I have been chomping at the bit to try Recap for the past few weeks. But I decided to hold off until it is available on both iPad and Andriod devices. You can not really review an app, without testing it in class. And teaching at a BYOD school, I needed the app to work across platforms before I can test it out.
With the promise that the app will be available on Andriod devices by August, I decided it was time to start playing around with it.
Since my learners are currently writing exams, I decided to do a reflection on the exam they have just written as my first assignment. I always find it fascinating to hear the learners opinions after the exam and compare that with their actual results. (There is usually a massive discrepancy between how they experienced the exam and their results.)
Since Recap allows me to set several questions, I could take this a bit further and get the learners to reflect not only on their experience of the exam but also think about their study methods.
As I have said before when I wrote about Kahoot!
The same applies to Recap. The time I put into selecting phrasing my questions will have a direct influence on the effectiveness of the app as a learning tool.
I decided on these five questions:
1. How did you feel before the exam?
2. Explain how you approached preparing for the exam?
3. How did the exam go?
4. Are you satisfied with your results?
5. If you could go back and change something, what would you do differently?
Recap gives you the option of either typing the question or recording a video. Unlike most of the kids today, I do not like to see myself in a video. However I decided that fair is fair, I can not expect them to record a video of themselves if I am not willing to do the same. (Pro-tip: Make sure the camera is always slightly higher than your face, it is a lot more flattering.)
Recording a clip also gave me an opportunity to elaborate on the question and encourage learners to give more than a one-word answer.
Ideally, this should be two assignments, one done immediately after they have written the exam, consisting of question 1-3 and a second one after they get their results. However keep in mind that you can only assign one set of questions to a class at a time, therefore, if you are going to do it in one lesson, rather make one assignment.
Recap let learners join your class in one of two ways. Either by entering the class pin or by creating a username and password. The first option is quick and easy with the added advantage/disadvantage that the learners can see each other’s videos. I am a big advocate of creating an authentic audience, but if you are planning to use Recap for reflection, asking learners about their failures and successes, you might not want them to be able to watch each other’s videos.
I am very curious to see the feedback. Recap allows me a glimpse into a side of my learners I normally never have the time to explore. I can hardly wait to get the assignment back.
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