Emily is a 5th-grade teacher who uses TeacherMade to provide instant feedback to her students. TeacherMade has changed the game on how she assigns activities to students. Once she uploads and creates an activity, TeacherMade basically does the rest.

How do you use TeacherMade to transition from paper to digital assignments?

One approach that might help you transition from paper copies to TeacherMade is scanning the documents you already use on your computer. Once the document is on your computer, you can upload it into TeacherMade and convert it to a digital worksheet. Personally, I know that scanned documents don't always turn out the best, but it's a start. Most of the time, when I have a paper copy, I am able to find it via curriculum or a Google search. 

How do you use TeacherMade with your district-provided curriculum?

Many curriculums provide an online or PDF version of activities nowadays. I think one of the most efficient ways to use TeacherMade is to use it alongside the curriculum you already have. I do this frequently with my reading curriculum. I download the worksheet, assessment, or whatever I'm looking for and then upload it into TeacherMade. Now, you can use all of the tools TeacherMade offers to make your activity digital while still using your district-provided curriculum.

Where do you find ideas for classroom activities?

If the curriculum is not quite what I'm looking for, I head to Google. A few websites I like to use to look for resources are Teachers Pay Teachers, Super Teacher Worksheets, Math Worksheets 4 Kids, Math-Drills, and K5 Learning. There are MANY websites and resources out there. Many are free, and some require some sort of payment, whether it has a one-time fee or a subscription. We all know that teachers are not made of money, so the closer to $0, the better. You may have to spend a little more time to find that right worksheet for it to be free, but your wallet may thank you later, and it's one more thing to pat yourself on the back for! Once I've found the worksheet I'm looking for, I download it and then upload it to TeacherMade.

What is your process for loading assignments into TeacherMade?

If Google doesn't have what I'm looking for, I'm doomed. Kidding! Don't get me wrong, there are tons of resources available, but sometimes it's not exactly what I'm looking for. If this happens, I head to Google Docs and start creating. Once I've found the worksheet I'm looking for, or I'm done with creating my own worksheet, I download it to my computer. If it's a paper copy, I head to the copier to scan and email it to myself, then download it to my computer from my email. Once the file is downloaded to the computer, the next step is to upload it into TeacherMade by clicking "New Worksheet." After it is uploaded to TeacherMade, I can make it digital in a matter of minutes. I can embed multimedia, use the Color Block tool to customize the worksheet, and even make it auto-graded if I choose!

How do you use TeacherMade to give students immediate feedback on assignments?

When you are assigning your activity, TeacherMade has the option to show students their score and information when they turn it in. Students benefit from this immediate feedback. TeacherMade also has the option to show students what questions are correct and incorrect. I love this option for homework. This gives the students a chance to self-correct by reopening their assignment and fixing their answers. There's even an option where the correct answer appears if students hover over an incorrect answer. This option would work for any assessment. The level of choice and delivery within TeacherMade is one of the number one reasons why TeacherMade truly works for any stage of teaching that you are on (practice, assessment, etc.).

How do you use TeacherMade to stay organized and share assignments with other teachers?

From a teacher's standpoint, TeacherMade has helped me stay organized. I have saved every TeacherMade link to reuse for future use. Once you've made a worksheet in TeacherMade, you are able to come back to that same worksheet and reuse it by making a copy of it, or you can tweak it to improve for future use as well. I can use my prep time more wisely by not worrying about having enough copies or whether the copier will magically work without any paper jams. TeacherMade makes it easy to share and collaborate with my teammates, observe my students' progress, and grade assessments. Once your worksheet is complete and assigned in TeacherMade, TeacherMade practically does the rest for you.

TeacherMade does the heavy lifting once you've created your assignment. Auto-grading, organization, collaboration, and saving time are all benefits of using TeacherMade's digital assignments.