As an educator, I’m always looking for ways to ensure my students understand and retain the material covered in each class session. Recently, I created a simple web application called Are You Following?, which has proven to be a valuable tool in achieving this goal.

If you’re interested in using Are You Following? in your own classroom, I’m happy to share that it’s an open-source application available on Github. You can find the repository at https://github.com/raulmarinperez/areyoufollowing. From there, you can easily clone or download the code and start experimenting with it yourself.

Here’s how it works: at the end of each class, I run the application for 2-3 minutes, during which time students’ names appear randomly on screen. The student whose name shows up is then encouraged to recap what they learned during that class session – usually within a timeframe of 30-45 seconds.

This interactive process has been incredibly effective in promoting student engagement and reinforcing their understanding of complex concepts. Not only do my students feel more invested in the learning process, but I also get valuable insight into what they’ve retained from each class.

I’m excited to integrate Are You Following? into my classes this year and see continued improvements in student comprehension and retention.

I’d like to invite everyone who’s interested in Are You Following? to join the conversation and contribute to its growth. If you have any ideas for how to improve the application or would like to see new features added, please don’t hesitate to share them with me. I’m also open to code contributions – whether it’s a patch, a new feature, or even a complete overhaul of the project. The more perspectives and expertise we can gather, the better equipped we’ll be to create an amazing tool for educators and students alike.

To give you a better understanding of how Are You Following? works, I’ve created a YouTube video that takes you through the entire process from start to finish. In this video, you’ll see me setting up the application at the end of a class session, running it for 2-3 minutes, and then having students recap what they learned when their names appear on screen. The video is a great way to get a sense of how the app can be used in real-time, and I hope it will help you visualize the possibilities of using Are You Following? in your own classroom. You can watch the video here:

Happy teaching!

Raúl