What’s It Like? Formative is a digital response tool for the BYOD or 1-to-1 classroom. After a detailed tutorial, teachers can upload or create assignments that let students type, enter numbers, draw (with a mouse or their finger, depending on the device), upload an image, or answer multiple-choice questions. Teachers can create classes (manually or by filling out a template spreadsheet) and then distribute their assignments to students through classes or via an access code. Students can have an account (which allows teachers to track their progress over time) or choose to respond without logging in. Teachers can watch their students’ responses arrive in real time via the teacher dashboard, and teachers can send back grades (manually our automatically) and also send longer narrative responses in reply.
Rating: 4/5
Price: Free
Grades: 3-12
Pros: Appealing design, flexible features make it easy to create simple or detailed assessments.
Cons: Drawing responses can be tricky; a revise/resubmit option would be nice.
Bottom line: Clever, teacher-minded design offers a flexible and attractive solution for gathering a variety of student response types on demand.