Some news...

Something interesting happened this summer. Our lite accounts, like many of us in the past 18 months, decided they needed some time to themselves. Off they went to many locales far and wide, to digital spas, retreats and oases scattered across boundless cyberspace to wash away the angst and apprehension of pandemic life. As it was summer break for teachers too, we had no problem letting them take time to recuperate and prepare for a new school year.

It wasn’t until last week that the lite accounts finally returned from their summer hiatus, and upon returning, it was clear that a fundamental transformation had taken place. Into our Minneapolis office they marched with puffed chests and broad grins, boasting on end about their newfound identities. To say we at Extempore were pleasantly surprised with these changes would be a massive understatement, because as it turns out, after some intense soul searching, our lite accounts now…

• Have no restrictions on the number of classes, students, assessments, and questions.

• Allow instructors to configure Extempore's timing parameters, including time to review and time to respond.

• Provide a way for instructors to use Extempore for free, forever.

Okay... what does this mean for me?

What this means is, if you’ll forgive the repetition, that your lite account now allows you to use Extempore in a much bigger way. Before, there was a limit of three assessments per lite account, and only one assessment was allowed access to timing parameters. No more! Extempore lite accounts now offer an assessment platform for comprehensive year-round use. 

Cool! Where do I start?

Great question! If this is your first time using Extempore, then it wouldn’t be a bad idea to read our blog on precisely that topic. If you’re more of a video person, you can also view the webinar on introducing your students to the platform below.

The assignment mentioned in both that blog and webinar, Extempore 101, can be imported directly to your account by clicking the button below.

Import Extempore 101 Here

Looking for more inspiration? Our importable task page has different real-world tasks for you to use directly in your account, featuring everything from weekend plans, to picking art for a house, to telling your language learning story.

Of course, if you’re looking for a “liter” (sorry, I had to 😄) place to start, consider some basic routine practice like oral readings, dictations, or basic picture responses. Import templates and examples of all three of these activities by clicking the link below.

Import Extempore Routine Practice Class

Finally, Extempore Commons is a rapidly growing database of all of our importable assessment offerings, and it allows instructors to sort by content, level, language, assessment type, and other tags. 

Go to Extempore Commons

Anything else?

Yes, now that you ask. This summer we hosted our inaugural PD Extravaganza featuring “bites” of Extempore (mini-webinars), interactive workshops, and language meetups, as a way to illustrate the manifold strategies and use cases the Extempore platform offers. This includes using it for Task-Based Language Teaching (shoutout to Dr. Fernandez for her fantastic workshop), helping students conquer their anxiety, integrating routine practice for language classes, and more. To access the presentations and recordings from this event, navigate to the Sched platform by clicking the button below. You can also head to our YouTube channel where you’ll find those Extempore bites and some other handy resources.

Access All Resources + Slides From PD Extravaganza

Oh yeah, maybe it would help if we provided a big blue button for you to sign up for a lite account too.

Open Lite Account

Ah, there you go! Now go out there and craft some A+ assessments!

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