Testimonials

Cristy Friedrich

Goodyear, AZ

Cristy Friedrich
Estrella Foothills High School
Goodyear, AZ
How do you use Actively Learn in your classroom?

In-class reading and assigned reading for homework.

What problems were you experiencing in your classroom or school prior to adopting Actively Learn? 

Our school is a 1:1 school where every student has his/her own laptop, and we have really tried hard to digitize most assignments, including reading assignments.  The kids had trouble reading the text, answering the questions (which were usually at the end of the passage), and then figuring out how to turn the assignment in via Edmodo, Schoology, or OneNote. Actively Learn is fantastic because the kids can read the text, answer questions, look up unknown words, annotate, collaborate with each other, and the best part, is that once they answer a question, they do not have to worry about uploading it because it automatically goes to me for grading!

What solutions did you try to address problems in your school/classroom prior to adopting Actively Learn? 

We tried using Edmodo and a few other web programs.

How has Actively Learn helped improve your students’ learning and/or your teaching? 

Actively Learn has revolutionized our classrooms.  The kids have developed stronger reading comprehension skills, and just like the title says, it has helped them be "active" learners.  

How do you use Actively Learn with your students? What type of content do you assign? 

I mainly use Actively Learn for reading assignments, but next year, we are going to try to use the research options as well.  The kids read fiction (short stories, poetry, even novels and plays) as well as nonfiction.  I use the content that is already loaded into Actively Learn as well as texts that I find on my own that I can upload via google docs or PDF files.  I use the questions that are already provided as well as my own. 

 What advice would you have for teachers who are new to Actively Learn? 

Take your time perusing the site and see all that it has to offer!  Don't be afraid to contact the support department as they are excellent resources and will do anything to help!  Take advantage of the webinars as well, and complete the reading module that is provided so that you can see just how you should be teaching reading in your classroom.