Digital choice boards are a great addition to any primary classroom. I have used choice boards since my first year of teaching, but my use of them has grown over the years. I will share why digital choice boards are a new favourite in my class!
What are Digital Choice Boards?
A digital choice board is a virtual page where there are different kinds of tasks for students to choose and complete. Many digital choice boards are one page or slide. When someone clicks on a selection, some open up an activity or task that is linked to a Google Drive or other Cloud source. Some digital choice boards may include links to websites with activities. An example of a digital choice board is a Bitmoji Classroom. My students and I enjoyed using these this year, too!
Choice Boards: My Early Years
I always like to give my students choice in activities whenever possible. In my early years of teaching, I enjoyed purchasing and using various books that included monthly calendars. These calendars would have hands-on activities that students could complete at home. It was a great opportunity for students to work on something together with their family at home. Students especially loved the fact that they could choose their own activity at any point of the month. I still enjoy using monthly calendars today.
As the years went by, I decided to create my own calendars and input specific tasks that connected to what I was teaching in class. I would make them, then print a copy for each student to take home. This printed choice board gave parents a greater sense of what we were working on specifically in class. It made the learning more relevant and gave opportunities for review at home. To this day, I still enjoy using and creating these types of calendars.
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A variation on the calendar format also included making either 2×2 or 3×3 boxes on a paper. Each box would contain a task and students would choose a minimum number of tasks to complete by the end of the week. For example, “There are 9 activities. Choose 6 activities and complete before Friday.”
Using such monthly calendars (purchased or made by me) have always been useful and successful in my classroom over the years. They did get a new look for me, however, after teaching changed so much as of recently.
When Did Digital Choice Boards Capture My Interest?
Over the last year, teaching has been a whirlwind to say the least. Teachers all over can relate to the same! Here is a quick description of my teaching experience last year:
- September to December 2020: In-person teaching
- January to Late-February 2021: Distance learning
- Late-February to Early April 2021: In-person teaching
- Mid-April to June 2021: Distance learning
With so many changes and adjustments throughout the year, it pushed me to make intentional changes in my teaching. I still needed to cover material while keeping students engaged (as much as possible in this unique pandemic situation). I still also needed to make sure that activities were relevant and purposeful. It was during the first segment of distance learning that I decided to explore creating simple, digital choice boards. Doing so meant that I could still give my students the opportunity to make choices in their learning while using our virtual classroom.
Picture Book about Making Choices: No, David! (Author: David Shannon)
After trying it out for just a few days, I saw that they were engaged and enjoyed the fact that they got to choose an activity on their own terms. Some even said that it felt like they were “playing a game” on the computer or iPad. Once I heard that, I told myself, “Digital choice boards for the win!”
How Can You Use Them In Your Classroom?
There are so many ways to use digital choice boards in your classroom! I have personally used them in the following ways:
- Distance Learning: I prepared one for each day and posted it in my virtual classroom. Students were always eager to see what would be on the choice board each day (and disappointed the few times I didn’t remember to include it). They would use them during Independent Work Time as I worked with small groups.
- In-Person Tasks: Projecting a choice board on the classroom wall also works well, too! I would introduce the choices to students, then individually ask each one to share their choice. It was empowering for them and I saw greater engagement in the task they selected.
- Homework / Review: Digital choice boards can also help students consolidate their learning in class. Adding specific tasks or information on the digital choice board helps students and families review key information. This is a great way to link to resources that can help students build upon their current learning, as well as review what we worked on during class time.
What Kinds of Information Can You Put on a Digital Choice Board?
Here are the types of information I have personally included on my choice boards:
- Subject-Specific: I have made digital choice boards before that focus only on Math (e.g., various strands or even just a single strand of Math, like Number Sense or Measurement). This works well in any subject area: Science, Language, Social Studies, etc.
- Weekly Reviews: Parents really like these type of choice boards because it gives them a chance to quickly see what our class worked on during the week. It naturally includes a mixture of subjects and/or topics.
- Talk About It: One key aspect that I have purposely included in my digital choice boards is the importance of talking. There is great value in writing, drawing, and more, yet there is so much power in simply talking about one’s learning with someone else. When a child can talk about their understanding and share it with their family, it opens an opportunity for deeper conversation, chances to strengthen comprehension of the topic, create more interest, etc.
…(T)here is so much power in simply talking about one’s learning with someone else.
Benefits of Using These Types of Resources
Here are just a few benefits from my experience:
- They are Paperless! Save photocopy paper. Since they are digital, once prepared for use, they can be posted in your virtual classroom (or projected on your classroom screen in-person).
- Time Saver: Every moment counts during the school day. I have saved some precious time by avoiding the use of the photocopier and simply using the digital file. If you choose to purchase ready-made Digital Choice Boards, that is also another way to save some time in your day.
- They are editable. If you make your own choice boards, then you can adjust them as needed. Some of the ones I have available in my Teachers Pay Teachers shop are editable. This means that you can use the ready-made board with your students, and can also make changes to the text if needed.
Summary
Digital Choice Boards are helpful tools for learning in the primary classroom. They are especially wonderful because students have the ability to choose activities. They can be engaging and even feel like a “game” as some of my students described this year. Ready-made digital choice boards are an additional time-saver because they are ready to use and post in your Virtual Classroom.
If you have yet to use digital choice boards in your Kindergarten, Grade 1, or Grade 2 classroom, consider trying out one available in the Minds to Grow store on Teachers Pay Teachers. I hope they can be a fun addition to your classroom, too!
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