Technology in the Classroom

 Hello everyone! My name is Rachel and I am Special Education Teacher for students with Moderate and Severe Disabilities. I am excited to share with year some technology resources that can help you and your students!

1. Boom Cards 

Boom Cards provides interactive slides or cards for almost any subject or topic imaginable for students to interact with, answer questions, sort items, match items, and more. There are many decks that are made by others or you can design your own. The slides will automatically let the students know if they got it correct. You can also assign decks to students and Boom Cards will record their accuracy for you.

User friendliness and engagement for students: Booms Cards is incredibly user friendly for students. If a student has the motor skills to reach out and touch, they can use Boom Cards. Cards also have the option to have fun backgrounds, activities, and sometimes a game like feel which helps students to engage and interact with the cards.

User friendliness for teachers: Finding and assigning Boom Cards is simple. Their store section has a search bar and filters by price, grade, and topic to help you find what you need. To assign a deck, you save the deck to your library then right click or drag to assign it to the student. You can also get a temporary URL link that will take you straight to you Boom Card deck. When it comes to making decks, it can take a few minutes to get used to how it works but overall it is fairly simple and once you get a feel for the layout, it does not take long to get moving.

Cost: Many decks are free or between 50 cents to a few dollars. There are also bundles of decks available for more money. 

Depending on the size of your class and if you plan on creating your own decks will determine which subscription package you choose. 



Differentiation: Boom Cards help with differentiation because you can assign decks to the entire class or to only one or a small group of students. This allows you to assign decks based on students' current levels and needs. Boom Cards also has the option of reading aloud the questions, you can insert images and visual answer choices, and more. This customization allows you to design the deck to meet your specific students' needs.

Instructional Strategies: Decks can be used for a variety of things. You can use them whole group for a class review or to introduce or practice a concept. You can assign decks to students for individual practice on curriculum topics or IEP Goals during individual technology time. 

Over all, Boom Cards helps to promote learning and ownerships in students through the ability to incorporate their likes/interests through clipart/pictures/backgrounds uses, a game-like feel with sound effects, provides practice with little to no pressure, and privacy and individualization for student assigned decks.

2. PowerPoint or Google Slides



              

Depending on if your district has a contract with Microsoft or Google, you and your students will have access to PowerPoint and/or Google Slides. As many know, PowerPoint and Google Slides are both programs that allows you and your students to create presentations. However, PowerPoint and Google Slides both have capabilities beyond a simple presentation. You can make them interactive with links, input videos, pictures, transitions, sound effects, and more.

Cost: Most districts provide either Microsoft PowerPoint or Google Slides for their staff and students. Either way, Google Slides is free to use with a google email. PowerPoint can be purchased through a subscription. However, you can usually get it for free using your school email.

Ease of use/user friendliness for students: Some students have experience with creating presentations but this is a skill that will need to be taught. However, once taught the basics, most students around 2nd or 3rd grade and above are able to get creative and create presentations. Both programs are easy to access and work similarly.

Ease of use/user friendliness for teachers: Teachers can create a basic presentation with the help of a short how to video. As teachers want to do more, it can be a bit more challenging for teachers who struggle with technology. However, most teachers are able to pick it up after being shown what to do a few time in person or through an instructional video. Presentations can be as complicated as you want to make them. You can have a basic presentation or you can add links, transitions, videos, timers, and more.

Incorporation/Instructional Strategies/Differentiation/Engagement: Presentation apps can be used to present information to the whole group with visual, auditory, and hands on support. Presentations can be designed to meet the level of your students, support learning differences, and support instruction in any subject area. Interactive presentations can also be made for specific groups of students based off of their current levels and needs. These presentations can be sent out or used for these specific groups in small group instruction or individual work time for older students. The ability to incorporate videos, songs, and interactive slides helps engage students and reach a diverse set of needs.

3. Schoology or Google Classroom

Again, the one you use will probably differ based on the district you are in. However, both offer similar support. Schoology and Google Classroom are both learning management systems. Learning management systems are designed to be used as a platform to host or organize all of your educational things. You can upload resources, create and assign assignments, keep track of grades, and more. 

Cost: Many districts provide one or the other, however if you are looking to purchase for yourself, here are the price plans.

Google Classroom:

Schoology: $10 per student per month

Ease of use/user friendliness for students: There is an elementary and a secondary layout option for students with Schoology. The elementary layout makes it easier for younger students to navigate Schoology. Both Schoology and Google Classroom are pretty user friendly for students.

Ease of use/user friendliness for teachers: There is a learning curve when it comes to the teacher point of view and usage of Schoology. Both are great for keeping everything in one place but this is more practical for teachers with students in 2nd-3rd grade and up who could complete the assignments online. I personally do not see it being worth the effort and time for Kindergarten and First Graders. Most teachers would require training.

Incorporation/Instructional Strategies/Differentiation/Engagement: Both platforms allow you to create classes based of groupings, subjects, or other grouping of choice. You can create and/or upload assignment for students to complete, post announcements, and like to different educational apps. This flexibility allows you to assign different lessons and assignments to different students based of needs. Students also are able to interact with online apps and activities which can increase engagement. These platforms are especially beneficial for distance or online learning.

Learning and Ownership: By being able to have a main digital hub for all things learning, students are able to better keep track of their assignments, materials, and resources. This helps students to take ownership of their work and practice managing a "work load" in a more similar manor to how a future job would be. Students can message the teacher for assistance and can work on assignments anywhere they have a computer and internet. 

Review

Over all, there are tons of technological resources educators can use to help their students in the classroom. Above are just a few common ones that I have either personally used, or others in the district I work in use. Not everything is for everyone. Don't be afraid to experiment and play around with different technological resources because you never know what will help you with your students' engagement and success. 

Resources:
Boom Learning. (n.d.). Boom cards. Boom Learning. https://wow.boomlearning.com/

Microsoft. (n.d.) Microsoft 365-powerpoint. Microsoft. https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/powerpoint

Research. (2023). Google Classroom vs Schoology - 2024 comparison. Research.com https://research.com/software/google-classroom-vs-schoology#9



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