Microsoft Forms is a tool from Microsoft that allows educators to create assessments and surveys for students. When preparing quizzes for students, the teacher can alter the format for the questions such as multiple choice, true or false, short answer, or even a rating. Teachers can even use it as a way to share surveys with or get information from parents on their student. Microsoft Forms is simple to use and is helpful, but there are definitely other tools that I would gravitate towards more first that are more engaging and fun.

Most people are familiar with Kahoot by now, but for those who aren't- Kahoot is an interactive, game-like tool that you can use for surveys, assessments, polls, and more. Not only is it super easy for students to use, it's also beneficial for the teacher because they can receive immediate feedback from students which helps to gauge where the class is at as a whole. Kahoot is very flexible as the teacher can use premade assessments, make their own, change the timer for the assessments, and even group students into teams.

Teachers can use Padlet to allow students to post their thoughts or answers on a digital board. There are so many ways a teacher can alter and personalize their boards with backgrounds, layouts, themes, allowing for collaboration between students, changing the mode for students, and more. The teacher can even change if students can respond anonymously or if their name will be shown. Padlet can be used for simple things like posting important reminders or notices to more complex things like a formative assessment. The teacher can easily observe students' posts and check for understanding on lessons.

Jamboard is sort of like a digital sticky note where students can post opinions, interpretations, and responses to a peer's post or a teacher's prompt. Additionally, students can work together to form responses or to brainstorm. Once the teacher shares the Jamboard, the whole class has access to it and everyone can add to it. This is super helpful as it is a way for teachers to easily see if students understand a concept or if they need further instruction. The teacher can also add notes to a student's board as a form of feedback.

Mentimeter is one of my new favorite tools as there are endless ways to perform a quick check in with students. With Mentimeter you can insert things like polls, scales, and questions into a presentation and then students respond on their own devices. Those answers are then sent to the teacher which can be saved to evaluate the comprehension and performance of students. This tool allows you to create multiple choice questions, short answers, image based questions, and even take questions from students. It's engaging, it's fun, and it's helpful. With a purchase, additional features can be added.