Learn how Elizabeth uses TeacherMade's easy-to-use technology in her classroom. She'll walk you through setting up your TeacherMade account and creating your first worksheet.

How does TeacherMade's easy-to-use technology help you streamline your workload and save time?

Starting something new in your classroom always causes a little bit of anxiety – no matter how big or small. Using technology might seem overwhelming, but it can better prepare your students, streamline your workload, and save you tons of time in the long run! The pros outweigh the cons at this point in the tech game. If you are scared of "messing something up," long gone are the days of the wrong click deleting everything. Almost all programs now will back up your work or give you the option to "undo" what you just did. Don't let being nervous steer you away from using amazing technology that can really help you and your students. 

One of the best websites that has changed my whole classroom for the better is TeacherMade. It is a site where you can upload any scanned paper copy and make it into a digital worksheet. You can change any paper/pencil assignment to an online version where students can select multiple choice buttons (and many other question types), which can then get graded automatically! You save time not having to make copies, AND it grades itself. Imagine how much time and paper you will have!

How easy is it to sign-up for TeacherMade?

You'll first want to go to the TeacherMade main page to create your own account so you can save anything you make, use it again, and assign it to students. You will click "Sign Up Here" on the main page and then fill in the required information, including your email address, name, and password. I would suggest using your school email address so it will be easy to integrate with any other technology your school uses. If your district uses Google products like Gmail, Google Docs, and Google Classroom, you can create your account by clicking Register with Google. As a registered user, you can also connect personal email addresses to the account, so you will have access to anything you make even if you leave that district and no longer use the email you registered with. 

How to create your first worksheet on the TeacherMade app

Once you have your own account, start with a simple assignment. Click "New Worksheet" at the top of the page, and you will be prompted to either upload a file or start blank. In my experience, the easiest way to begin is to upload a file of something you regularly use. If you only have it in paper format, most copiers can now scan and send a digital copy to your email as a PDF. There are phone apps too that use the camera to scan and turn the photo into a digital file! It sounds complicated, but once you practice a few times, you'll get the hang of it. Now that you have a PDF – or any other digital file including JPG, PNG, GIF, or DOCX – you can upload it and begin customizing your digital worksheet that students will see.

How did you learn to use TeacherMade to make assignments? 

Before you begin creating your own assignment, if you'd like to get familiar with the whole page, go to the menu bar and click "Help" and then "Guided Tour," and the website will explain each part to you and a little about how it works! I suggest clicking through to learn the basic names and where to find things. It is always there, so refer to it when you can't find something. It is a little overwhelming to see everything all at once – don't stress. I will explain the basics of what you need to get started. A lot of the other features I didn't use until I was comfortable creating a few assignments of my own. Don't give up. Think of what you tell your students when they are learning something new! Just keep practicing and use the tools given to help you. At first, it might take some time, but you will get faster. 

Simple steps to creating your first TeacherMade assignment

At the top of the page, the first thing you should do is rename the worksheet. Click the pen icon to edit the name and add a description. This will help you find it later and is the name of the assignment that students will see, so keep it clear and concise, so you know exactly what it is. Everything on this screen will save automatically. There is no save button, so feel confident that anything you work on will be there even if you accidentally close the page. Next, you will want to insert ways for students to respond or answer on the digital worksheet. Multiple choice is one of the easiest question tools to use, and set correct answers that can be graded. 

How to set up a multiple choice question in TeacherMade

If your assignment already has multiple choice questions that students circle with a pencil, all you have to do is overlay choice bubbles for students to click instead. To add them, click the plus icon that says "Insert," or you can click on the document where you want to add something. When the menu pops up, click "Multiple Choice" to add it to your document. The toolbar at the top also has text to prompt you on what to do next if you click on something and aren't sure. Now you can resize the bubbles to cover the bubbles already on the sheet. The default is four answer choices; however, you can change that to be anywhere from 2 to 8 answer bubbles. You can leave the bubbles blank or add letters inside like ABCD or FGHJ, whatever suits your needs. To set the correct answer, double click in the bubble, and it will be given a scoring point of 1. You can choose "Do Not Score" or anywhere from 1 to 10 points in the toolbar. Each separate set of bubbles can have different point values, and the grade will be calculated as a percentage of the total points in the whole assignment. Continue inserting as many multiple choice options as you need.

What question types does TeacherMade support?

At this time, there are 9 question types which is a lot for someone just starting out. If your worksheet has other question types, you can include as many different ones as you need. For example, if there are lines for students to write an answer in, you would want to choose "short answer" or "open answer" for students to type. The short answer field will be used if you want to set a correct answer. Open answer is used for longer responses that would be scored manually or not scored at all. I suggest trying out the question types I mentioned first since they are the most common and simplest to insert. 

What are some of the other TeacherMade features that make it easy to create a digital worksheet?

Now that you have all the places where students will be responding, you are done creating a digital worksheet! You can also add many other features as the teacher, like audio recording yourself, adding images, links, or Teacher text boxes to type instructions. Those will all be things you can try out once you get the basics down (or right away if you're excited). One of the great things about the website is that almost everything you click on has explanation text and only takes a few steps before it's a part of your document. Also, you can click "Help" and the Guided Tour at any time in the menu bar.

How to review, preview, and edit worksheets in TeacherMade?

Before you assign the document you just made, the last thing to do is to preview it as your students will see it. Click on "View" and then "Preview" or the leftmost icon of an eye inside a screen. Previewing is super helpful to catch any mistakes or anything you missed. This isn't the last time you can change things, though, so if you catch something later, you can edit the assignment again at any time. Once you assign it, though, if you make any changes to the original document, the students will not see it. So once you preview it and it looks good, you are ready to assign it!

You will need to exit the editor app, so click "File" and "Close." Here you can preview it again or go right back to edit the content if you need to change anything. At the bottom of the page is where you will find the "Create an Assignment" button. Once you click it, you can edit the assignment name in case you want to include the class period, section number, or anything else that will help you stay organized. 

How do you share TeacherMade assignments with students?

Then it is time to select how you will deliver it. Choosing delivery with TeacherMade creates a link you can share directly with your students. You could post it anywhere you send students things to click on, like Google Classroom or any other learning management system. If you are using the PRO version, you can link your TeacherMade account directly to Google Classroom, Canvas, or Schoology, and it will also sync with the grade book. If you link one of those programs, assigning becomes even easier because TeacherMade will post it straight to your students through the selected platform.

What advice can you give to Teachers when getting started with TeacherMade?

The biggest tip when starting your class is to take it slow. If you can project your screen, show them everything you want them to do before you even let them touch the computer. That way, they can see the big picture. Then you will want to go back through each direction step by step, showing them visually as you do it too. If you are nervous about how it will all work, tell students you are learning something new with them and keep the assignment low stakes. Practice using the TeacherMade site and its features for the first few times you assign something. It will take some practice to get used to everything, so don't give up! In no time, you will be preparing your students for the digital age, streamlining your workload, and saving yourself tons of time!

TeacherMade has easy-to-use features that let Teachers create digital, interactive worksheets in minutes. TeacherMade supports 9 question types to help you turn any of your current worksheets into digital activities for your students. Get started today to learn how TeacherMade can help save you time and streamline your workload.