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Megan Lutie, a second-grade teacher, discusses two technology platforms she uses in her classroom. Blookit is a trivia-based platform where teachers create question sets for students to answer on their devices. It can be used for review or introducing new material. Flipgrid allows students to interact with each other through video responses. They can record their answers multiple times and have more time to think and express themselves. Both platforms are engaging and help students feel more comfortable participating. Hi, thank you for having me. My name is Megan Lutie. I am a second grade teacher and I'm going on my ninth year of teaching. I'm going to add on to the discussion about technology in the classroom. One of my students' favorite websites to be on is Blookit. Blookit is a great review platform for students. Not only can you use this as a review, but it can also be a fun way to introduce new materials. Blookit is a trivia-based platform that allows teachers to have a higher classroom engagement. It can be for all grade levels starting with kindergarten. Blookit is a gamified learning platform where teachers host games through question sets and students answer on their own devices. Only a teacher needs an account. Students can join by typing in the game ID where they will get a randomized name for the game such as Cool Cat. It is extremely easy for students to access even from home. Students can use it as a study guide before a test. So if you heard of Kahoot, it is very similar to that. As a teacher, you can create your own set of questions based on the standards you have taught within any subject such as reading, math, or science. In second grade, mastery of math facts is extremely important. So I love doing a warm-up with math facts at the beginning of math class. Blookit can be completed individually or you can have teams. There are different game formats to choose from, for example, an animal race. The students compete against each other to see who can get the correct answer in the set amount of time that the teacher has set. I love having the screen displayed for the students to see where they are at. The students get so into it and beg to do it again. I love having it displayed because it does not show their real name and each round they get a new randomized name so no one will know who is what unless they feel comfortable to share. When the set time is done, the screen will show the top three places. As a teacher, it will show me what questions were answered correctly and which were answered wrong. It is a great tool as I can see if I need to move on because they have mastered it or if there is a certain part I need to go back and reteach. So if you have not tried Blookit, I highly recommend it. Another platform I love to use in the classroom is Flipgrid. Students can interact with each other by using videos as their primary tool. Through the app, students can record their answers as many times as they need. They can post their response whenever they feel like it. This provides the students more time to give his or her thoughts on the discussion in the classroom. Although Flipgrid can be used for individual posts, it is ideal for group activities as well. I know my students love being able to work as a group when using this app. In second grade, students may be shy to talk in front of their classmates. In fact, I am sure most students no matter what grade get anxious to speak in front of their peers. With Flipgrid, the students can feel more comfortable talking to their device which can relieve some of the pressure that they feel when they are live in the classroom. It also lets them express themselves through their response and show their creativity. Before students post the video, students can try out various editing techniques. They can use emojis and text to add visual effects to their video. I hope you try this app and thank you for having me.
