Distance Learning

Why I Love Boom Cards

This year, I’ve been teaching entirely virtual. Our district decided to open with distance learning and we’ve stayed that way all year so far. There are rumors about going back into the classroom, but at this point, they are just rumors with no return date in sight. Our district purchased all kinds of technology for us, which is great, including Seesaw. But, a site that I love, and our district didn’t purchase, unfortunately, is Boom Cards (wow.boomlearning.com). Basically, they are auto-correcting task cards. A no-brainer, really!

The Gist

  • Boom Cards are auto-correcting task cards.
  • With an upgraded, low-cost membership, you can view student reports.
  • Affordable and free decks are available (decks are the equivalent of a set of task cards.)
  • Easy for the kids to use (they need a username and password that you, the teacher, create).
  • Free play is available for free accounts, but there are no reports with that option.
Read more “Why I Love Boom Cards” →
Distance Learning

Preparing for the New School Year During a Pandemic

Well, where do I even begin…I guess with how things went the last three months of school while I was teaching and the kids were learning at home. Over all, I felt I had a good system in place and a good turn-out in terms of students engaging and completing work. But, truthfully, it wasn’t perfect and I didn’t have 100% engagement. With that in mind, and no plan in place for our school district as of yet, I’m trying to prepare for all kinds of learning and teaching methods.

The Gist

  • Preparing for both online and in-class teaching since our district hasn’t announced a plan yet
  • Keeping the tech simple enough for parents and students to feel comfortable
  • Researching ways to get closer to 100% engagement of students
  • Realizing I need to be super flexible and not commit 100% to anything just yet
Read more “Preparing for the New School Year During a Pandemic” →
Distance Learning

How Distance Teaching Is Going So Far

We are finally on spring break this week, which gives me time to catch my breath a bit. For the past three weeks, we transitioned from the classroom to distance learning, or e-learning. Distance teaching at the elementary level is tricky and a bit of a struggle, but here’s how I’m making it work:

The Gist

  • I absolutely love Seesaw more than ever!
  • Task cards work great for a grammar and math warm-up.
  • Chunking learning activities works best for the students.
  • Sticking to a schedule Monday thru Thursday and having a flexible Friday is working.
Read more “How Distance Teaching Is Going So Far” →