students and change the settings in many different ways such as the number of attempts allotted, when the answers are shown, the time allotted for each question, shuffling answers and questions and showing memes after each question. At the end of the Quizizz, students are shown their overall accuracy and the correct answers for each question. This program can be used to study on your own or engage in group quizzes, assignments and presentations.

“I like Quizizz because it’s easy and fun to use. It also reminds me of kahoot, but unlike kahoot, it does not have a time limit for each question which makes it less stressful,” junior Jonny Jaldin

“The main reason for selecting Quizizz is to have an interactive formative assessment for the learning each day. The results provide me instant feedback of the content that needs to be reviewed with direct instruction. Most of the students enjoy the fun game experience and are prepared for learning. Quizizz is also helpful to teach students to be careful and remain calm while attempting the quiz,” said science teacher Nabila Saqib.