This past year, kindergarten educators have had to adapt to teaching students through technology. It was a huge learning curve for many educators, and I am amazed at what was accomplished through distance learning!

I have always loved using technology in my kindergarten classroom (when it makes sense), and I think that a lot more educators are going to be looking for ways to incorporate it into their day. When done right, leveraging tech tools can benefit students and their learning.

I have put together a (non-exhaustive) list of all the ways that I have used different technologies with my students:

Boom Cards

The Boom Cards platform allows you to assign digital task cards to your students. You can use them to reinforce a variety of skills or assess their understanding of concepts.

I have used them for years, and the FastPlay feature is my favourite since it allows me to quickly set up a centre for my students. I’ve created cards for alphabet practice, coding, math skills, and so much more!

Google Slides and Jamboard

A lot of educators had to quickly figure out a way to teach students virtually and give them hands-on practice. Google Slides and Jamboard was a great tool for both.

These can continue to be used when we go back into the classroom – we now know that our students can use them!

Coding

I have said it numerous times, but I will repeat it – I love teaching coding skills to my students! From teaching them about directional coding to using robots to using unplugged coding activities.

It is such a great way to teach students a variety of skills that they will need and can easily be incorporated into your day (like making coding stories and embedding literacy skills)

Green Screen

When my students came into the classroom and saw a green screen set up, I knew I had hit the jackpot!

You can do so many things with a green screen, but when we were learning about community helpers, my students took pictures of themselves in various backgrounds related to a job they liked (vet’s office, fire station, classroom, etc.)

I took the pictures that they had taken of themselves and made them into a book, and my students LOVED reading through it.

iPad Apps

There are so many iPad apps out there, but we have to be picky about what we use in our classroom as educators. We want to make sure that we are using ones that enhance the learning that is taking place.

I have written about my favourites in my Top 5 iPad Apps post, and I am continually looking for more apps to try out!

How do you use technology in the classroom? Let me know in the comments!