Teacher guide to classroom interaction tools
Use live polling, a Q&A wall and a word cloud to create a lively and engaging interactive classroom
Three interactive tools
Real-time Polls
Collect student opinions quickly and present statistics in real time
Real-time polling is a foundational classroom interaction tool, allowing the Instructor to create a poll in seconds, and Students can take part using a mobile phone or computer. Results update in real time, making it ideal for pre-class readiness checks, in-class comprehension checks, post-class opinion surveys, and similar scenarios.
Core Features
- Supports both single-choice and multiple-choice voting modes
- Can set whether poll results are shown in real time
- Supports anonymous voting, encouraging genuine expression
- Real-time charts and statistics to present the results visually
- Can start, pause and restart voting at any time
Usage steps
Enter live interaction
On the Classroom GPT page, click the "Live interaction" function
Create Poll
Tap "Create poll", enter a title and options (at least 2 options)
Set voting options
Select single choice/multiple choice, whether to display results immediately, and whether to allow anonymity
Start Poll
Tap the start button and students can participate in the poll
View result
After voting ends, review the full statistics and discuss them with Students
Q&A Wall
Let every Student's voice be heard
The Q&A Wall breaks the traditional limitation of raising a hand to ask questions, allowing shy Students to ask in confidence. Students can submit questions anonymously, and other classmates can vote on questions (like them), helping the Instructor identify the questions most people want answered.
Core Features
- Supports anonymous questions, reducing student mental burden
- Sort questions by votes to find the most popular ones
- Questions can be set to display only after review
- Instructors can mark a question as "Answered"
- Updated in real time; the question appears immediately after submission
Usage steps
Create Q&A Activity
On the live interaction page, switch to the "Q&A Wall" tab
Set the activity rules
Decide whether anonymous contributions are allowed, whether review is required, and whether vote ranking is allowed
Start activity
Tap Start and students can submit questions
Management question
Review questions (if set), answer questions, mark as resolved
Word Cloud
Visualising collective intelligence
A word cloud is a visual brainstorming tool. The terms submitted by Students form a word cloud that updates in real time. The more people submit the same word, the larger it appears, making it ideal for collecting keywords, sparking discussion, and summarising a Course.
Core Features
- Generate a visual word cloud in real time
- Higher word frequency means larger font
- Can set the maximum number of vocabulary items each person may submit
- Supports real-time updates; watch the cloud grow
- Can export a word cloud image as a Course record
Usage steps
Create a word cloud activity
Enter a topic question, for example: “Use one word to describe today's learning”
Set submission limits
Select 1–5 vocabulary items per person
Start collecting
Launch the activity and Students start submitting vocabulary
Show discussion
Project a word cloud and open discussion around popular keywords
Tool functionality comparison
| Feature | Live Polls | Q&A Wall | Word Cloud |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main purpose | Collect optional feedback | Collect questions and doubts | Collect keywords |
| Response format | Select default options | Free text entry | Enter vocabulary |
| Anonymous support | is | is | is |
| Live updates | is | is | is |
| Vote / like | - | is | - |
| Use cases | Multiple-choice questions, surveys | Troubleshooting, interactive discussion | Brainstorming, revision and review |
Teaching application contexts
Warm-up
At the start of the Course:
- Vote: “How well do you understand this topic today?”
- Word cloud: "When you hear 'artificial intelligence', what comes to mind?"
- Q&A: “What would you like to understand about today’s topic first?”
Concept check
After explaining one concept:
- Vote: design a multiple-choice question to check understanding
- Word cloud: "Describe this concept in one word"
- Q&A: “What is unclear in this part?”
Discussion activity
During group discussions:
- Vote: each group chooses the argument it supports
- Word cloud: Collect each group's key findings
- Q&A: collect questions for other groups
Course summary
Before the Course ends:
- Vote: “Which part did you learn the most from today?”
- Word cloud: "The three most important keywords today"
- Q&A: “Are there any other questions?”
Best practice
Techniques for boosting participation
- Use the anonymity function wisely: for sensitive questions or those that may easily make students feel embarrassed, turn on anonymous mode
- Allow sufficient time: wait until most Students have finished before ending the activity
- Real-time feedback: respond to poll results and popular questions immediately, and discuss them
- Integrate with course content: interactive tools should be closely aligned with the teaching objectives
- Use in moderation: use 2-3 interactions in a lesson to avoid disrupting the teaching rhythm
- Projection display: project the interactive results so the whole class can view and discuss them together
Notes
- Ensure all students have a device (mobile phone or computer) to participate
- Confirm in advance that your internet connection is stable
- For Q&A that require review, remember to handle questions pending review promptly
- A word cloud may contain inappropriate terms; consider enabling the review function
- Voting results may differ from expectations; be ready to adjust your teaching flexibly
Ready to start using interactive tools?
Please enter your classroom and find the "Real-time Interaction" function on the UeduGPT page
Quick navigation
Three major interactive tools Live polling Q&A Board Word cloud Feature comparison Application scenarios Best practiceFeature location
Classroom → UeduGPT → real-time interaction