This past year we had to stock up on digital resources for virtual learning. Before that, some of us rarely utilized digital resources in our classrooms. It’s safe to say we are all experts on all things virtual learning, am I right? But in all seriousness, now that we are back in the classrooms, we don’t necessarily have to abandon all those resources we purchased or created.
I know I am super super excited to be back in the classrooms with my kiddos but I will tell you that I have found so many ways to continue using digital resources with my students. I want to share with you a few of my personal favorite ways to use these resources in my first grade classroom. Hopefully, it will give you a few ideas to use yours.
When to Use Digital Resources
I’m sure many of you were ready to get back into the classrooms and ditch all those digital resources. Trust me, and I had the same thought for about a minute until I actually realized how helpful they could be. They can be used during whole group, small groups, independent work, and more!
I am a big fan of using digital resources during whole group time, it’s an excellent way to keep everyone engaged, and it requires no prep. Technology in the Classroom allows students to engage with the learning objectives actively. Boom Cards are one of my favorite ways to incorporate technology into my whole group time. It’s also highly beneficial to auditory and visual learners.
When working with small groups, I need to make sure that my centers are running smoothly and the class isn’t going crazy behind me. Using digital resources for centers is a great way to ensure my students are engaged and learning and that centers are running without my help.
Using activities like interactive math, guided reading books, and decodable passages are great ways to get your students set up on computers or iPads to ensure they are on-task and learning. Let’s face it, our students are way more engaged with technology, and I truly believe in a healthy mix of hands-on activities, but also digital resources are beneficial for both my students and me. I love that I can quickly assign an activity during a math rotation that I know my students will engage in.
Independent work has been one of the best ways to utilize the large amount of resources I have accumulated this past year. And, honestly, I never pegged myself to be super savvy with technology but boy, have I proved myself wrong. Technology is one of the best and most effective ways of differentiating work for my students. Using digital resources allows you to send out the same activity or assignment but at various levels.
Parents often talk about limiting screen time and the importance of shutting the screens off, which I am entirely on board with. But what if there was a way to tie homework into screen time…sounds like a win-win. I have found a ton of value in assigning digital homework. It can avoid the “my dog ate it” or thousand other excuses we hear for missing homework!
I always laugh when I see that meme about how planning for a sub is worse than being sick because it’s so true. The dreaded sub plans and making sure you have everything, so your sub is prepared is the absolute worst. But, with digital resources, you can easily assign your students their work on Google Classroom or plan activities that require no printing or prep for your substitute teacher. Plus, one of my favorite parts of digital resources is their self-checking ability which makes it SUPER easy for subs!
Digital resources simply increase active engagement in any lesson, whether they are working independently or with their peers. It also helps students with all different learning abilities to retain information. Using digital resources allows students to work at their pace. As the years go on, technology keeps getting more advanced, so our young students must use and understand technology differently. Don’t be afraid to implement the extensive collection of digital resources you have in all different ways!
We can use so many different platforms in the classroom, from Kahoot to YouTube to Seesaw to Google Classroom. Technology has always been a part of the classrooms, but after this past year, technology has changed the education system, and it has forced some of us to implement technology in ways we would have never thought of. I am still a huge believer in hands-on, engaging activities that get my students moving, but I also value using digital resources with my students. It also allows my students to have access to more school work at home, or let’s face it, when we have a student that has to quarantine, technology can be our best friend!
