Tech & Learning Leadership Roundtables Online
In response to coronavirus-related precautions, the Tech & Learning Leadership Roundtable series has gone online. Our first Online Roundtable webinar takes place March 25, 2020 and explores the implementation of remote learning in schools.
Free Online Learning Resources For Schools Affected by Coronavirus/COVID-19
Hundreds of free elearning resources for schools worldwide, especially those affected by coronavirus/COVID-19 closures.
Remote Learning Playbook: Free Special Report From Tech & Learning
To help schools and districts make the needed rapid shift to remote learning, renowned edtech expert Dr. Kecia Ray has written "The Just in Time Playbook for Remote Learning" exclusively for Tech & Learning. This playbook provides an explanation of remote learning, describes the structured elements necessary for its success, and includes many resources for schools and higher education institutions to get started today. It includes downloadable remote lessons, free resources, sample correspondence, a remote learning checklist, and more.
Roberts Family Donates $5 Million For Laptops for Philadelphia Students
Aileen and Brian Roberts, and their family donated the funds so all Philadelphia public school children could start eLearning in April. The 50,000 new laptops will be distributed along with the estimated 40,000 laptops already in school buildings to students and families.
Virtual Conference Focused on Remote Learning
A special edition of The Discovery Education Virtual Conference or VirtCon will be held Thursday, March 26 and Friday, March 27 between 10AM Eastern and 3PM Eastern.
Start #RemoteLearning with #GoogleClassroom
Find out how to get started remote teaching with Google Classroom
Symbaloo Offers Educators PRO Version at no Cost
Content-integration platform Symbaloo is offering its PRO version to all educators at no cost for the duration of the school closings caused by the coronavirus.
Supervisors: What Not to Do to Teachers New to Remote Learning
From T&L adviser Lisa Nielsen, a list of what educators don't want supervisors to do as they transition into a new way of supporting learners.
National Constitution Center To Increase Live Online Educational Offerings
The National Constitution Center is launching a free eight-week series of daily live interactive courses on the Constitution for middle school, high school, and college students.
FPF and AASA Release Student Privacy Guidance to Help Schools Manage COVID-19 Response
The Future of Privacy Forum (FPF) and AASA, the School Superintendents Association, have released a new white paper that offers guidance to help K-12 and higher education administrators and educators protect student privacy during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Television as #RemoteLearning Tool During School Closures
T&L adviser Lisa Nielsen offers some advice for how to incorporate TV watching into learning experiences.
Screencastify for Remote Teaching
Some advice and tips on how to use Screencastify to make instructional videos.
Top 15 Tools for Self-Paced Learning
Resources, tools and apps that support self-paced learning.
Supporting Families During Covid-19
The Child Mind Institute, a nonprofit dedicated to transforming the lives of children and families struggling with mental health and learning disorders, offer a variety of resources to support families during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Health Crisis Resources
Mental health resources for parents and students from the National Association of School Psychologists, including advice, tips and other suggestions to support positive well-being during the coronavirus event.
Coronavirus and Colleges: Remote Grading Decisions
From Tech & Learning University, part 3 of 4 of how higher ed is handling the coronavirus--in particular, in regard to grading remote learning for the remaining portion of the school year.
Philadelphia schools to forbid online instruction during closure due to equity concerns.
T&L Advisor Jerri Uhlig Kemble shares some intangibles for remote learning management strategies.
I Will Survive, Coronavirus version for teachers going online
Our new Anthem here at Tech&Learning. A command performance by Michael Bruening.
Sign On to Support Home Internet
This initiative just posted by our colleagues at Future Ready Schools:
In the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, more than thirty states, plus the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, have closed schools for at least two to three weeks. As districts work to provide online learning opportunities for their students, many students will face challenges completing this new course work because of inadequate home internet access. According to data from the National Center for Education Statistics, 14 percent of children had no internet access at home in 2017, the most recent year available. Moreover, major equity gaps exist—12 percent of White students had no internet access at home, compared to nearly 20 percent of Black and Latino students and 37 percent of Native students.
The Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC’s) E-rate program helps offset the cost of internet access in schools and libraries. We ask for your assistance to encourage the FCC to allow E-rate to fund home internet access for students as well. With your support, this policy change can impact educational equity dramatically for millions of students.
Please click through to sign on to the letter to urge the FCC to allow E-rate to support home internet access so our schools can keep classrooms open online even if school buildings must temporarily close. We will send the letter on behalf of our school and district leaders to FCC Chairman Ajit Pai.
How to Make a Rapid Transition to eLearning (RTOL)
An essential checklist for Administrators and IT managers.
9 Ways to Survive and Thrive While Teaching and Learning Remotely
Tech&Learning advisors share their advice on how to set up for our new reality.
Comcast Announces Covid-19 Response To Help Keep Americans Connected To Internet
The telco is taking steps to implement the following new policies for the next 60 days.
Zoom CEO Eric Yuan Is Giving K-12 Schools His Videoconferencing Tools For Free
Zoom's popular videoconferencing app reportedly was downloaded by 343,000 people globally on Wednesday, with 60,000 downloads in the U.S. alone.
Five Quick Distance Learning Activities For Teachers In A Pinch
From the Teched Up Teacher, Chris Aviles, something now for teachers who may need to come up with a few weeks of distance learning lessons quickly.
The Educator's Guide to Student Data Privacy
From ConnectSafely.org, this guide provides good advice for educators to help protect student privacy when using eLearning and digital tools.
From the CDC: Interim Guidance for Administrators of US Childcare Programs and K-12 Schools
This interim guidance is intended to help administrators of public and private childcare programs and K-12 schools prevent the spread of COVID-19 among students and staff. Administrators are individuals who oversee the daily operations of childcare programs and K-12 schools, and may include positions like childcare program directors, school district superintendents, principals, and assistant principals. This guidance is intended for administrators at both the school/facility and district level.
Education Companies Offering Free Subscriptions due to School Closings
The link above is for a google doc of education companies and resources that are offering free memberships and services for any schools that are closed due to the Coronavirus. Please share with other teacher groups you are in and comment about other companies that you know of offering the same thing.
The Top 25 Learning Tools For When School Is Closed
From education expert David Kapuler, sites, platforms and online resources that support remote learning when school is closed.
Common Sense Messaging Apps & Tips to Connect with Families During School Closures
Lisa Nielsen, Director of Digital Engagement + Professional Learning for New York City Schools, shares advice for platforms and apps to help keep parents informed to what schools are doing during school closures.
CoSN2020 To Become A Virtual Conference
In light of the coronavirus pandemic, the CoSN Board announces that CoSN2020 will be a virtual conference.
How to Do Virtual Parent - Teacher Conferences
Guidance to help make virtual conferences work.
For Hong Kong, digital equity and remote learning is an issue
How to plan for Elementary School Closures
Lisa Nielsen, Director of Digital Engagement + Professional Learning for New York City Schools, provides some practical strategies for managing remote classrooms.
Digital Tools for Schools
What to consider when your school needs to purchase digital tools—and what to do if you need to act immediately.
Coronavirus and Colleges: Part 2, Keep Students on Campus?
From Tech & Learning University, how colleges are preparing to send students home and implement remote learning.
Navigating Difficult Questions Around Covid-19
In a webinar hosted by Thoughtexchange, Dr. Quintin Shepherd, superintendent of Victoria Independent School District in Texas, discusses how he has used technology-based crowdsourcing to engage with staff and parents to understand clearly and in real time their most important fears and concerns around the Covid-19 outbreak.
SXSWEDU cancelled due to threat of COVID-19
City of Austin Cancels SXSW March Events
The City of Austin has cancelled the March dates for SXSW and SXSW EDU. SXSW will faithfully follow the City’s directions.
We are devastated to share this news with you. “The show must go on” is in our DNA, and this is the first time in 34 years that the March event will not take place. We are now working through the ramifications of this unprecedented situation.
As recently as Wednesday, Austin Public Health stated that “there’s no evidence that closing SXSW or any other gatherings will make the community safer.” However, this situation evolved rapidly, and we honor and respect the City of Austin’s decision. We are committed to do our part to help protect our staff, attendees, and fellow Austinites.
We are exploring options to reschedule the event and are working to provide a virtual SXSW online experience as soon as possible for 2020 participants, starting with SXSW EDU. For our registrants, clients, and participants we will be in touch as soon as possible and will publish an FAQ.
We understand the gravity of the situation for all the creatives who utilize SXSW to accelerate their careers; for the global businesses; and for Austin and the hundreds of small businesses – venues, theatres, vendors, production companies, service industry staff, and other partners that rely so heavily on the increased business that SXSW attracts.
We will continue to work hard to bring you the unique events you love. Though it’s true that our March 2020 event will no longer take place in the way that we intended, we continue to strive toward our purpose – helping creative people achieve their goals.
Brainpop breaks down the Coronavirus for students in 4 minutes.
6 Questions: Is your school prepared for a long-term pandemic? T&L advisor Carl Hooker has answers.
How to use Quizlet in a remote environment—Content and Community Manager Chad Meirose lays it out in 3 simple steps.
Common Sense Media Picks Best Virtual Learning Tools
News updates, 3/5:
—Northshore School District (WA) Superintendent Michelle Reid announced late Wednesday that all 33 schools will close today, for up to 14 days. The district, located north of Seattle, will move coursework to a cloud-based online learning platform beginning Monday, March 9.
—CNN's Wolf Blitzer interviews Everett School District (WA) Supt. Ian Saltzman on his district's contingency plans.
—Edsurge reports on The Coronavirus’ Chilling Effect Hitting Edtech Industry Conferences
—NPR notices an upsurge in wash your hands PSAs aimed at students.
Flipped Classroom Guru Jon Bergmann Offers Rapid Response Guidance For Enacting Remote Learning Setups
The Academy of Active Learning Arts and Sciences (AALAS) this week introduced RTOL – Rapid Transition to Online Learning, a free emergency roadmap for making a rapid transition to remote learning during forced school closures. This quick-start guide will walk you through a simple step-by-step process to maintain your continuity of teaching and learning in a crisis. This program is based on a simple question, If a teacher had just one hour to prepare to teach remotely, what are the most essential things she would need to know and do?
Need to Set Up Live Learning Group Chats For Quarantined Students? Outlook Wants To Help For Free.
What Parents Expect from COVID-19 and Schools
Worried about setting up remote learning in your district because of COVID19? Watch how Gurnee School District 56 (IL) handles school days. Take notes.
According to Dr. Colleen Pacatte, Superintendent of Gurnee School District 56, IL, schools continue to be prepared to employ an eLearning Day(s) in the case of inclement weather, facility emergencies or a pandemic, as in the case of COVID-19.
Should it be necessary to close a school due to a student or multiple students with this Coronavirus, that school would be able to continue their schooling through the use of our eLearning Day program. If the number of cases were too large a decision may be made to simply close the schools and utilize existing emergency days, which are required to be made up at the end of the school year.
"Jealous Coronavirus" music video from Vietnamese Health Dept. w/ English subtitles
Discovery Education releases Coronovirus lesson plans along with other new Content for March.
Want some good news? T&L sister site livescience.com reports that, so far, kids don't seem to get the worst of COVID-19.
Google for Education announces free upgrades to its G Suite for Education productivity apps through the rest of the school year. Click here for details.
From the T&L Archives: Over 25 Ideas for eLearning
Coronavirus and the College Campus: Part 1, Study (Not So) Abroad
Read how college campuses around the world are taking the first steps to respond to coronavirus by implementing tech-based solutions. From techlearninguniversity.com
