The Distance Learning Adventure and how Boom Cards Helped Make it Better

      No matter what level of teaching degree you have or how much experience you have had over the years in teaching, I don't think anything really could have completely prepared us for what we would embark on with distance learning. Some teachers already were comfortable with using platforms such as Google Classroom while others of us were thrown into a frenzy of what seemed like overnight crash courses on Microsoft Teams, Zoom meetings, and etc. Many of us began creating video lessons and thinking of new ways to creatively provide our students and parents with what they needed to finish out the remainder of the year. As we look at what the possibilities of next school year look like we see that no matter whether we are in the classroom full time, doing hybrid classes, or holding virtual classrooms the way students are learning will continue to be completely different than what we have had it look like in the past. 
      With that in mind I would like to share one thing that I discovered along my distance learning adventure that helped to make my student's time out of the classroom a little more enjoyable and is something I will continue to use whether in or out of the classroom this coming year. When we were in the classroom I loved using task cards in various ways such as Math centers, Literacy groups or other ways with my students but with being virtual that made it difficult to do until I discovered Boom Learning. 
      If you haven't heard of Boom Learning or Boom Cards you may be wondering what it is. Well, Boom Learning is an awesome website that is great for educators and even parents to use to support students in their learning by providing digital games and activities created by teachers for students. Boom Cards are digital task cards on the Boom Learning site that are self-grading for instant feedback for students and provides data for teachers. Each set of Boom Cards are called decks that you can assign to your whole class or to individual students. Being able to individually assign decks of cards makes it great for differentiation with students. When I started I purchased a few great decks of Boom Cards on the Boom Learning site or from TpT as well as I learned to make my own. 
      I will say learning to make your own decks of cards can quickly become an obsession as they are fun to make with all the different fun options you can incorporate into your cards. As I started making my own and assigned them to my students during our distance learning time the students really enjoyed using them and it was a great way for me to see through the data areas that they needed more practice or what they had mastered. Looking ahead to this coming school year I look forward to incorporating Boom Cards whether in or out of the classroom to enhance my students' learning. These activities can be used on tablets, computers, or phones. They are also great in class on Smartboards with student interaction for whole class instruction. With options such as drag & drop, multiple choice, fill in the blank, audio on cards for speech therapy or intervention, and more, these are fantastic!

See below some great ways that you can use Boom Cards:

This is a practice I created using Flow Magic on Boom Cards (which gives a home card and students click on whatever option they want to play and it takes them to that section to play/practice).

This is a fun practice with math facts when you can't take time tests, play around the world, or other practices in person:

For younger learners this fun drag and drop activity is a great practice in counting:

One last example is a great practice in measuring angles with a protractor:

You can check out more great Boom Card activities by clicking on the Boom Cards tab at the top.