Ms. Amanda teaches in middle school in Oklahoma. The pandemic caused her to have to use technology more. Now that she's back in the classroom, she still does. Ms. Amanda uses her favorite ed tech, TeacherMade, every day.

How can TeacherMade help Teachers get out of their technology comfort zone?

Not everyone understands technology, so I'm here to help. TeacherMade will change how your mind thinks about "new technology." TeacherMade will save you paper, time, and energy when it comes to assignments and grading. Let's take this step by step.

TeacherMade turns paper worksheets into digital, interactive assignments

Let's summarize what TeacherMade does and how it helps teachers. I'm sure you're very used to and comfortable with paper copies in the classroom. Paper copies have been the norm for many years until recently. Technology is all around us, and it's becoming more relevant in the classroom today. TeacherMade eliminates the paper copies and delivers worksheets and assignments online. That sounds scary but stay with me. You can still use all of the worksheets and assignments you already have! How you deliver them to your students is what's going to change, and you can do it, trust me. And it's going to save your sanity. Why is this helpful for teachers? Once you've created an assignment in TeacherMade, TeacherMade practically does the grading for you! There are so many options on what you can do with TeacherMade; it's up to you how you want to use all of the great features TeacherMade has to offer. I understand how that can be overwhelming, so let's break it down.

How do you create your first worksheet in TeacherMade?

First step: Let's create a practice worksheet. Find any worksheet you have on hand and get it on your computer if it's not already. An easy first practice worksheet to create is probably a multiple-choice worksheet, but any worksheet will do. If you have a paper worksheet, scan it and email it yourself. If there's a worksheet you've found online, download it to your computer. You're ready for the next step if the file is already on your computer!

How do you add different question types to your TeacherMade assignments?

Second step: In TeacherMade, you're going to create a worksheet. You will click "New Worksheet" at the top of the screen and upload your file. Once your worksheet is in TeacherMade, you can name it at the top of the screen where it says "Untitled Worksheet." To add anything to your worksheet, click wherever you want to add a tool, and a toolbar will pop up. From there, you can add a variety of question tools (multiple choice, dropdown, short answer, etc.), math tools (algebra, fractions, number answers, etc.), and content tools (audio, teacher text, etc.). For example, if you have multiple choice questions, click a question on the worksheet where the answer choices are. A toolbar will pop up. Click "Multiple Choice." The multiple-choice bubbles will be added to your worksheet. You can edit the number of bubbles and also move and resize the bubbles to fit your answer choices. To choose a correct answer, click the bubble that is next to the actual correct answer. That dark bubble is now your answer to that question. Continue to do that until your worksheet is complete. Here's a very helpful hint: one of the best tools to use is the "Duplicate" button. This copies the tool you just used (like the multiple choice bubbles) to use repeatedly. You can access this tool by clicking "Edit," then "Duplicate." You can also accomplish this by clicking Ctrl + D on your keyboard. Continue to create your worksheet until it meets your expectations.

How do you share TeacherMade assignments with students?

Now that your worksheet is created, pat yourself on the back! That was the hardest part. Now, how do I assign this worksheet? Your worksheet will forever be saved in TeacherMade, so you can go back to it and reuse it as many times as you'd like. You can even share with colleagues and make a copy in the future if you need or want to make any changes to your worksheet. Once you click on a worksheet, there will be a blue "Create an Assignment" button. Once you click that button, there are a few steps to follow to get it created and delivered to students. If you use any of these online platforms: Google Classroom, Canvas, or Schoology, I would recommend delivering the assignment through the platform that you use at school. Now, if you don't have one of those platforms, have no fear; you can still get this assignment to your students by sharing the freshly made assignment link with them. Choose how you want to deliver your assignment to students and follow through with the few steps until it is created.

How does TeacherMade help Teachers beyond worksheets?

Once your assignment has been created, and students are working, you can see student progress, reopen or reset an assignment, give feedback, and the list goes on. I will save that for another letter. Take a deep breath in that you just created your first worksheet and then created an assignment to deliver to your students (or your make-believe students if you're just practicing). In my classroom, almost every single homework assignment and assessment are delivered from TeacherMade, and I cannot express enough how happy I am to have come across this program. TeacherMade has tons of teacher resources that support to help you further, and if you need real-time help, TeacherMade can support you with that as well!

TeacherMade is an excellent tool for teachers looking to incorporate more technology into the classroom. Create digital worksheets to save time, save paper, and get organized.