Have you ever stumbled across some type of tool for your classroom, and thought "Oh my gosh that is awesome!"? Well, I had that moment yesterday. I stumbled across a website called wizer.me. I love our current age of education. We can reach students like never before through a variety of different ways. We have ed tech tools that simply make you say, WOW! Wizer is one of those tools.
Wizer allows teachers to create digital worksheets. We are not talking about word documents that you share with your students. Nope. We are talking about engaging digital worksheets that allow you to load video, questions, matching, draw in, and a wide variety of other amazing choices. You can even prepare the worksheets so they are automatically graded. I don't know about you, but I hate grading. Love teaching...hate grading. I love tools like Wizer that help save time, and energy; allowing me to create amazing lessons for my students.
Let's break down some of the amazing tools built into Wizer.
1. Multiple Choice Questions- Well this isn't ground breaking new info, but multiple choice questions are a staple of standardized tests, and if you carefully craft multiple choice questions, they can be very beneficial for students. A few of the cool tools built into the multiple choice section are the ability to record audio questions, the fact that they grade themselves, and the ability to load pictures as answer options.
2. Fill in the Blank- Another simple tool that Wizer has upgraded with its digital worksheets. Easy to create, and again provides cool features like audio questions and self grading.
3. Fill on an Image- In Social Studies, there are always geographical points on a map that need identified. In Science, there are the parts of a cell, and I am sure that other classes have parts of an image that need identified. Fill on an image questions allow teachers to load an image, and place markers that students need to identify. As I said above, great way to do maps, cell structure, or even label the skeletal system.
4. Draw- This feature does just what it says; allowing you to draw into a blank space, or onto a picture that has been loaded. Obviously, this feature cannot self grade, because you will have to determine if the drawing is correct.
5. Sorting and Table- Sorting is a basic tool that allows students to place items into the correct category. I say basic, but it would be an awesome tool for lower grade levels. The table tool is another cool tool within Wizer. It allows you to load a grid or table into the worksheet. It would be a great tool for identifying what term went into each group.
6. Web Tools- The features provided by Wizer are awesome, but one of my favorite things available is the ability to load webpages, and YouTube videos into the worksheet. This is a great way to add additional content into the worksheet.
7. Community of Worksheets- As teachers, reinventing the wheel is not always required. I love that Wizer has a wealth of worksheets that have already been created and shared by other teachers. For example, Vanessa Sanchez has a fantastic Wizer Worksheet on cells for 7th grade students. Check out her awesome work here.
8. Grading is Awesome!- The grading feature is truly awesome. Wizer tells you how long the students spent on the assignment, the grade, and even allows you to provide typed or audio feedback to the student.
9. Take it to the Next Level- The tools I mentioned above are all 100% free. However, there are additional paid versions that allow even greater access and additional tools such as: analytic reports, intervention alerts, text to speech features, differentiated instruction, and integration to learning management systems.
Wizer is a fantastic tool for teachers with a wide range of benefits. Give Wizer a shot and let me know what you think about it in the comments section below. Already use Wizer? Share a link to one of your worksheets. As always, thank you for reading, and thank you for giving me an opportunity to serve you.
-Coach Barkes