Boom Cards and Google Slides are quite popular with teachers. Both platforms helped teachers transition into distance learning during the pandemic. so you may be wondering which platform should you use with your students. Google Slides vs. Boom Cards – which is better?
My answer is both! It really depends on how you want to use the technology. I’ll break it all down for you so you can decide for yourself if Google Slides or Boom Cards are right for you.
What are Boom Cards?
Boom Cards are self-checking digital task cards. Essentially they are the digital version of the paper task cards you already assign to your students. Digital task cards can be on different platforms. Boom Cards are hosted at Boom Learning.
- Boom Cards are inexpensive.
- They are easy to assign to students.
- Boom Cards are self-checking.
Why Boom Cards Are Better?
Self-Checking
The best feature of Boom Cards is they are self-checking. Students know right away if they are getting the answers correct. This is huge! I hate when students complete a whole page of math problems and then get them all wrong. They spend the entire time reinforcing bad habits and misconceptions.
Data
Boom Learning will track student progress with a paid membership. This features allows you to view reports and measure growth over time. You can even use this data to take grades on assignments.
How I Use Boom Cards
Whole-Class practice
Sometimes I use Boom Cards for whole-group practice. This is beneficial because we can have class discussions about the problems. We can discuss correct answers and talk about why certain answers are incorrect. This can be done with a free Boom Learning membership.
Independent Practice
Most of the time I use Boom Cards for student practice. I like to make sure my students really understand a concept before I take a grade on that skill. As they work on Boom Cards, I walk around the room and monitor their progress. This allows me to help students who are having trouble so they do not continue to reinforce misconceptions. For this reason, Boom Cards have been a game changer for me!
What You Need to Know About Boom Cards
Boom Cards are a great tool for math classrooms, but there are some things you need to be aware of. There are many free decks of Boom Cards available on the Boom Learning website. However, most decks of task cards will need to be purchased. The prices are quite reasonable. I have a FREE set of Boom Cards for you to try out.
Boom Memberships
If you plan to use Boom Cards with your students, you will need a membership. Starter memberships are free and there is a lot you can do with a free account. However, if you want to have more flexibility and track student progress, you will need to upgrade your membership. Boom memberships are very reasonably priced.
What Are Google Slides?
Google Slides is an online presentation app that is similar to PowerPoint.
Why Google Slides Are Better?
Traditionally Google Slides have been used for presentations. However, teachers have “hacked” Google Slides and turned them into an amazing interactive tool.
Moveable pieces
The #1 best thing about Google Slides is the ability to make the activities interactive. By having students work in edit mode, textboxes, shapes, and images are moveable. This opens up so many opportunities for student engagement that you don’t get with traditional pencil and paper activities.
Assigning Google Slides Activities
Google Slides activities are easy to assign in Google Classroom. Benefits of assigning Google Slides through Google Classroom:
- each student can get their own copy
- you can digitally view student work while they are working on the activity
- assignments are in one convenient location
- Google Slides is a free platform
If you don’t want to use Google Classroom, that’s okay. There are other ways of assigning Google Slides to your class. I’ll have more information about your other options in a later post.
How I Use Google Slides in My Classroom
Google Slides activities can be used in many ways. Because they are interactive, I prefer to use these activities for guided practice or when I don’t have enough manipulatives for the entire class. Creating your own math manipulatives in Google Slides is easy and inexpensive.
What You Need to Know About Google Slides
Cost
Using and creating Google Slides is free and easy. However, sometimes it is just easier to buy digital activities that have already been made. You can find many ready made activities on Teacher Pay Teachers.
Grading
Google Slides are easy to grade, but they are not self-grading. Grading these types of activities is similar to grading worksheets. If you are departmentalized and have a lot of students, grading Google Slides could be time consuming.
Which should you use with your students?
Google Slides vs Boom Cards – which is better? It really depends on how you want to use technology with your students. I use both, but for very different reasons.
Do you use Google Slides or Boom Cards in your class? Which platform do you prefer? I would love to hear your thoughts.
