I posted information for an app in On Edge Coaching pt. 2. One of my twitter followers Greg Spahn tweeted a similar app to me called Socrative. I checked it out and it is definitely worth a look if you would like to add some interactive methods to your position meetings.
The app is web based and a download is not required. The teacher/coach or student/athlete can run this app from any device with a web browser and Internet connectivity. Registering was simple; I just needed to enter my email address and create a password.
Getting started was simple as well. The first step is creating a quiz. This is easily done. First decide on the type of question and answer (short answer, multiple choice, true/false are options), write the question and if necessary the answers. Short answer questions can be open ended, and students can be polled to choose the correct answer.
After your quiz is created and you are ready to release it to your students, they go to the website m.socrative.com.
You will give them a room number to enter and they will be connected.
Once you have clicked the “manage quizzes” tab you can decide if you want to import a quiz from Excel (explained on the Socrative website) or create a quiz within the app.
You then choose quiz type which is open end short answer or multiple choice (true/false or agree/disagree would be considered multiple choice type questions). Sharing would be used if you wanted to share the quiz with another coach/teacher. It would create a code that you would send to that person.
Name the quiz, create the question and check the box of the correct answer. You can continue to add questions, and you are not limited to just one question type. You can use a mixture of multiple choice and short answer questions. You can include answer explanations which is a great feature to aid in learning.
Once you have created and saved your quiz you go back to the main menu and click “start quiz” which takes you to the screen below. You will choose your quiz, decide what her it is teacher paced or if the student can progress at their own pace. If you had your questions tied to still shots or video clips you were showing on the screen in conjunction with the test then you would want teacher paced. You also have other options for randomizing answer, turning instant feedback or explanations on or off.
Live results will show you student results on your device.
When you end the activity you can choose to have a report of that quiz sent to your email.
The email report looks like this:
On the quiz takers end, the following screen shots show what it looks like on their device.
This is another great app that allows you to easily check for understanding and get immediate feedback both for how you are doing in teaching a concept and how well your players are grasping it. It provides you data to make decisions on how fast you can continue to progress on your installation meetings or if you need to go back and review.
The app has uses in installing your offense or defense, and quizzing players on game plan and scouting report information.
If you are assigning players to watch presentations before the meeting, you can quiz them at the beginning of the meeting to see exactly where they are at and if the have done their homework.
Technology can either help or hinder us as coaches. If we have a solid plan for its use and implementation, it certainly will be helpful in allowing us to be detailed coaches.
My iBook 101+ Pro Style Pistol Offense Plays is an example of how powerful the technology available can be in presenting information in a dynamic way. It is a useful offense resource for any coach whether the Pistol is part of your attack or not. Get it for you iPad by clicking the link below.
https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/101+-pro-style-pistol-offense/id611588645?mt=11
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