With teachers across the country preparing for the 2020-2021 school year, the US Department of Education recently hosted a webinar with a list of resources and best-practices for online learning. We’ve put together a comprehensive list of resources included in the webinar to help educators and district administrators develop courses to be delivered in traditional classrooms as well as in online formats.
Experts advise educators to be intentional when choosing platforms and digital tools for digital learning; consider using tools with web-based and mobile app options, and making essential instructional materials downloadable for off-line learning.
Lessons & Assignments
- Listenwise: Free podcasts and other listening comprehension materials for grades 2-12 in current events, ELA, Science/STEM, and Social Studies.
- Newslea: Curated materials are available to integrate into lesson plans and cover a wide range of topics including Social Studies, ELA, Science/STEM, and social-emotional learning (SEL). You will need to create an account to access the materials.
- Quizizz: Interactive quizzes and other assessment tools are available along with templates for teachers to create their own interactive content. You will need to create an account to access the materials.
- Adobe Spark: Create infographics, web pages, and videos (live action and animated) that can be adapted to any subject and learning level. Recommended for those already familiar with Adobe products. Starter plans are free, individual and team plans are available in monthly or yearly subscriptions.
- Plickers: With this program teachers can engage students by providing them with digital tools that provides real-time data through interactive questions during synchronous teaching.
- Pear Deck: This web-based application allows teachers to integrate interactive questions and formative assessments into presentations. Basic account plans are free, individual plans and district-wide plans vary in price.
- Formative: This web-based application lets teachers give assignments live to students and also lets students provide feedback in real time.
- PiktoChart: create images, graphs, and infographics for your instructional materials.
- H5P: This web-based program allows educators to design digital interactive content for their lessons. Templates are available, no coding experience is required.
- EdPuzzle: Instruction templates are available. The analytics provided is detailed and easy to understand to assess students’ engagement.
Platforms
- ClassDojo: This platform is designed for community building between teachers, students, administrators, and families. Accounts for teachers are free.
- Desire2Learn (D2L): This platform is an all-in-one tool that has an easy-to-use dashboard and multiple class delivery options. Assessment rubrics are built into the programs.
- SeeSaw: This platform specializes in online portfolio construction for K-12 education. The app is available for iOS, Android, and Kindle mobile devices. Professional Development opportunities are also available through the platform.
- Canvas: This is a learning management system with a built in user community for collaboration and independent tech support. Resources available for K-12 and Higher Education.
- Nearpod: This student engagement platform allows teachers to develop and archive content and assess learning in a variety of ways. Pricing for individual teachers and entire school districts can vary.
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