Boom cards are the perfect solution for students working independently with technology! These are self-grading, digital task cards. There are a number of free decks available, but you can also create your own decks (with a premium membership) or purchase pre-made decks to fit your needs.
You might be wondering… what makes Boom Learning any different than the other platforms out there?
Most digital tools developed for students have their merits (although some could definitely use some work!). Here are ten reasons – in no particular order – you may want to consider Boom Cards for your students.
Benefits of Boom Cards
No Prep Resources
Boom Cards are truly no-prep. There is no printing, cutting, laminating, etc. All you need to do is find the deck(s) you want to use and assign them to your students. As a bonus, that means you are being less wasteful with paper!
Visually Appealing
Since these cards are used on devices and no printing is required, the activities have the opportunity to be visually appealing. You can use full color and not have to worry about running out of ink!
Give Immediate Feedback
The activities on Boom Learning on self-checking, so your students get immediate feedback as they are working through the decks. As students are completing the decks, if their answer is correct there will be a ding before they advance to the next card. If their answer is incorrect, it will give them an opportunity to answer again.
Self-Grading
Just as students can see if their answers are correct or incorrect, you can see the student’s responses in the reports section. This does require a paid account.
Student Reports
With a paid account, you have access to reports on the decks your students have completed. To look at the reports, you navigate to the Reports tab at the top of the screen, select your class, and select the deck(s) you want to look at that. Here you can see all students that have completed the decks in question and get access to data on several metrics.
Variety of Uses
Boom Cards are a great tool for morning work, centers, tutoring, small groups, whole group, assessments, and exit tickets. Basically, Boom Cards have the potential to be used at any point during your day!
Great for Differentiation
When you create a class on Boom Learning, you get to choose which decks get assigned to each student. That means you can easily personalize the practice or assessments your students are working on. Some authors offer multiple levels or styles of the same concept to make things easier for you. However, you can create your own decks too! This way you are meeting your specific needs.
Utilize Different Question Types
Whether you are creating the deck yourself or purchasing a deck from another teacher, there are several ways questions can be presented to your students. Decks can utilize buttons, multiple choice text, multiple choice images, drag and drop, or fill in the blank answers. You’ll even find that some teachers have come up with creative solutions to create digital puzzles or digital color by code activities using the Boom platform!
Pair with Learning Management Systems
Boom Cards can be used with Google Classroom, Schoology, SeeSaw, Canvas, Moodle, Powerschool, Class Dojo, Microsoft Teams, and more.
Works on Multiple Devices
Boom cards can be used in internet browsers on a laptop or desktop and through the Boom app on compatible devices from the App Store (iPad or iPhone), Google Play (Chromebooks and Android tablets), or Kindle Fire App (Kindle Fire 2014 or later).
Some users have been able to utilize Boom on their interactive white boards as long as they have access to an HTML5 browser.
You can also use the cards over Zoom or similar services.
If you’re a new user, you can use my referral link to receive a 10% discount on individual subscriptions. So, what are you waiting for? Hop on over to Boom Learning, set-up a new account, and explore the free decks to get a better feel for the platform. I may earn a referral prize when you use my discount.
Creation Castle
Heather is the author of Creation Castle. She has experience with general education, special education, and ESL students in kindergarten through fifth grade. She specializes in early elementary math and literacy, as well as organization.
