Taking the Classroom to the Living Room
Last year we created a post for using Technology in the classroom. We compiled a list of online resources for teachers and as we look for ways to help our teachers and parents who are educating their children from home, we found that many of those resources are great for distance learning.
The Teaching Channel
Teaching Channel is a thriving online community where teachers can watch, share, and learn diverse techniques to help every student grow. The teaching channel offers content for teachers to help them with their instruction. One helpful article is about writing lesson plans which is a great resource that every new teacher can use. But the Teaching Channel has a myriad of tutorials and information to help teachers continue to learn and grow.
TeachingChannel.org is a comprehensive online video library and network for educators, with content categorized by subject and grade level that provides teachers with an unmatched free resource to enrich their teaching.
TeachingChannel.org also provides teachers, principals and others with specific guidance and professional development around the common core state standards (CCSSs). All videos across the site are clearly labeled with their purpose and length, making it extremely easy for teachers to get exactly the information they need in whatever limited time they have.
Student and Teacher Online Learning Communities
www.quizlet.com Quizlet is one of the world’s largest student and teacher online learning communities. Anyone can use Quizlet to study and learn content created by others or created on your own. With most teachers having planning periods to work together, you can share sets with other teachers on your team. There is an option to search sets already made by other users. To create your own content, you will need to make an account. To take it up another notch, your students can use their phone to use Quizlet because there is an app, free on iOS and Android.
https://docs.google.com/ Google Docs was an amazing resource when a group project was in the lesson plan. The perks to this option is that every student can access the assignment from school and home.
teacherspayteachers.com Teachers Pay Teachers is an online marketplace where teachers buy and sell original educational materials. There is something for every grade level and subjects, including holidays. This is a great resource to use for lesson planning because it is created by teachers who are in the classroom every day and have been successfully developed to be beneficial. It empowers teachers to be able to focus on actually teaching the content, instead of coming up with the classwork. There is a way to access free content, but most of the resources cost money.
www.playfactile.com Factile is a free learning platform that allows teachers to create engaging jeopardy- style quiz games for the classroom. Using ‘fun’ while reviewing for exams helps the students stay active in their learning.
mobymax.com This online resource can be accessed by students from home and the teacher can measure performance and provide in depth reports showing progression or regression, identifying learning gaps. There are different options Moby Max provides including: learning, assessments, and interactive activities.
www.readinga-z.com is a literacy focused Pre K-6 resources for every learning level.
jr.brainpop.com (K-3), brainpop.com (upper elementary and middle school) and ell.brainpop.com(English language learner focused) is a playful, educator-focused online resource focused on games, animated movies, and activities covering all subjects and universal topics.
www.getepic.com is a digital library for kids 12 years and under. There is a parent log in option for students’ use at home.
www.abcya.com is an interactive, game-style resource, with ELA, Math and Science for grades K-6. You can search by standard or by game, based on grade level.
www.nearpod.com Nearpod was created for teachers, so that they could focus on the instruction. There are eight different options for students to interact with their learning. ‘Draw It’ is an interactive whiteboard where students can draw, highlight, type, and add pictures. ‘Open-Ended Question’ gives your students a chance to freely demonstrate their understanding of a topic. ‘Quiz’ Assesses students’ understanding through multiple choice questions and receives instant results. ‘Poll’ highlights student opinions, checks for understanding, or provokes a discussion. ‘Collaborate’ creates collaborative learning opportunities where students can share ideas in real-time.
‘VR Field Trip’ takes your students on a virtual reality adventure without leaving your classroom. ‘Fill in the blank’ is a fun “drag & drop” activity that allows students to populate blanks with words. ‘Matching Pairs’ is a classic match game. It allows students to test their knowledge by matching pictures and/or text. All of these give teachers immediate feedback on student performance.
Lessons on Television
According to recent USA Today article, some teachers are creating lesson plans and airing them on television. There are some families (1 out of 4 families in low income areas) who can’t afford Internet access and so this option is helpful for those families.
“As districts scramble to deliver distance learning for weeks of coronavirus school shutdowns, some are turning to television as a way to reach students who lack broadband internet or computers.” – USA Today
Don’t Just Survive – Thrive.
As we put together this new list of helpful ways to work from home and teach from home, we couldn’t help but think of the great opportunity for parents and teachers to explore news ways of learning using these great tools. Instead of just surviving during these times, we hope we can help families thrive.
Become a Teacher. Change Lives.
If you are passionate about impacting the world around you there are few places where you can influence the future as much as a teacher. Teachers have the ability to build students up and set them on a positive course that can have a ripple effect for future generations.
If you are interested in becoming a teacher, check out our online teacher certification process and you could be teaching in a matter of weeks.
