Remote teaching and learning has been on a steady increase in recent years until the coronavirus came along. Now, with its rapid spread, more and more schools are cancelling classes. Consequently, teachers now are turning to technology to deliver instruction to their remote students when school is closed.
Here is an alphabetical list of digital tools that can be used to keep the learning happening during a school closure:
ABCmouse - Offers an online curriculum for ages 2 to 8 covering numerous core subjects including math, reading, and science.
Adventure Academy - From the creators of ABCmouse, this online curriculum is for ages 8 to 13 and features gamified learning for Math, Reading, and Science.
Answer Pad - A free visual- and student-based response platform that allows educators to blend learning and flip classrooms in real-time on browser based devices. Students can interact with teacher-developed resources from home.
BoomWriter - One of my favorites for remote learning, and teachers and students love it! A free site that lets educators create student accounts before then directing them to super engaging fiction, nonfiction and/or vocabulary-focused personalized writing activities in any subject. Enter instructions (with or without vocabulary), upload resources, and then share!
BrainPop and BrainPop Jr - Delivers online learning opportunities in numerous subjects by showing animated videos and then following up with brief assessments and quizzes.
Buncee - A versatile learning tool that provides a digital canvas for multiple educational needs. The Ideas Lab showcases learning resources to be used remotely.
Classhook - Chocked full of educational videos and premade playlists that can be assigned to students to view from home.
DOGOnews - Create reading assignments for students in grades K-8 that can also be integrated into Google Classroom. Features a curated, COPPA-compliant database that provides assessment and language/speech options.
EDpuzzle - Useful for flipping a classroom or lesson. Educational videos can be viewed remotely and followed up with assessments to gauge learning.
EducationCity - This online platform provides an abundance of engaging games, resources, and activities for grades PreK-6.
Explania - Offers hundreds of animated explanation videos, on subjects from biology to social media, that can be embedded and shared.
Glogster EDU - The Glogpedia features multimedia posters covering more than 80 topics across nine disciplines, such as math, social studies and science.
iKnowIt - Interactive math practice for grades K-5 that offers an easy-to-use interface and tracks student data.
Kahoot - One of the most used game-based learning platforms that allows educators to create their own content-related quizzes and games.
Knoword - A fast-paced vocabulary game site that also allows teachers to choose from existing work packs or develop their own. You can also track student progress.
Nearpod - A mobile learning tool that supports student engagement and collaborative learning. Also recently posted how to use Nearpod at home during school closures.
NeoK12 - A teacher-curated trove of educational videos, lessons, quizzes and games.
RoomRecess - More than 140 teacher-developed games for kids involving math, reading, literacy, typing, and more.
Socrates - A new site focused on differentiated instruction through game-based learning that adjusts to the student as they progress. Also provides tracking and assessment tools.
SuperTeacherWorksheets - Hundreds of worksheets and activities that can be printed for home use, ranging from math and science to literacy and phonics.
TeachVid - With this platform, ESL, ELL and foreign language teachers can flip a lesson and have students work at home with the help of numerous videos and activities.
Vocab Victor - A free mobile app for building vocabulary skills that assesses and adapts to a student’s vocabulary level in real-time.
VoiceThread - Students can develop their creativity, critical thinking, communication and collaboration through interactive digital stories and presentations.
WatchKnowLearn - A free site with an abundance of K-12 videos on a wide variety of subjects.
YouTube Teachers - Dozens of educational videos covering topics that range from vector quantities to plate tectonics.
David Kapuler is an educational consultant with more than 10 years of experience working in the K-12 environment. For more information about his work, contact him at dkapuler@gmail.com and read his blog at cyber-kap.blogspot.com
