How to Use Digital Activities in the Classroom
Now that you have stocked up on digital resources and are back in person, or maybe still teaching digitally, you might be asking yourself.. how do I use these now? Here are my 10 favorite digital activity ideas for any elementary classroom.
DIGITAL IDEA 1: WARM UP
One easy way to use digital activities every day is for your warm up. This can be your daily warm up, morning routine, or a lesson warm up. I love using digital activities because it means NO COPIES, can be assigned in advanced and is a quick check in on how students are doing with a skill.
DIGITAL IDEA 2: WHOLE GROUP GAME
Display your digital activity to your whole class. Have students take turn answering questions, have them go to a corner of the room to pick what answer they think is correct or have them close their eyes and raise their hands for what answer they think is correct. Either way, this is a great way to have students practice multiple choice questions in the classroom.
DIGITAL IDEA 3: INDEPENDENT CENTER
Students love using technology, but it is even more fun when they get to use a device. Using Google Slides or Boom Cards as centers is a great way to determine where students are in their individual learning process.
DIGITAL IDEA 4: HOMEWORK
Looking for a hassle free, copy free way to assign homework? Using Google Activities is great for homework, as long as students have access to devices at home.
DIGITAL IDEA 5: TURN & TALK
Have students practice selecting the best answer choices by having them turn and talk to a partner about the best possible answer. This give students practice TALKING about their work, and allows them to run their ideas past another student before having to answer a question out loud or commit to an answer before they are feeling fully ready.
DIGITAL IDEA 6: BUDDY WORK
Speaking of turn & talk, another great strategy for digital lessons is to let students work with a buddy to complete the assignment. This is especially helpful when students have not mastered a topic. It allows students to bounce ideas off one another and learn new strategies from each other.
DIGITAL IDEA 7: TEST REVIEW
Digital activities are great for test review because you can assign students exactly what they need. For example, if some students need to practice word problems and others need to practice adding and subtracting to 100, you have plenty of options to assign them without the hassle of keeping track of copies and grading.
DIGITAL IDEA 8: Small Group
If you have a small group of students that all needs to focus on the same skill, a digital activity can be the perfect solution. Students can either work independently or as a group to complete the task. This can either be done with the guidance of an adult or independently and then can be checked by the teacher upon completion.
DIGITAL IDEA 9: ENRICHMENT OR INTERVENTION
Are you looking for a way to catch up your struggling learners, or for a way to enrich your higher achieving students? Digital activities make great independent or small group activities that students can work on after completing or attempting the grade level activities.
DIGITAL IDEA 10: FAST FINISHER CHOICE
Looking for a way to engage your fast finishers? Using digital activities is a great way to do so without having a ton of prep beforehand. You can assign multiple assignments for a week or month, then let them pick from what is there to practice. This gives them choice while also has them still practicing important skills.
RESOURCES FOR YOU:
If you are looking for great digital resources that can be assigned to try these 10 digital ideas, you can check out my BOOM Learning Bundle or Google Slides Bundle. Every deck pictured is also available individually.
If you are not familiar with BOOM Learning, please hop over to my blog to read more about why every teacher should be using Boom Cards in their classroom!
What is your favorite way to use digital activities in your classroom? Drop it in the comments below!