Slido is a web-based interactive polling and Q&A platform. Students access teacher-created polls via a simple join code, and educators activate polls one at a time for student response. Polling options include multiple choice, word cloud, rating scales, and short answer, and educators choose the length of time sessions will remain active. There’s also a Q&A feature where kids can submit questions by name or anonymously and reply to others or up-vote questions they’d like answered. This gives educators real-time feedback to assess student understanding and provides opportunities for teachable moments. Teachers can edit user-submitted questions, which is useful for kids who struggle with spelling, syntax, punctuation, or grammar. Presenters may also choose to hide results as they come in, which gives learners a chance to think about their responses without being influenced by their classmates. For added convenience and interactivity to in-class presentations, consider installing the Slido add-on for Google Slides. This lets presenters create and launch polls directly from their Slides presentations, which may provide timely boosts to student engagement.

The large library of videos on the developer’s YouTube channel makes it easy to learn different features to engage learners. Topics include customizing the interface to reflect school colors and conducting polls directly from Google Slides presentations. If educators want fresh responses for each class they teach, they’ll have to reset each poll individually, which is a bit tedious. One workaround is to duplicate polls and run separate sessions by class. It’s easy enough to do and saves time, as long as each class receives the correct join code.

Teachers and learners can ask just about anything on Slido. Poll learners about keeping safe online, quiz learners on yesterday’s algebra lesson, or crowd-source questions about civil rights leaders. Let learners submit one-word reactions to an article or short story, and watch the word cloud appear. Or play a form of “Would You Rather?” as a conversation starter. For instance, you could ask, “Would you rather be stuck in a desert or a blizzard?” to open up a dialogue about climate. End a lesson with an exit ticket to get the pulse of the class on the day’s topics.

It’s important to set ground rules. Students, especially younger ones, may feel compelled to call out opinions or answers before everyone has participated. Setting a timer for responses might help cut down on lag time in between questions so that learners don’t have to wait as long to discuss. And be prepared for some lively conversations. If you allow anonymous participation, you might get some inappropriate or irrelevant comments, and while it’s great that learners can respond to one another’s questions and comments, it might be tough to monitor. Be sure to remind your audience about acceptable online communication behaviors, and keep an eye on learners‘ devices as they respond.

Audience response tools like Slido tend to be fun and engaging, but educators will want to be thoughtful in their planning. If educators provide learners opportunities to submit questions or ideas before they teach a concept, kids will activate their thinking while educators get a handle on areas of interest or confusion — informing instruction without calling out anyone specific. Teachers can also do this in real time, but they’ll have to be quick about moderating learners‘ questions so they don’t interrupt the lesson flow. Giving learners, especially quiet ones, a voice by asking thought-provoking open-ended questions can give educators a sense of how the learners think in a way that promotes critical thinking and suits their comfort level.

Depending on the questions posed or the ones learners ask, there are real opportunities for impactful dialogue and deep learning. And assessing individual and group understanding is a snap when kids have a chance to both answer and ask questions, especially when educators encourage them to reply to one another. Slido isn’t limited to learners: The real-time Q&A or feedback can help guide professional development (PD) workshops as well.

Website: https://www.sli.do/

Overall User Consensus About the App

Student Engagement

Students will love the interactive nature of Slido; keeping lag time between polls to a minimum will help the class stay focused.

Curriculum and Instruction

With careful planning and good questioning techniques, educators can spark lively discussions that encourage deep thinking and provide opportunities for reflection.

Customer Support

The tool is easy to learn and use. Students who are struggling with a concept can ask questions anonymously, and educators can get a pulse for how well kids are grasping content.