Thank you for joining me as I share my Boom Cards obsession with you! If you are here for the FREE deck, just go ahead and scroll right on down to the bottom!
In March, like so many of you, I pretty much became a virtual teacher overnight. I have to admit, it did not come easy at first. I felt completely overwhelmed and frustrated by the unknowns, the changes, and the constantly shifting expectations. Honestly, I felt a bit like I'd been thrust into a whole new career. And...I really missed those kids.
After a few weeks of working through all of that anxiety I figured out a couple of tricks, what worked and what didn't, and I can honestly say that I am embracing this unique experience. I still really do miss those kids though!
The most useful resource I discovered is, hands down, Boom Learning. It took me a little bit of exploring to figure things out, but now I absolutely LOVE using decks of Boom Cards with my students. And I fully intend to keep using them, throughout the remainder of our distance learning AND for the rest of forever in my actual classroom. Here are my top ten reasons you should be converted too!
1. They are digital.
Sending a deck of Boom Cards to your students requires no paper, no copies, no cutting, no laminating, an infinitesimal amount of prep (like clicking on 2 things), and hardly any time at all.
2. You can use them every year.
You buy a deck once (and most of them are inexpensive) and it is yours to use for the rest of forever. With every single class you have. Nothing new to prep each year...just push it out virtually to your new crop of students and you're good to go!
3. They are self-checking and give you instant data.
This one is suuuupper compelling to me. As soon as a child finishes a deck you will have access to a variety of information: how long it took them, how accurate they were, which cards they struggled with, and more! And because a deck is usually focused on one specific skill this data is very refined and just the thing you need to specifically inform your teaching of that child!
4. You can use them for FREE!
First of all, there are a lot of free decks (like the one at the bottom of this post). And any of your decks can be used with the Fast Play option, in which you will receive a link to send to your students. You won't be able to get the instant data component unless you upgrade your account, but it is a very modest fee and, in my opinion COMPLETELY worth it!
5. You can preview the actual product before you buy.
Okay, have you ever bought something on Teachers Pay Teachers, downloaded the file, and immediately regretted your purchase? I LOVE me some TPT, but occasionally it can be difficult to get an accurate idea of what your spending your hard-earned money on. With Boom Cards you can access playable previews of the first four cards for absolutely any deck your are looking into! Try a playable preview HERE.
6. Easy way to differentiate.
We've all had them. A handful of kids who just need a little extra practice in one area. Enter Boom Cards. Once you have a deck you can assign it to that group or to individuals as needed. And there are so many decks tailor-made for so many specific needs.
7. They are versatile!
Need a deck that teaches adjectives? What about ten frames? How about sink or float? You really can find almost anything you are looking for and so many decks are being added each day!
8. You can customize the decks.
You can hide cards you don't want to send to students. You can select the number of cards in play. You can require students to play multiple times, and more! Boom Learning keeps adding great features that allow you to customize and really meet the needs of your individual learners!
9. Effective use of technology in your classroom or for distance learning.
One of my teaching pet peeves is being required to demonstrate certain instructional strategies in an observed lesson...when it may not even lend itself to that lesson. Boom Cards are an effective use of technology in your physical or virtual classroom. They can be used on a variety of devices (tablets, Smartboards, etc.) and on a variety of platforms (Google Classroom, Seesaw, etc!)
10. They are engaging and FUN!
Now that I think about it, this should probably be the number ONE reason to use Boom Cards! Students absolutely LOVE them...and parents too! During this whole distance learning experience I have received wonderful feedback from parents about how much their child enjoys learning and practicing with Boom Cards. When parents, child, and teacher are all happy with something, it is something worth keeping!
