Assigning, Un-Assigning, and Playing Boom Cards

 

Not sure how to get Boom Cards in front of your students? There are five ways to use Boom Cards with learners, and each serves a different instructional purpose.

1. Assignments – Assign decks directly to a classroom or individual students.
2. Fast Pins – Share a login-free link for quick access.
3. HyperPlay – Share a link that requires student login and supports reporting.
4. Presentation Mode – Present a deck to learners with the option to collect  play data.
5. Boom Live – Collaborate with students in real time on the same deck.

The best option depends on whether your goal is independent practice, data collection, teacher-led instruction, or live collaboration.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

• Which Option Should I Use?

• Five Ways To Share Boom Cards
  • Option 1: Assign A Deck
  • Option 2: Fast Pin
  • Option 3: Hyperplay
  • Option 4: Presentation Mode
  • Option 5: Boom Live

• Assigning And Un-Assigning Decks To A Classroom
• Assigning And Un-Assigning To Individual Students.
• Common Scenarios
• Summary
• Need More Help?

 

Which Option Should I Use?

I want to...	Recommended Method
Track student progress and reports	Assignment
Collect IEP or progress-monitoring data	Assignment
Share practice without requiring logins	Fast Pin
Share through Google Classroom, Canvas, Schoology, Moodle, Blackboard, PowerSchool, or Seesaw	HyperPlay
Differentiate assignments for individual students	Assignment
Present a lesson on a smartboard or projector	Presentation Mode
Model a deck before independent work	Presentation Mode
Collect data during a teacher-led lesson	Presentation Mode
Teach students in real time while monitoring responses	Boom Live
Run a therapy session, intervention group, or one-on-one lesson	Boom Live

Before You Start

Before assigning decks, make sure you have:

✅ Created or imported a classroom

✅ Added students to the classroom

✅ Confirmed students can log in (if using Assignments or HyperPlay)

✅ Located the deck in your Library

 

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Five Ways to Share Boom Cards

Option 1: Assign a Deck

Assigning a deck places it directly in a student's Boom Learning account.

Best For

1. Progress monitoring
2. IEP data collection
3. Independent practice
4. Differentiated instruction
5. Tracking student performance over time

Benefits

When a deck is assigned:

1. Track student progress with detailed reports to monitor performance and growth over time.
2. Collect data for progress monitoring and IEP documentation without additional paperwork.
3. Use custom play settings to tailor the learning experience for your students. 
4. Allow students to access assignments from their Boom accounts and view their own results.
5. Differentiate instruction easily by assigning different decks to individual students or groups.

Both teachers and students can review performance data.

Important Note

1. Students need an account to be assigned a deck

Interested in learning how? Read more below!

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Option 2: Fast Pin

Fast Pins generate a shareable link that does not require students to sign in.

Best For

1. Independent practice
2. Classroom centers
3. Substitute teacher activities
4. Sharing with students who do not have Boom accounts
5. Quick sharing

Benefits

1. No student login required — Students can start playing immediately without a Boom account. 
2. Quick and easy to share — Generate a link and distribute it through printed assignments, LMS platforms, or emails. 
3. Great for home practice — Families can access activities without managing usernames or passwords. 
4. Perfect for centers and independent work — Reduces setup time and eliminates login barriers. 
5. Works with any LMS — Easily share through Google Classroom, Canvas, Schoology, Seesaw, and other platforms.  

Important to note

With Fast Pins:

1. Reports are not collected
2. Student progress is not tracked
3. Custom play settings are not available

How to Create a Fast Pin

1. Open Library
2. Locate the deck
3. Select Action
   
4. Choose Fast Pin
   
   
5. Click Generate New Pin
   
   
6. Copy and share the pin with students 
   

Fast Pin Expiration and Generation

1. You will have a QR code, Fast Pin link or a pin to share with your students. 
2. Paid accounts: Fast Pins expire after 14 days
3. Unpaid accounts: Fast Pins expire after 5 days
   1. Unpaid accounts have a limited number of FastPlays that can be used.

FastPlays = Every time a student accesses a Fast Pin.

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Option 3: HyperPlay

HyperPlay generates a shareable link that requires students to sign in before playing.

Best Used For

1. In any LMS including, but not limited to:
   1. Google Classroom
   2. Canvas
   3. Clever
   4. Schoology
   5. Moodle
   6. Blackboard
   7. PowerSchool
   8. Seesaw
2. Student activity is tracked.
3. Teacher reports are available when the deck is assigned.
4. Custom play settings are available
5. Links never expire
   1. Helps teachers pre plan class work!

Benefits

Important to Note

Students can play the deck through HyperPlay, but reports will not be available to Teachers or Students unless the deck is also assigned directly to them.

How to Create a HyperPlay Link

1. Open Library
2. Locate the deck
3. Select Action
4. Choose HyperPlay Link
5. Copy and share the generated URL

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Option 4: Presentation Mode

Presentation Mode allows you to present a Boom deck to learners while collecting play data during instruction. It is designed for teacher-led lessons, demonstrations, guided practice, and whole-group learning.

Best For

1. Whole-group instruction
2. Smartboard lessons
3. Small-group teaching
4. Guided practice
5. Demonstrating a deck before assigning it
6. Collecting data during teacher-led activities

Benefits

With Presentation Mode:

1. You can present a deck directly to learners.
2. Play data is collected during the session.
3. Custom Play Settings are honored.
4. Deck randomization settings continue to function.
5. Session data can be saved to one or more students after the lesson.

Start Presentation Mode

1. Open Library.
2. Locate your deck.
3. Select Action.
4. Choose Presentation Mode.
5. Present the deck to learners.
6. Save the report when the session is complete.

Saving Data

At the end of a session, choose Save Report and select the classroom(s) and student(s) who should receive the play data. Saved Presentation Mode data can later be found in:

1. Reports
2. Classrooms & Categories reports
3. The classroom where the data was saved

Important Notes

1. Play data is collected throughout the session.
2. Premium subscribers can save reports to one or more students.
3. If a membership expires, Presentation Mode data is no longer accessible.

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Option 5: Boom Live

Boom Live is a real-time collaborative teaching mode that allows multiple participants to work in the same Boom deck together. Teachers can see student mouse movements and responses as they happen. Students can collaborate and complete activities as a team.

Best For

1. Small-group instruction
2. Therapy sessions
3. Intervention groups
4. One-on-one teaching
5. Modeling and guided practice
6. Remote learning sessions

Benefits

With Boom Live:

1. Multiple students can participate at the same time.
2. Teachers can monitor student actions live.
3. Students can collaborate on activities.
4. Teachers control who can interact with the deck.
5. Sessions can be joined using either a link or a PIN.

Important Notes

1. Boom Live is available to users with a paid membership.
2. Students do not need to log in to a Boom account.
3. No student reports are saved from Boom Live sessions.

Creating a Boom Live Session

1. Open Library.
2. Locate the deck you want to use.
3. Select Action.
4. Choose Start Boom Live.
5. Configure your session settings.
6. Click Start Session.
7. Share either the session PIN or session link with students.

Managing a Session

During a live session, teachers can:

1. Turn student interaction on or off for the entire group.
2. Choose which students have mouse control.
3. Choose which students can type.
4. Choose which students can click buttons or submit answers.
5. End the session at any time.

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Assigning and Un-Assigning Decks to a Classroom

You can assign and unassign decks from either the Library tab or the Classes tab.

Assign from the Library

1. Open your Library.
2. Find the deck you want to assign.
3. Click the Action button next to the deck.
4. Select Assign from the dropdown menu.
5. A list of your classrooms will appear.
6. Check the box next to the classroom(s) that should receive the deck.
7. Uncheck a classroom to remove the assignment.

The assignment is saved automatically. Students in those classrooms will now see the deck in their assigned work.

Unassign From The Library

Uncheck the box next to the classroom

Assign from the Classes tab

1. Open the Classes tab.
2. Select a classroom.
3. Open the Assignments sub-tab.
4. Click Assign More Decks.
5. Search for the deck.
6. Check the box to assign it.

Unassign From The Classes Tab

Uncheck the box next to the deck 

What Happens When a Deck Is Unassigned?

When a deck is unassigned:

1. Students can no longer access the assignment.

2. Students can no longer view associated reports.

3. Teachers can still access saved reports and data.

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Assigning and Un-Assigning to Individual Students

Sometimes students need assignments that differ from the rest of the class. You can assign or remove decks for individual students directly from the Classes tab.

Individual Assignment Steps

1. Open Classes.

2. Locate the student.

3. Open the student's dropdown menu.

4. Select Individual Assignment.
   

5. Search for a deck.
6. Check the box to assign it.
   

Unassign from an individual Student

Uncheck the box to unassign it

Why Can't a Student See an Assigned Deck?

If a deck was previously unassigned from an individual student, that student is placed on an exclusion list for that deck. Even if the deck is later assigned to the whole class, that student will not see it automatically.

You can change this from inside the individual assignment section. 

Reset an individual deck or all excluded decks all at once using the provided reset buttons. 

 

Why would you want to assign a deck to an individual example: Differentiating Assignments

A special education teacher may have students working at different skill levels.

For example, you can:

• Assign one deck to the entire class.

• Assign an additional communication deck to AAC users.
• Assign a simplified version to emerging learners.
• Assign extension activities to students ready for a challenge.
• This allows each student to receive support at the level that works best for them.

Common Scenarios

I need data for progress monitoring or IEP meetings.

Use: Assign the deck directly to students. Reports will be available.

I want students to practice at home without creating accounts.

Use: Fast Pin. No login is required.

I use Google Classroom or Canvas.

Use: HyperPlay. It works well with learning management systems.

I need different assignments for different students.

Use: Individual Assignments.

I need custom play settings and reports but want to share through my LMS.

Use: HyperPlay.

Summary

Boom Learning offers several ways to share and use Boom Cards, each designed for different teaching needs. Assignments are best when you want students to complete work independently and generate reports for progress monitoring. Fast Pins provide quick, login-free access to a deck, making them ideal for homework, centers, and practice activities. HyperPlay combines the convenience of link sharing with the ability to track student performance, making it a great option for Google Classroom, Canvas, and other learning management systems. 

For teacher-led instruction, Presentation Mode allows you to display a deck to learners while collecting play data that can be saved to students and reviewed later. Boom Live supports real-time collaboration, allowing teachers and students to interact with the same deck simultaneously, making it ideal for small groups, intervention sessions, therapy, and guided practice. Whether your goal is independent learning, data collection, whole-group instruction, or live collaboration, Boom Learning provides a sharing option to fit your classroom needs.

Need More Help?

Our Boom Training Academy materials help educators learn the basics, find resources faster, and use Boom with confidence so that you can spend less time figuring out technology and more time with your students.

Interested? Access and interact with Courses here: Boom Training Academy  

Are you a part of a managed Boom School account? Get private training! Ask your school or district administrator to schedule a complimentary training session with us.

If you have any further questions, please feel free to email us at help@boomlearning.com or call us at (833) WOW-BOOM. A real human will happily help you!