No, not Bottle, BODDLE!

We have a pretty well organized method for ensuring technology tools don't get overused from year to year. This means that each grade band (or community, as we call them) has their own set of core tools, in addition to the tools that span all grade levels.

Some of the school-wide tools include Epic, Flipgrid, and Scratch.

When it comes to math, we are very deliberate in our choices.

Third and fourth grade have been using and loving Freckle as their math supplement tool. They've had it for a few years and it meets their needs well, in addition to engaging the students!

Fifth and Sixth grade use iReady, and a combination of XtraMath and games in general.

Seventh and Eighth grade use IXL for math practice, and have for years. 

We've always been lacking something for our K-2 kiddos, though. We've tried a few platforms here and there, but nothing stuck.

Until Boddle, that is.

Now, I may be jumping ahead (so I'll do a follow up post later on) because we've only been in Boddle land for the past month, but the response is that of looking into puppy dog eyes... yep, we're talking love. The kids love it. The teachers love how engaged the kids are. And I love how simple it is to look at the student practice reports to know how much the kids have played, their progress, and even more importantly, the target areas where there are learning gaps.

The set-up was super simple thanks to Google Classroom integration, and after a sticky first day helping the kids login, everyone was up and running. While Boddle is geared toward K-6, I think K-2 is the sweet spot. The adaptability makes it something the kids can work on independently. Even better, since our K-2 kids are on iPads, the built-in drawing tool on Boddle allows the students to work out a problem directly on screen (and if they're stuck, there's a teaching video right there, too!)

Best of all, Boddle's customer service is truly unsurpassed. They are responsive to teacher requests and constantly updating their platform. Additionally, when I ran into a hiccup last week, I tweeted a question to the Boddle team and got a response in under a minute! Then they even followed up a short while later to make sure everything was working!

Currently, Boddle is free, I do hope it stays that way, at least for teachers! Paid or free, this is definitely a tool to consider adding to your technology toolbox!

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