Teachers have always shared resources, now more than ever. Teacher-to-teacher sharing is under threat from a surprising source: schools that want teachers to print and copy less and use devices more. Boom Learning bridges the gap between school and teacher needs.
“Boom allows teachers to access a growing and varied collection of teacher-created content for those devices, or to create their own,” says Boom Learning advisor and former teacher Rachel Lynette. Teachers can sell what they make, augmenting their pay.
Boom Learning allows teachers to create and deploy classroom-ready resources in less than an hour. For students with unique needs, “it provides a tool to make customized decks,” says Della Larsen.
“Boom Learning is really a win-win for everyone. Teachers save time, paper, ink, and other resources. Students interact with educational content in a meaningful and motivating way,” says Lynette.
Boom Learning has exceeded Lynette’s expectations. “Boom allows teachers to unleash their design talent. I love how teachers are finding new ways to use the tools, and how the platform is evolving with their suggestions.”
Resource sharing among secondary teachers has lagged compared to sharing among primary teachers. Michele Luck, who makes Social Studies resources for secondary educators, says: “Secondary teachers need online, interactive resources that they can trust to provide quality content and rigor without having to worry about Internet risks or wasted student time.” Boom Learning meets that need.
According to Alessa Giampaolo Keener, M.Ed., an educational consultant with Hand in Hand Education, “Homeschoolers are another group who can appreciate the appeal of Boom Learning.” In addition to citing the time and cost savings it offers, Keener says part of its appeal is that “Boom Learning’s learning management system provides families with objective measures of student learning.”
Boom Learning reinforces standards and skills and saves teachers time. Mercedes Hutchens, who creates for the primary school market, says “it makes students start over when they just keep clicking wrong answers to find the right one and it keeps that data so the teacher can see what the student was doing.” According to Secondary Science Teacher-Author Kristin Lee, “Boom Learning provides a level of reporting, differentiating, and self-grading that has the potential to save a teacher hours of data organizing.”
With its launch this August, teachers heading back to school have a new source for finding teacher-made interactive teaching resources.
