How long have you been teaching, and how did you get started?
This is my 26th year teaching. I got hired on the day of my graduation from Baldwin-Wallace College. I have wanted to be a teacher since I was five years old. My dad and my pet guinea pigs were my first “students.” My favorite gifts as a child were chalk, stickers, and stamps.
What age, subject, or specialty do you teach?
I am certified K-12. I started in a 3rd/4th grade multi-age classroom for two years and taught 1st grade for several years after that. Currently, I am in my dream role as a Title 1 reading intervention specialist. I work with kindergarteners through 5th graders.
What traditional (non-digital) resources do you use with learners?
Two primary resources I use in my classroom are the Orton-Gillingham program to teach phonics and spelling and the Haggerty program for phonemic awareness instruction. I believe in supplementing any program with hands-on materials to reach all learning styles and make learning more meaningful. I use lots of manipulatives, games, and tactile writing materials, and I personalize lessons wherever possible. For example, I love using students’ names in sentences they are reading for fluency and decoding practice.
What challenges have you faced with using technology in your classroom?
Fortunately, our district has provided each teacher with a smartboard and laptop and each child with their Chromebook, so I feel we are on the right track regarding technology.
What type of EdTech solutions have you used in the past?
I use administrative programs like mClass to monitor students’ progress after administering the DIBELS assessment. I also use Google Sheets to record and monitor students’ progress after taking their Orton-Gillingham and Haggerty benchmark assessments. These tools allow me to easily view my students’ strengths and weaknesses to plan further instruction. I use Boom Cards full-group to introduce new topics AND to review previously learned material. I have also assigned Boom Cards individually to assess students. Students love the instant feedback, fun sounds, and colorful layout of the Boom Cards. I use Smart Notebook to create other interactive literacy activities.
What are the key benefits of using EdTech in the classroom?
Using EdTech in the classroom engages students and reaches all modes of learning: visual, auditory, reading/writing, and kinesthetic—sometimes all at once. Concepts are more easily understood and retained when all the modes are addressed. EdTech also gives students hands-on experience with computers that they need for their futures. As a teacher, EdTech helps with lesson planning, delivery, and assessment.
What do you think sets Boom Cards apart from other EdTech solutions?
Boom Cards are interactive and colorful, have a visually appealing layout that is easy for students to follow, and supply instant feedback for students and the teachers. I love that I can “search” a topic I will be working on and find a bunch of Boom Cards already created at my fingertips by other educators. And if I want to make my own Boom Cards, that’s also an option. They are attractive, easy to use, and supply tons of information to students and teachers.
How do you think Boom Cards can help to improve student engagement in the classroom?
As I mentioned, the layout is aesthetically pleasing and usually incorporates sounds. When students hear, see, and say new concepts simultaneously, they tend to be more successful. Also, giving students instant feedback makes them highly engaged because they want to correct the questions. They love that Boom Cards tell them right away when they’ve answered a question correctly, and they get very competitive (with themselves) as they watch the accumulation of points on their screen.
What features do you think are most important for an EdTech tool to have?
- Easy to implement in the classroom.
- Visually neat (not too cluttered, or students get distracted by the extra stimuli)
- Provides instant feedback to students
- Tracks students’ progress
- Aligns with the state and district standards/learning goals
- Engaging
What are the most significant advantages of using Boom Cards in the classroom?
Boom Cards are a quick and easy way to introduce, review, or assess any topic. I know I keep saying it, but instant feedback is so important to student learning. Boom Cards are engaging and fun to do—my students get excited anytime they see a Boom Deck pulled up on my Smart Board.
What advice would you give to someone new to teaching?
If you’re having fun, students will have fun. Never be afraid to try something new or to ask for help. A teacher’s education is never complete—and if you’re open to new adventures and points of view, you will continue to grow as a teacher with every passing year.
What’s the best advice you’ve received from a teaching mentor?
Kids don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.
Does your student population require differentiation in instruction?
I work with students from kindergarten all the way up to 5th grade, and even within the same grade, I often differentiate based on what phonics and/or phonemic awareness skills students need support with. For example, I teach two different second-grade classes: I am working on closing the gap with CVC/CVCe words with one of the groups, while I’m working on vowel teams and suffixes with my other group. I base my instruction on their needs.
What are your go-to strategies for differentiation and scaffolding?
- I differentiate the content to ensure each student starts where they need to.
- I present the same concept in various ways: direct instruction/modeling, videos, tech games, and hands-on activities.
- I have students present the concept to their peers to take ownership of their learning.
- I teach from concrete to abstract when needed.
- I may differentiate the success criteria based on a student’s background knowledge and future goals.
- I allow for the expression of creativity.
- I use stations, task cards, technology, and manipulatives every week.
- I create individualized reading materials and tech games based on students’ needs and interests.
How do you keep students from feeling self-conscious in a mixed-level class?
From day one, I set the tone of a safe atmosphere where it is okay to be different, express ourselves, and make mistakes. I also let all students know that I am their number one cheerleader, and it becomes contagious as students encourage one another throughout the remainder of the year. We work as a team and a family in my classroom. Everyone is important, and everyone can be successful.
How do you think Boom Cards can help to make teaching easier?
Boom Cards are easily accessible and super simple to use. I love that I can create my own library of cards that I can go back to for my favorite and most used Boom Cards. Boom Cards also provide me with a quick formative or summative assessment whenever I need one. Students think learning is fun because they think they are just “playing a game.” Once students are engaged, you’re halfway there!
