Classroom Technology Integration

One way I integrated technology into my classroom every day was through the use of Seesaw.

Everyday students completed their math exit tickets through Seesaw. I created these exit tickets ahead of time using the premade exit tickets or problem sets provided by Eureka Math. On more challenging topics, I would also include a video example for students attached to the exit tickets that they could use if needed. I would also use these exit tickets to challenge my higher achieving students by asking them to record themselves solving and explaining out loud with words the steps they were taking.

Seesaw also gave me the flexibility to provide feedback through comments, or pull students to my back table and work though in real time as their exit tickets were submitted.

I also used Seesaw to implement “You Do” practice for our 95% MSRC phonics instruction. By creating a digital version of the handout, students were able to split multi-syllable pseudowords, mark syllable types, and record themselves reading for me to review. This allowed our classroom to be more efficient, as students no longer had to wait long stretches for me to come listen to them read.

I also used Seesaw as a data collection tool. By adding the district’s power standards to my Seesaw classroom, I was able to link a standard to every activity. Once activities were submitted and reviewed by me, the data would automatically be inserted into the progress section. From here I could look at data by student or standard. I often used this data to create micro-groups within my Seesaw classroom for enrichment and intervention activities.

Check out some student work examples below!

Another technology tool I used daily in my classroom was Boom Cards. Boom Cards is an app or website students can complete digital task cards on. In my classroom I used decks found in the online library, and also created my own.

My students used Boom Cards as part of the intervention independent rotations and as early finisher work.

By creating my own decks, I was able to hone in on the skills my students needed to practice on. Boom Cards also gave me the flexibility to decide between assigning decks to the whole class or to individual student to meet their needs.

My students enjoyed using Boom Cards because it gamified their learning. Giving them point to spend on avatars based off of completing decks and accuracy.

Creating my own decks also gave me the opportunity to make them more engaging than paper-pencil decks.

Some of my students' favorite decks were:

Ice Cream Truck Place Value
Mystery Picture Reveals
Fraction Escape House

Try out some of my self-published decks below!

Fraction Escape House

MSRC Syllable Division

Midwest States & Capitals

Adding Fractions

Adobe

Spark Video

For a social studies research project, my students used the Adobe Spark app to create and present information about Kansas.

The Adobe Spark app enabled students to insert pictures, music, transitions, and audio recordings to create their final project.

Students used the Kansas Then and Now publication to conduct their research. Students imported this publication to their iBooks library via AirDrop from me so they could view the colored copy.

Our research lasted several days and followed a gradual release model. Students worked with their partners to write a script, pick images, and choose a speaker for each section. Students then recorded and formatted their projects.

When all projects were completed, we presented them to the class and posted them to Seesaw for parents to view.

Kansas Then and Now[8226].pdf

Kansas Then and Now Video Project Script.pdf

Check out some final projects below!

Apple

Keynote

Tour of the Southwest Project

Tour of Southwest 2.pdf

One project my students made in Keynote was a "Tour of the Southwest". This project paired with our 4th grade social studies curriculum centered around regions of the United States.

Using a Keynote template I created and AirDropped to them, students recorded information about different sites in the Southwest region. While some students chose to keep the original template style, many spent time exploring Keynote to add unique transitions, backgrounds, and more in their final project!

This project followed a gradual release model. For the first few slides, I used AirPlay and the Apple TV in my classroom to share my iPad screen with students. I modeled how to pull important facts from the text and how to use Keynote's features.

My favorite part of this project is the final slide where students used a "green screen" and the background eraser tool to insert themselves into their favorite place from the tour.

When students finished, we exported their Keynotes as videos in order to post to Seesaw.

Check out some final projects below!

Student Led Conference

Another way I used Keynote in my classroom was for student led conferences each year.

Using a template I created and AirDropped to them, students created a presentation about how the school year was going to present to their parents during conferences. The conference template included various spots for text, images, and videos.

This was a great tool during COVID, when many conferences were held via Zoom as I could still share all the information in real time with parents.

I frequently used NearPod in my classroom to make whole group lessons more engaging. I most often used this tool during social studies for our tours of different regions. NearPod enabled me to insert virtual reality experiences of the different stops on our tours. This enabled my students to have a stronger understanding of these places, that they would not have gotten from the pages of their textbooks.

Another way I frequently used NearPod was to accommodate to students who needed or greatly benefited from having tests and quizzes read aloud. Using NearPod, I recorded myself reading questions and stems for tests and allowed all students the opportunity to use it. I found utilizing this tool this way not only supported my struggling readers but helped ease some of the social anxiety some were feeling and expressing to me about how their peers viewed them when being pulled to the back table.

Another app I used in my classroom was epic!. This is a commonly used app, however I used it in a highly structured way. During free reading time, students were able to read anything from epic's large selection of books. During structured reading times and part of intervention rotations students read from collections I had curated and assigned. These collections changed frequently to match topics we were covering. I found that by giving this structure, students were able to be more productive during indepentdent time and build stronger background knowledge.

Check out some book collections below!

Song for a Whale (Read-Aloud)

Natural Hazards

Wagons Westward!

Greek Mythology

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