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Click here for Links, Usernames and Passwords for Nun Academy Resources

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Daily Free Learning Workbooks for Teachers to Share with Parents while Schools are Closed - Kids will actually do these!

Math Game that Kids can Play Daily

Get the free Let's Play School Math Game App by edHelper so your kids can practice math every day this summer. A new 5-minute math challenge will await them each day, and they only have to play once a day.

Printable for your Refrigerator to Record Scores After Kids Practice Their Math

Free math workbooks to use that you will WANT to print and use with your kids

These are math worksheets that will keep kids engaged in math and truly enjoying their learning experience. Why should you use these workbooks? Math is one of the school subjects that kids need to practice regularly. It's important to prepare them not only for standardized tests but also for life. However, kids quickly become bored with traditional worksheets. These workbooks were designed to challenge students and keep their interest levels high, and the puzzles are activities that even adults will enjoy. Keep your kids learning during COVID-19 and prepare them for when school reopens.

Free Math Workbook #1

Free Math Workbook #2

What is the Coronavirus Activity Pages Book with Time Capsule

Teach kids about the Coronavirus and follow it up with fun activity pages. Or try the book for older kids for things to try to keep busy at home.

Math with Critical Thinking Puzzle Worksheets

Teaching critical thinking skills helps kids learn to navigate an age where information is everywhere. These small workbooks will challenge kids to think creatively.

Reading Comprehension Worksheets for Grades 2 to 6

Free Math and Science for Little Kids Workbooks

If you want harder math, scroll below for all the free workbooks, but it's full STEAM ahead with these fun coloring math challenge with STEAM page books for younger kids.

Math Word Problems Worksheets Book

Reading Comprehension with Math - Book #3

Spelling Challenge Workbooks

Mind Bending Critical Thinking Puzzle Workbooks For Kids

Try these math and logic problem workbooks with your kids for some brain-boosting fun. Each workbook starts with a logic puzzle and is filled with math problems and more logic problems to keep them busy. Want to challenge your kids more? Try giving them work from a different grade. The books are not labeled by grade, so why not try a fifth-grade book as a challenge for a fourth-grader?

Art, Movement, and Reading Challenges for Kids - Perfect for your refrigerator!

Kids need to color these in as they do them. If you have more than one child, print one for each and write their name on the bottom.

Back By Popular Demand - More Coding Workbooks!

Along with the puzzle worksheets and math workbooks, these coding workbooks have been the most requested. So glad to hear how much kids are enjoying these, especially since they are a lot different from the usual teacher worksheets.

Idea for Today - How about Teaching Kids Cursive?

4-Page Sudoku Puzzle Workbook

Kids are going to love these little 4-page sudoku puzzle workbooks. These worksheets include standard sudokus, ones with spelling, ones with pictures, and math sudokus. Don't be surprised if your child asks for more!

This Week's Math Workbooks for Homeschooling

Daily workbook craziness continues! This week's math workbook is better than ever. Print it out and put it on the kitchen table. Don't feel as if you HAVE to print the grade that your child is in; use whatever works!

Ready to Homeschool Your Kids?

Parents, we are here to help with free worksheets that will give your kids practice in math, reading, and writing. Are you ready for them?

Sibling Challenge Word Search and Vocabulary Builders

Coloring with Math

It's always a great time to take a break with some coloring. Just don't tell your kids they will be doing math at the same time! These books are awesome!

Missing Digits Math Worksheets with Mixed Math Practice

Daily workbook craziness continues with missing digits challenge pages. Not only that - every other page is a mixed math worksheet page.

Homeschooling Worksheets to Teach Your Kids While School is Closed

Who doesn't like a good word search? But these books will introduce kids to so many different puzzles. And, yup, some math pages also!

Math Workbooks

Daily workbook craziness continues! How about an all-new math workbook to challenge those little ones stuck at home? Throw it on the kitchen table and let them pick and choose the math pages to do!

Coding Workbooks

If you want more math or you prefer reading or writing, look below. But for now, how about a coding book?

Math Puzzle Worksheets

Who doesn't love a good puzzle? These small puzzle books are easy for kids to do and will give them some new challenges for following directions.

Reading Comprehension with Math - Book #1

Math Workbook for the Week!

These are perfect little math workbooks to share with parents. It combines a mix of fun math puzzles and challenging problems that won't bore kids.

Kids will enjoy some creative writing with this writing challenge workbook.

Free Amusing Activity Book for Kids

Are your kids ready for spring? Baseball may be delayed, but the flowers won't be. Let them enjoy this amusing workbook!

March Jumbo Math Worksheets Books

Try these workbooks for lots of pages for you to randomly give your kids!
Kindergarten, 1st grade, 2nd grade, 3rd grade, 4th grade, 5th grade, 6th grade, or middle school math pages for your kids!
Set a Realistic Schedule and Have your Kids Try To Make One

At one time or another, most adults have probably dreamed about being forced to stay home and tackle those projects that never seem to get done. While initially this may be the case and lonely drawers will finally be organized, lazy pajama days may need to be replaced by a schedule of some sort. Setting a family schedule may help save your sanity and create a sense of normalcy for your kids.

When you think through a daily schedule for your family, be sure to keep your expectations realistic. If your children are not voracious readers, don't suddenly expect them to read independently for six hours a day. Map out a day that includes time for academics with and without technology. Create an opportunity for some worksheets, online math games and search YouTube for art lessons. Incorporate daily movement outside with the help of sites like Go Noodle or YouTube. Set aside time for journaling or letter writing. You may also want to include time for life skills. These weeks at home are perfect for cooking, baking, laundry and house cleaning.

This may be challenging for the younger kids to make their own school day schedule, but they will be able to handle it. Even if they end up with a 90 minute snack time, let them work through the schedule one day to see how they did. Then maybe they can make a BETTER schedule for the next day!

Print Practice Pages

Daily practice and review of skills will be very important over the next few weeks. Take advantage of these fun and engaging daily workbooks from edHelper.com. These varied activities will give you both something to look forward to. They will enjoy having something fun and different to do each day. You will enjoy the fact that you aren't stuck wasting time scouring the internet for quality practice pages.

Keep Calm and Parent On

Remember that your children will look to you as they determine how they are supposed to respond to their time at home and the current state of the world. Approach each day with a sense of hope and hug those you love, but stay six feet away from everyone else! Use the tools at your disposal and make the most of this time you have together.

Here is also FREE Handout to E-Mail Parents

If you're a Tiger Mom, ferociously looking for more math materials for your children, look no futher than our Math Worksheets and Math Challenge Books. Allow your child to review critical skills or push them to think critically about new ones. While there are several options for online math games, videos, and tutorials, research still shows the power of paper and pencil when it comes to developing and internalizing skills and standards. Allow these resources to help you limit screen time and encourage strategic academic growth.

As a new homeschooling parent, you most likely have a new appreciation for what your child's teacher does each day, especially when you consider that he or she works with close to thirty students at a time! When school finally resumes, parents will no doubt be ready to shower their children's teachers with praise, but, until then, edHelper.com will keep you and your children engaged with the high-quality and engaging materials you need.

More Free Printables, Ideas, and Reading

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Daily Free Learning Workbooks for Teachers to Share with Parents while Schools are Closed - Kids will actually do these!

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Print free worksheets to homeschool your kids when school is canceled.

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Industry News

Updated: Free Resources for Schools During COVID-19 Outbreak

(Updated September 14; originally published March 13) In response to the number of states, districts and schools that are shuttering schools to students over the next several weeks in response to fears about the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19), education technology companies have stepped forward to help educators reach students in virtual ways. In many cases, the companies are making their paid services free through the rest of the school year; in other cases, they're lifting limits to services and/or adding premium features to what's free. The following list will be updated regularly as announcements are made. (If you know of a company that should be included on this list, please send details to [email protected] .)

Jump to:

Abre.io has made Abre Hub available free to schools permanently. The program provides a single place to post news and announcements and give quick access to software tools. Sign-up is intended for district representatives. https://abre.io/free/

The Academy of Active Learning Arts and Sciences and the Flipped Learning Global Initiative have published the "Rapid Transition to Online Learning," a roadmap for making the rapid shift to online learning during school closures. The resources include a checklist for administrators, another for IT managers, a transition plan and video tutorial for teachers and access to an international team of volunteers who have stepped forward to answer questions. The organization is continuing to seek volunteers for the program. http://aalasinternational.org/rtol/

The Academy of Art University is hosting a free series of online events, including guest experts in art and design speaking through Zoom, movie afternoons and nights, and virtual workshops on sketching and the use of various software programs. https://www.academyart.edu/admissions/upcoming-events/

Acer has put together a handy comparison table that provides an overview of remote learning tools. The chart specifically compares Google Meet, Microsoft Teams and Zoom, for remote learning; and Facebook and YouTube for video conferencing. The information examines whether or not screen sharing is allowed, the maximum number of attendees, the maximum length of meetings and other features. https://eu-acerforeducation.acer.com/uncategorized/remote-learning-a-comparison-among-top-collaboration-tools/

Achieve3000 is offering free access to resources for differentiated literacy instruction. Educators can access three different programs. Achieve3000 Literacy at Home offers access to non-fiction articles at three reading levels with topics covering science, social studies and current events. Premium licenses for Actively , for grades 6 -12, provides thousands of texts, including contemporary and classic literature, with collaboration and discussion tools to facilitate interactive remote instruction for English language arts, science and social studies. For students without internet, the company is offering " Literacy Printable Packets," a set of text sets with 20 printable articles and questions. The company said those text packets add up to a month's worth of content differentiated for students who are at-, below- and above- grade-level in their reading abilities. Lessons can be downloaded and sent home by email or printed out. https://achieve3000.com/community-resources/remote-learning-2020/

ACT Academy is a free resource for personalized test practice for the ACT, Pre-ACT, Tessera and Aspire exams. The organization is also offering a feature for teachers to understand their students' mastery of math, English language arts and science concepts. https://academy.act.org/

ActivEd is offering free access to its "Walkabouts," platform with web-based lessons for students in grades pre-K-2 students that integrate movement with language arts, math and reading content and correlate to state learning standards. Students, teachers, and parents can access grade-level content. http://info.activedinc.com/covid

AdGuard is offering a free personal account to its ad- and tracking-blocker program for three months. The privacy protection software is available for Windows, MacOS, iOS and Android. To obtain a license key under this offer, register via this link and confirm the registration. Existing users may get an extra key by logging in through a special landing page. https://adguard.com/en/blog/stayhome.html

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Updated: Free Resources for Schools During COVID-19 Outbreak -- THE Journal

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In response to the number of states, districts and schools that are shuttering schools to students in response to fears about the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19), education technology companies have stepped forward to help educators reach students in virtual ways. (Updated September 14)

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#DitchSummit Day 6 - Fantastic Learning Activities with Google drawings with @tonyvincent (who gave a lot of ❤️ to @ericcurts). I am now even more 😆 to take Tony’s Classy Graphics course in Feb. @jmattmiller you should totally enrol as well - @WellingtonLeConte might too!

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#DitchSummit Day 6 - Fantastic Learning Activities with Google drawings with @tonyvincent (who gave a lot of ❤️ to @ericcurts). I am now even more 😆 to take Tony’s Classy Graphics course in Feb. @jmattmiller you should totally enrol as well - @WellingtonLeConte might too! https://t.co/BdjNE4Ksmi

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#DitchSummit Day 6 - Fantastic Learning Activities with Google drawings with @tonyvincent (who gave a lot of ❤️ to @ericcurts). I am now even more 😆 to take Tony’s Classy Graphics course in Feb. @jmattmiller you should totally enrol as well - @WellingtonLeConte might too! pic.twitter.com/BdjNE4Ksmi
— Jen Giffen (She/Her) (@VirtualGiff) December 20, 2018

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#DitchSummit Day 6 - Fantastic Learning Activities with Google drawings with @tonyvincent (who gave a lot of ❤️ to @ericcurts). I am now even more 😆 to take Tony’s Classy Graphics course in Feb. @jmattmiller you should totally enrol as well - @WellingtonLeConte might too! https://t.co/BdjNE4Ksmi

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#DitchSummit Day 6 - Fantastic Learning Activities with Google drawings with @tonyvincent (who gave a lot of ❤️ to @ericcurts). I am now even more 😆 to take Tony’s Classy Graphics course in Feb. @jmattmiller you should totally enrol as well - @WellingtonLeConte might too! https://t.co/BdjNE4Ksmi

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#DitchSummit Day 6 - Fantastic Learning Activities with Google drawings with @tonyvincent (who gave a lot of ❤️ to @ericcurts). I am now even more 😆 to take Tony’s Classy Graphics course in Feb. @jmattmiller you should totally enrol as well - @WellingtonLeConte might too!

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Providing students the structure and coaching to give and receive quality feedback paid off. I witnessed the best peer conversations about their work that I have ever seen. Of course, there's still room for improvement. In particular, my students did not limit their discussions to the one specific goal. We'll work on keeping our feedback aimed at one goal.

My colleague down the hall, Cassie Scoblic, used Feedback Chat with her fourth graders. She reported a high level of success. Other fourth and fifth grade teachers at College View have also used the form and said they will use it again.

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Guiding Peer Feedback with a Feedback Chat - Learning in Hand with Tony Vincent

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Providing students the structure and coaching to give and receive quality feedback paid off. I witnessed the best peer conversations about their work that I have ever seen. Of course, there's still room for improvement. In particular, my students did not limit their discussions to the one specific goal.

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Designing Digital Lessons

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Staying in Touch

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Raff's priority in communicating with students has been to ensure that they felt "safe, heard, loved and understood." Many of her students who emailed her said they missed school.

"I really didn't want school to close. I knew that I would miss you too much and I do. I really want to see you again," wrote one sixth-grader, who included a picture of her dog in her email. Another student talked about watching Frozen II, then shared, "As to how I feel, I feel nervous about this. All I know is I want to get back to school and see you guys (the teachers)."

Howard said that many kids, like adults , find it hard to tolerate the uncertainty about when schools will reopen. In response, she said, teachers should validate the difficulty of the situation and reassure students that they will provide more information as soon as it's known.

Some of Raff's students expressed more specific COVID-19 infection anxieties, too. "I'm not worried about me getting it because so far it hasn't affected younger people as much. But, I am nervous because if I could get it, I could easily spread it to my Grandfather ... I would not want him to get sick, because it has really affects older people and many have died from it," wrote one student.

When a child expresses specific fears, teachers should validate those feelings before trying to problem-solve, Howard said. Having the ear of a trusted adult can be reassuring. For example, the student above also told Raff: "I enjoy getting to write to you about what I've been doing and what's been on my mind. It makes me feel special."

While Raff has connected with her students via videos and emails, other teachers might choose different modes of communication. According to Howard, a five-minute phone call can provide the kind of emotional support kids need. Howard also noted that it's important to let a child's caregiver know when a specific fear is expressed, so those adults can follow up.

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Staying in Touch: Why Kids Need Teachers During Coronavirus School Closings - MindShift

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Raff's priority in communicating with students has been to ensure that they felt "safe, heard, loved and understood." Many of her students who emailed her said they missed school. "I really didn't want school to close. I knew that I would miss you too much and I do.

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View Live Training Please click here to register for upcoming live training or access recent recordings for Zoom Meetings, Webinars, Zoom Rooms and Administrators. Zoom Meetings Zoom Meetings...

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This page is regularly updated with new resources and information.

What is Coronavirus (COVID-19)?

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have described the coronavirus, or COVID-19, as an outbreak of respiratory disease caused by a novel (new) coronavirus that has now been detected in more than 100 locations internationally, including in the United States. The virus has been named "SARS-CoV-2" and the disease it causes has been named "coronavirus disease 2019" (abbreviated "COVID-19"). You can read more about COVID-19 on the CDC's " Situation Summary " page.

Infectious disease outbreaks such as COVID-19, as well as other public health events, can cause emotional distress and anxiety. Feeling anxious, confused, overwhelmed or powerless is common during an infectious disease outbreak, especially in the face of a virus with which the general public may be unfamiliar. These feelings of distress and anxiety can occur even if you are not at high risk of getting sick.

Coping Tips

People that are feeling emotional distress related to COVID-19 can take actions to help support themselves and others.

Set a limit on media consumption, including social media, local or national news.

Stay active. Make sure to get enough sleep and rest. Stay hydrated and avoid excessive amounts of caffeine or alcohol. Eat healthy foods when possible.

Connect with loved ones and others who may be experiencing stress about the outbreak. Talk about your feelings and enjoy conversation unrelated to the outbreak.

Get accurate health information from reputable sources. For health information about COVID-19, please contact the Centers for Disease Control at cdc.gov, your local healthcare provider, or your local 211 and 311 services, if available.

The national Disaster Distress Helplineis available to anyone experiencing emotional distress related to COVID-19. Call 1-800-985-5990 or text TalkWithUs to 66746 to speak to a caring counselor.

If you're experiencing emotional distress related to COVID-19, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline or your local crisis line.

For coping tools and resources, visit the Lifeline website at suicidepreventionlifeline.org or Vibrant Emotional Health's Safe Space at vibrant.org/safespace.

The National Domestic Violence Hotline has highly trained advocates available 24/7 to ensure services and continue to support survivors.

Helpful Resources

Reliable sources of information about COVID-19:

Other Helpful Resources to Support Your Mental and Emotional Wellbeing:

CDC's "Manage Anxiety and Stress"page provides what stress can look like and tips to manage that stress.

The National Child Traumatic Stress Network has a guide for parents and caregivers to help families cope with the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19).

Mental Health America has compiled a range of resources and information on their "Mental Health and COVID-19" page.

ThriveNYC's "Mental Health Support New Yorkers Can Access While Staying Home" page lists free mental health services for New Yorkers, regardless of insurance coverage or immigration status.

SAMHSA's "Coping With Stress During Infectious Disease Outbreaks" page outlines the signs of stress and steps you can take to alleviate stress.

SAMHSA's "Taking Care of Your Behavioral Health" page provides tips for social distancing, quarantine and isolation during an infectious disease outbreak.

SAMHSA's "Talking With Children: Tips for Caregivers, Parents, and Teachers During Infectious Disease Outbreaks" page provides parents, caregivers, and teachers with strategies for helping children manage their stress during an infectious disease outbreak.

Vibrant Emotional Health's Safe Space provides interactive coping tools to help users when they need it.

Through stories of hope and recovery, Strength After highlights the resilience of individuals and communities while providing a resource for other survivors and responders that may be trying to cope and move forward themselves.

If you feel you or someone you know may need emotional support, please visit the Lifeline's website at suicidepreventionlifeline.org for helpful resources or call 1-800-273-TALK (8255). The Lifeline is free, confidential, and available to everyone in the U.S. You do not have to be suicidal to call the Lifeline.

The NYS Office of Mental Health's "Managing Anxiety in an Anxiety Provoking Situation" resource page provides tips for all on how to manage anxiety surrounding the COVID-19 outbreak.

If you're worried that someone in your life may be suicidal, you can use the Lifeline's 5 steps to help someone that may be in suicidal crisis.

Action Alliance's COVID-19 Messaging Guidance page provides guidance for messengers speaking about mental health and COVID-19, as well as resources for specific groups.

The Suicide Prevention Resource Center (SPRC) has compiled a selection of web pages and information sheets on mental health and coping with the effects of COVID-19.

The Dulwich Centre has compiled stories to support the community amid the COVID-19 crisis, from mental health service users, survivors and former patients.

The Action Alliance is mobilizing diverse sectors to collectively lead a coordinated mental health and suicide prevention response effort during and in the aftermath of COVID-19. Learn more here.

About Lifeline Crisis Centers

The accessible and free mental health crisis services that Lifeline crisis centers offer are especially vital during times of social distancing, and can be considered an essential service. Lifeline crisis centers may be used to overcome barriers of access to services caused by distance or unavailability of in-person mental health support, and can prevent unnecessary exposure during a pandemic. When individuals may be experiencing heightened anxiety, depression, and stress caused by infectious disease outbreaks and accompanying social-isolation measures, having access to trained and caring counselors may be critical for a community's mental wellbeing.

To find your local crisis center and learn how you can support it, visit the Our Crisis Centers page.

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Emotional Wellbeing During the COVID-19 Outbreak

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This page is regularly updated with new resources and information. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have described the coronavirus, or COVID-19, as an outbreak of respiratory disease caused by a novel (new) coronavirus that has now been detected in more than 100 locations internationally, including in the United States.

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Just For Kids: A Comic Exploring The New Coronavirus

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Just For Kids: A Comic Exploring The New Coronavirus

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Great podcast explaining the Coronavirus to kids wiith a downloadable comic they can fold into a magazine. Awesome!

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Updated on March 16 at 1:56 p.m. ET. This comic has been updated. Click here for the newest version.
Kids, this comic is for you.

It's based on a radio story that NPR education reporter Cory Turner did. He asked some experts what kids might want to know about the new coronavirus discovered in China.

To make this comic, we've used his interviews with Tara Powell at the University of Illinois School of Social Work, Joy Osofsky at the LSU Health Sciences Center in New Orleans and Krystal Lewis at the National Institute of Mental Health.

Print and fold a zine version of this comic here. Here are directions on how to fold it. To read this comic in Chinese, click here.To read it in Spanish, click here.

Malaka Gharib is an NPR editor and the author and illustrator of I Was Their American Dream: A Graphic Memoir, about being first-generation Filipino Egyptian American.

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Just For Kids: A Comic Exploring The New Coronavirus

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You may have heard the word "coronavirus" online or on TV. You probably have a lot of questions. Check out our comic to get some answers - and print out a zine version at home.

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Working from home student strategies - stress busters

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On Monday we asked our community of educators what they need in the face of uncertainty caused by school closures and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Nearly 2,000 educators responded, and the range of those responses illustrates the incredible responsibilities they feel for their students' learning and well-being. More than 98 percent were facing school closures-and the ensuing consequences fell on educators quickly.

What Educators Are Asking For

"I think people are going to feel helpless," one respondent told us. When asked what resources they'd recommend, another said, "At this point, I'm feeling overwhelmed. In the course of 72 hours, our school district shut down, we had to scramble to prepare lessons for students and now we're on a shelter-in-place order. I don't know of any resources right now. We NEED resources!" It was a sentiment we saw time and time again in the responses.

Overwhelmingly, these educators requested resources they could easily share with students, be it online or in packets delivered during food drop-offs. More than 80 percent requested "Do Something" projects that could easily be adapted for distance learning. And half asked for articles about ensuring equity during a time of school closure, distance learning and racism directed at Asian American students.

We also want to stress the range of specific needs educators brought up in this survey. Educators wanted recommendations for online resources and platforms. They wanted emotional support for students and educators alike. They wanted materials on the intersections of COVID-19 and social justice. Educators asked for best practices for distance learning. They asked for physical and printable resources for students without online access. They asked for information they could send families about basic necessities and resources for families trying to do their best to take on the role of educator in the household. Below, you will find links to resources that address these asks.

Amid the calls for specific resources to help with learning, there was also an overwhelming need for hope, for reminders of our collective resilience, for ways to cope with the intersecting anxieties students and educators are facing. We aim to address these requests as best we can-and to call on the education community to help where we feel less equipped.

Coming together begins with responding to what our community needs right now.

Resources to Share With Students

Teaching Tolerance has a bank of resources that can be adapted for take-home or online learning. Our Student Text Library has more than 500 texts (including readings, read-alouds, images and videos), filtered by grade level, subject and social justice topic. Our film kits include student-friendly documentaries and discussion guides. For copyright reasons, some of these texts and films require an account to access-but anyone can create a free account, whether an educator or a caregiver. Educators are welcome to create class accounts and share the login and password with students or to save texts as PDFs and email them to students or upload them to a password-protected course management system like Canvas or Blackboard.

Teaching Tolerance also has lessons that can be adapted for students with or without online access. While we are currently undergoing an evaluation of these resources, we feel confident that any of these can strengthen your lesson planning:

lessons based on the book The Color of Law, which can add depth to any unit on segregation, government-sanctioned discrimination or systemic racism;

Teaching The New Jim Crow, lessons about the criminal justice system that can help students understand the connections between historical and present-day injustices;

lessons on digital literacy and online citizenship, which are designed for students K-12, whether they have online access or not.

"Do Something" Projects

Our website features 34 "Do Something" tasks. Most of these are adaptable to distance learning and homeschooling. They are designed to allow students to apply their knowledge to real-world issues. Here are a few of our favorites:

Oral History Project, in which students can conduct interviews at home to see how personal experiences intersect with something they are studying;

Buddy Share, in which students could share art or writing with an online classmate;

Identity Artifacts Museum, in which students can create a display of items from home that represent aspects of their identities.

Articles With Recommendations About Equity

We know that-with such little time to plan-the absence of school programming or the implementation of distance learning may threaten equal resource access for a wide range of students. We know that students experiencing poverty, students with disabilities, English language learners, students living in food deserts, students with elderly caregivers and families without work flexibility are particularly vulnerable. In the coming weeks, we hope to produce or share articles and resources with recommendations for ensuring equity for these students and families.

Today, these resources may prove useful:

We cannot predict how the spread of coronavirus will affect schools tomorrow, next week or months from now. But we feel reassured by the knowledge that social justice educators have always been leaders in building our communities up. So we stand alongside you in not letting this crisis keep us down. To the extent that we can, we will humbly face this unknown with you and strive for a better tomorrow.

We hope these resources help.

Resource List for Educators
Note: This list is drawn from survey responses, TT staffers and youth-serving organizations. TT has not vetted all third-party lists. Please take special care in selecting online learning platforms and checking for equity, accessibility and-as we teach students to recognize how their personal data is monetized-privacy.
Coronavirus Resources: Teaching, Learning and Thinking Critically - New York Times Learning Network
This ever-updating resource includes items for staying current on coronavirus news, teaching media literacy around the coronavirus, essential questions and discussion suggestions, and advice for teaching and learning online.

Emotional Support
"We need to be sure our students have their fears acknowledged. ... We need to focus on their mental health along with their physical health." -TT survey respondent
Crisis Text Line
This resource offers 24/7 crisis counseling to those who text HOME to 741741.

The Trevor Project
For LGBTQ students-especially in non-accepting families-social isolation at home may be difficult. The Trevor Project provides them support.

Talking to Children About COVID-19 (Coronavirus): A Parent Resource - National Association of School Psychologists
This site offers guidance for talking to young people about the coronavirus in a way that is factual and anxiety-reducing.

COVID-19 (Coronavirus) Information and Resources - National Alliance on Mental Illness
This thorough resource includes tips for how to deal with anxiety caused by COVID-19 news and special considerations for people experiencing homelessness, people with vulnerable family members and people who feel isolated.

Care for Your Coronavirus Anxiety
A website with resources for addressing anxiety that educators may be feeling, including that induced by xenophobia, financial fears, isolation and more. It also includes a special portal for parents.

Parent/Caregiver Guide to Helping Families Cope With the Coronavirus Disease 2019 - The National Child Traumatic Stress Network
This printable resource, available in several languages, includes information for families and caregivers that educators can use and share. Particularly helpful is the section outlining common reactions to stress and recommendations for supporting children that are broken down by age group.

Resources Students Can Use Online
"[I need] any online resources that students in grades k-12 can use at home." -TT survey respondent
Amazing Educational Resources
This crowdsourced document lists education companies that are offering free subscriptions during school closures.

Free Online Learning Resources for Schools Affected by Coronavirus/COVID-19 - Tech Learning
This list includes hundreds of free e-learning platforms and resources that cover a wide range of grade levels, subjects and needs, including topics such as sex education, drama and language learning.

125+ Amazing Online Learning Resources - We Are Teachers
This list includes sites with ready lesson plans and activities for all grade levels, as well as e-learning platforms.

Free Educational Resources for Distance Learning - California Department of Education
This is a list of education publishers offering free distance learning resources.

Discovery Education
Offering free access through the remainder of the school year, this platform includes digital textbooks and multimedia resources for online K-12 learning.

Doc Academy
Doc Academy features free clips from documentary films, including social justice topics, with accompanying toolkits and lessons.

TED-Ed
On the TED-Ed site, users will find free videos on a wide range of educational topics, with portals for students and educators.

Storyline Online
This website offers read-alouds of books for young readers. Books include a diverse range of authors and characters but should be vetted by educators.

Storytime From Space
On this site, astronauts read children's books aloud. It's out of this world cute, and the options include diverse representation of kids who love science.

Printables for Pick-Up
"[There are] issues of equity in access to online learning." -TT survey respondent
Curriculum Associates
This website includes printable activities for grades K-8 in math and reading.

All Kids Network
Mostly geared toward young learners, this website offers printable activities and worksheets.

Scholastic
This page offers printable activities for students in grades K-8.

COVID-19 and Social Justice
"Our school has several students from China who will not be able to go home during this break. I saw a few Chinese students out at a local restaurant and heard a few old white men at a table nearby grumbling about how the kids should have on face masks. How can we protect our Asian students against bias?" -TT survey respondent
Since February, we have stressed the need for educators to understand the historical context of the rhetoric surrounding the coronavirus-and to interrupt it. Even in online or distance learning contexts, our Speak Up at School and guides can help you formulate responses to such rhetoric from students and facilitate conversations about where that rhetoric is coming from.

When Xenophobia Spreads Like a Virus - NPR
This article provides personal narratives of how xenophobia has affected people across the United States during the coronavirus outbreak.

Support for Teachers During the COVID-19 Outbreak - Facing History and Ourselves
This collection includes resources on standing against racism surrounding the coronavirus and readings that can help students ground this moment in the history of crises and community care.

Coronavirus School Closings Expose Digital Divide - U.S. News
This article explains how some members of the Federal Communications Commission are advocating for ways the FCC can and should step in to mitigate tech inequities during quarantine.

COVID-19 and the Education of Students with Disabilities - National Disability Rights Network
This collection of resources from NDRN can help educators ensure equal access to online education for students with disabilities.

COVID-19 Response and Resources - The Justice Collaborative
This page helps explain how marginalized and incarcerated populations are more endangered by COVID-19.

Best Practices for Online or Distance Learning
"We are not ready for distance learning." - TT survey respondent
Learning Keeps Going
A coalition of education organizations developed this website that hosts tips, webinars and resource lists for transitioning to digital learning. It also contains a help desk for educators and a hotline for parents and students.

3 Ways to Turn Your Classroom Remote in a Hurry - KQED
This succinct resource from KQED includes a compilation of online learning tools and recommendations for implementing them.

Resources for Teaching and Learning During This Period of Social Distancing - KQED
This thorough article offers resources and suggestions for educators to transition to distance learning.

How to Teach Online Courses - Future Learn
These free courses can help educators learn strategies for remote and distance learning with students.

Resources for Families in Need
"The more vulnerable populations may be more at risk of environmental, natural crisis/disasters. How to become proactive and an advocate?" - TT survey respondent
These Organizations Are Helping People Get Food and Medical Help During the Coronavirus Pandemic - Buzzfeed News
This article includes a list of organizations working to deliver food, medical supplies and aid to people locally, nationally and internationally.

Coronavirus: Multilingual Resources for Schools - Colorín Colorado
These resources can help educators provide communication around this crisis to families in multiple languages.

Talking Points
This app can help educators send text messages and communications to students and families in their home languages.

Talking to Kids About Coronavirus: ASL and English Resources - American Society for Deaf Children
Resources in ASL that provide information on the coronavirus as well as its impact on the Deaf community.

Supporting Families During COVID-19 - Child Mind Institute
This collection of services includes video chats with clinicians, telemedicine services and tips for managing anxiety and discipline as kids are isolated at home.

Resources for Caretakers
"Lesson and online learning that parents can access as well. The teachers are putting things together, but the parents are at home implementing it." -TT survey respondent
Talking to Kids About the Coronavirus - Child Mind Institute
This article offers basic tips that include open and honest conversation.

Coronavirus and Parenting: What You Need to Know Now - NPR
This ever-updating guide from NPR includes advice for both health and education during the coronavirus outbreak.

Scholastic Learn at Home
This free resource includes days of projects for children in grade bands of PK-K, 1-2, 3-5 and 6+.

Khan Academy
Khan Academy offers free courses for kids in subjects such as math, science and history.

Free Resources and Subscriptions for Remote Learning and Home Schooling Due to Coronavirus- QNS
This is a curated list of free remote learning and homeschooling resources for a variety of subjects and grade levels.

Coronavirus: Learning Resources for Kids Home From School - KIRO 7
This article provides advice for structuring the home learning environment as well as a list of free online activity websites.

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Teaching Through Coronavirus: What Educators Need Right Now

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On Monday we asked our community of educators what they need in the face of uncertainty caused by school closures and the COVID-19 pandemic. Nearly 2,000 educators responded, and the range of those responses illustrates the incredible responsibilities they feel for their students' learning and well-being.

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Get a quick introduction to the basic meeting controls available on Zoom calls.

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Easily create beautiful interactive video lessons for your students you can integrate right into your LMS. Track students' progress with hassle-free analytics as you flip your classroom!

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World Clock Meeting Planner

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Schools Closed, but Learning Doesn't Have to Stop

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Schools Closed, but Learning Doesn't Have to Stop

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If you're currently living in the Asia region, you've probably been impacted by the #coronavirus. Most of my friends and colleagues who are working in international schools in China are dealing with long-term, indefinite school closures. And, here in Bangkok, schools are getting prepared for potential interruptions as well. But, of course, that doesn't mean we stop teaching and learning.

Like many of my techie enthusiast colleagues around the world, I've been teaching in a blended learning environment (for students, teachers and parents) since the time when I had to create all my classroom websites with Dreamweaver (so glad those sites are looooong gone). Online learning isn't new, but the scale of its implementation in schools consistently seems to be a struggle.

Most of the year, we're content with posting assignments and resources on a learning management system and calling that " blended learning." As long as parents and students have access to assignments and the resources to get them done, we feel like we're doing our job. However, when we have big emergencies like this, schools begin to recognize that blended learning should be a part of everyday learning, so that when we need to go into online learning mode, it's not totally new (and totally confusing for everyone).

As a teacher, I've been through this many times, most recently during the Great East Japan Earthquake that closed schools all around Japan for several weeks. As the CEO of Eduro Learning, I'm working in an online learning environment every single day. From the actual internal structure of our team meetings (since we are physically located in 4 separate countries across multiple contents and a distance of 15 hours by time zone), to the products we offer, online learning is in our DNA.

At Eduro, we have been developing, refining and improving the online learning experience for our participants for over 10 years. We create a personalized learning experience for each participant while still developing shared understandings and providing a variety of options to truly engage with and demonstrate learning. From COETAIL, to The Coach, to our shorter-duration online courses and MastermindEd, our goal is to create the best possible learning experience for our participants.

As teachers and school leaders who are now in crisis mode, I know you want the same for your students. So, I thought it would be worth sharing some key tips and strategies that make our online learning experiences so successful with our participants.

Here are a few things we always think about when we're designing our online learning opportunities (and these are the always the areas that get positive feedback from our participants):

1. Provide a variety of access points for the content you need to share

We like to use videos we create ourselves to pull together big themes and then link external resources (articles, websites, images, videos, podcasts, books, etc) that help enhance that content and allow participants to dig deeper. The key here is that not every student is going to prefer to access the content the same way, so the more avenues as you can provide "in" to the learning, the more likely they will connect with it. The video provides the personal connection, the pathway through the content, and the context that students need to make sense of what's shared.

2. Offer many opportunities to demonstrate learning

For every module of learning, we provide a variety of challenges and action tasks for participants to engage in their learning, and then demonstrate what they've learned. When we're asking students to work "on their own time" (which I understand is likely technically during the normal school day, but it's also competing with all their other, possibly more fun, interests right there in the home with them), the more opportunities they have to find a task that resonates with them, and the more likely they'll take it seriously.

3. Create Community

The hardest missing piece to recreate in an online learning environment is that feeling of being part of a learning community. When we're in the classroom we can see everyone else, watch the reactions on their faces, and hear the murmur of students working. When students are sitting at home, alone, not only is it isolating, but they no longer have a yardstick to be able to measure their effort, attitude and attention to the task at hand. In our courses, we make sure to identify opportunities for participants to connect with each other, by expectations to responding to other participants work, or creating a shared hashtag for public posts, or holding real-time conversations so we can all check in and see each other.

4. Take Advantage of Unusual Opportunities

When students are learning from home, we have the benefit of being "outside" the classroom. In some cases (particularly right now, for those who might be quarantined at home) they might not be able to actually leave the home, but many families might be traveling in an area that provides them lots of external interest. How can you create opportunities for (depending on age level) parents and their children to take advantage of this time together?

5. Connect Beyond Your Classroom

Given the state of the situation right now, your students are not the only ones going through this challenging time. Instead of keeping the audience for student work in a digital space that only others in this particular class will see, maybe now is a great time to connect with another class and build opportunities for some authentic virtual collaboration and sharing of learning over time.

6. Set Office Hours

Particularly for older students (and possibly for parents of younger students), make sure to have a specifically outlined time of day when you will be available online for any questions or concerns. If your school sets standardized office hours, that's even better. The important part is that your learners know when they can get your support (and so do their parents).

7. Think Different

The key is to think differently about how you teach, and what you now have access to. It's likely a 45m video lecture is not going to be super successful (and even less promising would be an expectation that students sit at home watching teachers lecture in real time as if the school day were still in session). Now is the time to take advantage of everything that technology has to offer, to think about how you can create an engaging and empowering learning opportunity with all the tools your students have access to, right there in their homes. Check this ongoing list compiled by teachers in the region for great tools you can use!

8. Questions To Ask Yourself

If you're still looking for more ideas, here are some other things to think about:

How can parents be engaged (to an appropriate level) in the learning opportunities for students?

What are some social media tools you (or your students) use on a regular basis that you can connect with to allow them to demonstrate learning in new ways? (I'm thinking Instagram stories could be a great way to document some learning journeys, especially if you ensure the archived stories are being stored so they can pull it all together, even after they expire in 24 hours)

If we know we can't "deliver" the content exactly the way we would inside the classroom, what needs to change? Are there pieces we can replace with better options for home learning?

Even though this is a stressful time for many teachers in the Asia region, you're not alone in learning how to engage students in an online environment. I know there are educators connecting on social media and sharing strategies. We're hosting a #coachbetter podcast this week with a roundtable of teachers and coaches. And of course, there are educators around the world who have been doing this with their classes for a long time. Maybe now is a great time to reach out and connect with others. What a great way to demonstrate growth mindedness for your students and other colleagues, and take this as an opportunity for growth (rather than just a frustrating obstacle).

What opportunity do you see to turn this obstacle into a dynamic blended learning experience for your students?

Images:

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School's Closed, But Learning Doesn't Have to Stop

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If you're currently living in the Asia region, you've probably been impacted by the #coronavirus. Most of my friends and colleagues who are working in international schools in China are dealing with long-term, indefinite school closures. And, here in Bangkok, schools are getting prepared for potential interruptions as well.

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By Julie Lemley, ISB Innovative Programs Leader
If you are a parent in Beijing right now, you are being challenged (and here's a virtual hug). A mere two and a half weeks ago, life was fairly normal - we were finishing up a short stint of school and work between Winter Break and Chinese New Year and we were excited thinking about our Chinese New Year plans - being with family, eating delicious food, and some more relaxation time. Then, we started hearing more about the coronavirus...

International schools were told that we are not going to re-open until we receive further guidance from the Beijing authorities. And since then, we have gone through the gamut of emotions, decisions on whether to stay or go and watching media from sources within China all over the world. We are trying our best, with no clear end in sight. It has been hard.

Now, many of these emotions are still very much alive and we are feeling up, down, and all around on a regular basis. And now, our kids are at home with us and have started "eLearning" while we are trying to work AND keep it all together. This is definitely not easy. With two working parents and two kids at our house, Monday was exhausting. We were trying to figure out our "new normal" and when everything is dependent on technology and there is information coming from multiple sources, it was a lot. I'm sure all ISB community members felt it too.

As parents, we want what's best for our kids. What can we do? And, what can we do to support them and stay sane and healthy ourselves?

Here are some ideas:

· Talk to your kids! They're stressed. Many of them are hearing us talk about what's going on and are scared about the virus and being locked in. They are sad that they have missed basketball games, APAC tournaments, recitals, concerts, and they may be thinking about what more they will potentially miss in the coming weeks. They miss their friends. They miss the autonomy they have when they walk out the door every morning for school. Let them vent a bit. Ask them what they are happy about or what they are worried about and let them know it's okay.

· Give them space! Many of us are spending most of our days in one location - houses, apartments, or even hotel rooms, some of which are only temporary, and that is really challenging. While it's good to check in on your kids, give them breaks. Let them go listen to music and tune out in their rooms. Don't make them sit and work behind their computers all day. Make sure they are taking time off and give them some room.

· Give them some new responsibilities! Use this opportunity to have them contribute more at home. My children have learned to do their own laundry the past week. They've learned to make new foods and they have more chore expectations than usual. It's good for them to learn more life skills and also contribute to the family.

· Keep them social! Make sure your children are chatting with friends. Most of our children are communicating with their friends via school tasks through Seesaw, Dragons' Exchange, email, Flipgrid or the countless other amazing tools teachers are using to promote social, engaging learning. Face-to-face contact is important too - not just WeChat or Instagram messaging - make sure they are having direct contact with friends and family, so they are chatting with people outside of your house too.

· Encourage exercise! This is challenging. Most of us are self-quarantining, but when the weather is nice, get out for a family walk. Do the PE personal fitness activities sent by their teachers as a family. Do a yoga or HIIT workout together. It's amazing what a little exercise can do for the mind and soul.

· Keep to a schedule! While most of us can do school and work in our pajamas, try to keep to a timetable. Keep a reasonable bedtime for your family. Eat meals together. Make sure everyone isn't connected to their devices all day.

· As for us parents, these are all important points too. We should make sure we are talking to people to validate our feelings and relieve stress. Ask for help! We are part of an amazing community. We are all together in this and all we want is what's best for our kids. If you need help, there are so many people here willing to provide it - our leadership team, teachers, counselors, support members, and fellow parents.

We are in this together. As the common Chinese phrase of encouragement goes, "Jiayou!"

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Coronavirus has led to a temporary closure of ISB's campus and period of eLearning. How is the community coping with this unprecedented situation? After the first week of remote classes, here's what one ISB faculty member and mum has learned and her tips for others.

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Creating engaging digital lessons online

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Creating engaging digital lessons online

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Early Learniing Resources

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Questions about remote learning? We share practical examples, resources and case studies from educators who have been remote learning since January 2020.

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By Katie Rigg, CIS Head of Safeguarding & Student Well-being There's been a recent surge of online learning activity as schools and universities around the world look for solutions to continue their teaching, learning and student support while institutions close due to the outbreak of Covid-19/coronavirus. While this surge will help to protect the well-being of their students, these institutions now face the additional challenge of how to protect students while they learn virtually.
Schools and universities launching virtual learning platforms and online classrooms should review their existing policies and consider implementing specific guidelines.

These might address, for example:

where students and staff or faculty should be located when they join virtual classrooms. For example, you might want to ensure where possible that individuals do not join virtual sessions from their bedroom, and school students are located in a common space in their house within earshot of parents unless they are having a confidential session (see below)

how staff, faculty and students interact with each other online, what are the do's and don'ts around language, sharing of any personal contact details and sharing of material during virtual classrooms

what staff, faculty and students should do if they are worried about someone or something they witness in an online platform? For example:

are students able to report easily to a nominated person at the school or university

do staff and faculty know what to do and who to contact if a student becomes distressed during a session?

for schools, are teachers able to contact parents if they are worried?

for universities, if your protocols do not allow you to contact parents, what other actions can you take?

are staff and faculty able to block a user if that user starts sharing inappropriate material in a virtual break-out session?

do your staff and faculty know how to report any illegal content that might be shared online, both internally within your organization and externally to law enforcement?

are managers or designated staff able to enter virtual classrooms to monitor lessons on an ad hoc basis?

is the school or university storing messages so that it can review material afterwards if necessary, and is this being done in accordance with relevant privacy laws in your country?

if it is necessary to have one-to-one counselling sessions virtually, how is the school or university protecting both the student and the counsellor? The same broad principles that apply to in-person sessions should also apply to virtual sessions, including around letting parents know about sessions in advance (for schools), behaviour and boundaries, recording and reporting. Specific considerations include:

do you have a safety plan in place for each student, which sets out what action counsellors should take if they think that a student is at significant or immediate risk of harm?

can your counsellors report to someone if they feel that a student might be developing a crush on them or if they feel that their behaviour might have been misunderstood?

for schools, can you have a parent be present at the start of the session and be nearby in case the student needs support, whilst still maintaining the confidentiality of the session?

Useful resources

For further information about how to protect staff, faculty and young people involved in one to one sessions, see this NSPCC Lone Working Guidance.

How are you adjusting any online monitoring that you already carry out to take into account new virtual activities? Find out more about monitoring for early intervention.

Our colleague Tim Gerrish (a CIS Affiliated Consultant) and his colleagues at The Child Protection Advisors have drafted a set of guidelines to help navigate these complexities. CIS members can access these guidelines in the CIS Community portals for Schools and Universities.

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Safeguarding implications for online learning

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There's been a recent surge of online learning activity as schools and universities around the world look for solutions to continue their teaching, learning and student support while institutions close due to the outbreak of Covid-19/coronavirus. While this surge will help to protect the well-being of their students, these institutions now face the additional challenge of how to protect students while they learn virtually.

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Run pulse-checks with quiz, polls and other questions to collect valuable student feedback. For example, pre-assess knowledge, or find out how students are feeling in general. Kahoot!'s visual reports on live games and challenges will help you with formative assessment: see how the class performed, identify difficult questions that need followup, and reinforce learning.

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Distance learning platform | Online learning features

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Run pulse-checks with quiz, polls and other questions to collect valuable student feedback. For example, pre-assess knowledge, or find out how students are feeling in general. Kahoot!'s visual reports on live games and challenges will help you with formative assessment: see how the class performed, identify difficult questions that need followup, and reinforce learning.

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Resources for Teaching Online Due to School Closures

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Resources for Teaching Online Due to School Closures

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How would you feel if someone said you need to change your whole approach to teaching immediately? Imagine if, instead of interacting face to face with students in your classroom, you had to create and deliver a virtual program.

Perhaps you'd feel nervous? Overwhelmed? Excited? Unqualified? Inspired? Or perhaps plain lost.

During April 2020, remote learning became a reality for over 90% of students worldwide. Teachers, students, families, administrators, departments, and whole communities are being forced to respond and adapt quickly.

Referring to COVID-19 (coronavirus), UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay warned,

...the global scale and speed of the current educational disruption is unparalleled and, if prolonged, could threaten the right to education.

The rates of school closures have soared in the last month:

In mid-February, China was the only country mandating school closures.

Two weeks later, 22 countries were closing schools.

As of April 3, 188 countries have implemented nationwide school closures.

If your school is still open, it's never too soon to calmly plan and prepare. Things are changing rapidly and exponentially.

Want a live update on school closures across the globe? Check out UNESCO's tally.

What's In This Post?

Our guide will give you insights into how educators around the world are approaching school closures.

Thousands of teachers worldwide are currently sharing snippets of their experiences via social media or their blogs. We've compiled, curated, and built on some common themes and ideas to create this extensive guide.
Click on the links in the menu below to help you navigate the post.
This post also includes a range of useful graphics to help you that you're free to use and share. If you use the images in your own work, please attribute our article and link back.

Here's a sneak peek of some of the graphics:

Let's dive right in to the resources!

Daily Structure Options

The first question educators might be asking themselves is what does a "school day" look like when it's no longer happening in a school?

Let's talk about timetables, hours, and the overall structure you might implement.

In most cases, your school day will have to be based on technology although some departments, such as New York, are open to the option of mailing out work the old fashioned way. This is a good fallback if technology can't be used but you may not want to get into the habit of only handing out packets (worksheets) if you can avoid it.

📌Note: It's important to find out about students' technology/internet access at home and we have a Google Form survey you can adapt to survey your parents towards the end of the post.

The old fashioned approach can also work well to complement online learning and is important for younger students. Check out the fabulous "Learning Boxes" staff in Vietnam put together for their young learners.

We'll discuss many useful technology tools further on.

The issue of daily structure and timetables is a major consideration and some schools are constantly tweaking their approaches.

Do you stick to your regular school timetable? You could, but many schools are finding a modified approach is more realistic.

Lessons can take longer for students to complete at home for many reasons including:

Technology difficulties

No teacher guidance to keep students on track, engaged, and informed

A busy household (multiple family members and responsibilities)

Varying degrees of parent/caregiver involvement (there can be barriers like language, competence with technology and the curriculum, parenting younger children, or trying to keep up with work responsibilities)

Illness (let's not forget the reason for the school closures)

Some teachers are finding what they could get done in one period of class requires two periods when it's online.

Consider a "Percentage" Approach

Most teachers who have some experience with online schooling realize that the pace is slower and expectations need to be reduced.

Some teachers provide and expect a certain percentage of the normal student workload. For example, an elementary student might have a 50% workload, although a senior high school student may be given a 90% workload.

Suggesting a percentage might give teachers and families a ballpark if they're wondering what to expect.

Synchronous or Asynchronous Learning?

A question that may come up a lot as you plan and tweak your approach to online learning is whether your program will be synchronous or asynchronous. That is, whether it will be conducted in real-time or whether students will complete tasks according to their own schedules.

Here's a quick comparison:

You might find a mix of both is a useful strategy. Your own unique situation, including your students' age, might have a big impact on this decision too.

For some families, asynchronous learning can be more convenient: if parents are working, they may have more time to support/supervise student learning outside of business hours.

Other schools are finding synchronous learning is a powerful way to keep the class connected.

If your teaching and learning program involves video then you'll once again face the question of synchronous (e.g. live conferencing) or asynchronous (pre-recorded videos or screencasts).

We'll dive in to the video options further on, however, let's take a quick look at how some teachers are weaving conferences and recorded videos into their weekly schedules:

Examples of how Video Conferences are Being Used:

A 10 minute video conference to begin the day.

A whole class video conference at regular times during the week (e.g. 30 minutes every Monday and Friday afternoon).

A whole class video conference to introduce important lessons or projects.

A video conference to check in with each individual student each week.

On-demand video conferencing - students can sign up during a teacher's "office hours" if they want to book a session.

Small group video conferences for students with similar needs.

Optional "live recess" to allow students to connect and hang out.

Examples of how Screencasts or Recorded Videos are Being Used:

A video introduction or screencast for key lessons (might not be possible for all lessons).

A short welcome video each morning and/or reflection video each afternoon.

A screencast to offer feedback on student work and progress.

Student created screencasts to demonstrate learning.

Let's look at some specific options for daily timetables.

More Flexible Option: Distribute a Daily "To Do List"

When schools decide on expectations, they often need to consider whether they should give lesson guidelines that can be completed at any time, or stick to a traditional structure.

For example, if you were offering a flexible program, you could build on a checklist like this:
Today you need to complete:
It's optional whether you give an actual time requirement (e.g. 30 minutes) or just a task, however, a time suggestion can be helpful so students don't spend either all day working, or not enough time on task.

More Structured Option: Distribute a Timetable

Alternatively, students might be issued with a structured timetable that all students will complete at the same time, e.g.

Factoring in time for catching up seems to be proving extremely useful for many schools. You might schedule learning activities in the morning and leave the afternoons free for catching up and offline pursuits. Alternatively, you could schedule one day a week for completing unfinished work or even have a weekly "screen-free" day.

Here's an example of a weekly screen-free day from Shekou International School in China.

#Grade4SIS has implemented a device free day each week during #onlinelearning... & I had so much fun creating this week's choice board for our learners! #choice #learnerprofile #SISrocks #ISSedu #flipclass #disted #mlearning #elearning @SISGeckos @ISSCommunity pic.twitter.com/tNoKEIzjjn

- Mr. Peter Damroth (@PDamroth) March 25, 2020

Rather than a daily approach, some schools are taking the whole week into account and giving projects or assignments that need to be completed or worked on over 5 days. Based on progress, a new plan might then be made for the following week.

Example: Kindergarten

Ashley in the middle east is not doing any live teaching via video conference due to cultural and religious reasons.

Ashley's team sends a weekly plan to the parents of their kindergarten students along with a suggested timetable. There are no expectations that the timetable is followed exactly due to parents working and a variety of family situations.

The planners are given out two weeks in advance to help families plan ahead. The links to learning tasks go to YouTube videos and Ashley's Office 365 cloud account of activities or readings. Ashley's kindergarten class also uses Flipgrid.

Example: 5th Grade

Laura Faulk at ASIJ (American School in Japan) is a 5th grade teacher who has recently started teaching online.

Her team created a daily planner using Google Docs. They share it each morning on a website that was created for their new distance learning program.

They are currently surveying families to find out whether they'd like to have the planner in advance.

The Google Doc planner has links to all the students' classroom and specialist work. The students are given a guide as to how long to spend on each activity.

The ASIJ team adapted their ideas from the work of Hong Kong International School (HKIS have a fantastic home learning website that is worth checking out too!).

You can follow Laura and her team on Twitter (@asij_g5).

Example: Google Slides

Some teachers put their planners on a Google Doc, or Sheet. Google Slides can be another awesome way to send out a daily plan and work (but even better if these Slides presentations are added to a blog, LMS, or website so they don't get lost).

You can include text, links, and videos of yourself teaching to a Slides presentation amongst other things.

One major benefit is you can copy and edit your planner so you don't have to start from scratch each day.

Check out this post by Alice Keeler for more advice on using Slides in remote learning.

We also have a beginner's guide to Google Slides on The Edublogger for a broader overview.

Here's an example from US kindergarten teacher Megan Peschke @MeganPeschke). Don't be put off by the age group. This idea could be adapted for any age!

Click here to view the Google Slides presentation in a new tab.

Instructions for Editing and Using Megan's Google Slides

1. Click on this link:
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1Bl534rtloR0AjD2wgfLPVrJs2Q6BDS9DEz2G2m9Fzgs/copy
2. You will be prompted to make a copy (screenshot below).

3. The Slides will be saved in your Google Drive.

4. You can edit the Google Slides to suit.

SlidesMania have also published a fantastic free weekly planner template that can be used in Google Slides or PowerPoint. Find it here.

Help Students Plan Their Day

Some teachers, especially those who are giving out ongoing assignments or projects, encourage their students to plan out their own days. You could give them ideas or a template.

Here is an example which you're welcome to copy and adapt,

People seemed to like the student planners a non-twitter teacher created for our #continuouslearning students, so here is blank version. Feel free to make a copy and make your own! https://t.co/3ZzKKpUA2F

- Rebekah Madrid (@ndbekah) March 5, 2020

Instructions for use:

1. Click here to open the Google Doc

2. Go to File > Make a copy

3. Type a name and choose where to save it

4. Click Ok

5. You'll then find an editable copy of the Google Doc in your Google Drive

How do you Plan an Online Lesson?

Once you have ideas on how your school day will be structured, you might start zooming in to the planning of actual lessons.

What do lessons look like when they're online rather than face to face?

Despite being physically distant from your students, you still want to be as present as possible virtually. Online teaching and learning isn't a "set and forget" situation.

Like all lessons, you may want to start with learning outcomes, and possibly success criteria (your school might already have a framework for this). The delivery of the lesson will be the part that might just look a bit different.

Remember, there's nothing wrong with keeping your lessons quite simple, and in many cases they'll be similar to what you'd do in the classroom, perhaps with more autonomy and technology.

For example, your normal lesson structure might involve a warm up, revision, an explanation, student activity that aligns to outcomes, then reflection. The same sort of structure is possible with virtual lessons.

Easily Adapting to Virtual Lesson Planning

Timothy Malan (@timothy_malan) is a middle school science teacher at an international school in Spain. He has created a detailed video to explain how a regular classroom lesson can be transformed into a virtual lesson. He reassures teachers that it doesn't have to be overly complicated!

The first 12 minutes of the video goes through the framework, and then Timothy dives in to an example lesson.

5E Model for Creating Online Lessons

Have you heard of the 5Es framework? It's an instructional model that's been around for 20+ years. Using the model, teaching and learning progresses through five phases: Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate, and Evaluate.

Author and educator, Catlin Tucker has published a post called, Tips for Designing an Online Lesson Using the 5 Es Instructional Model.

In her post, Catlin provides a simple framework that shows how the 5Es can be used to create online lessons. Catlin has also recorded a video for each "E" that explains the model further.

While the 5Es approach is far from the only way you can go about designing online lessons, it may be a useful framework for those who don't know where to start.

💡 Catlin also shares a good tip about using Google Docs to share lessons with students. Google Docs are easy to copy and edit. That means teachers can create different versions of the same lesson with minimal work. Any suggested videos, readings, or activities can be differentiated to meet the individual needs of learners.

Useful Online Tools

For some teachers, the technology part of virtual learning will be the scariest obstacle. Before we dive in to useful options, take a deep breath and remember:

Less can be more: you don't need to be using a huge range of different tools.

Start with tools students and teachers are already familiar with: there are probably some technology tools, apps, or platforms you've used in class that can be useful.

Remember, despite technology being a crucial tool for most closed schools, teaching and learning isn't about the technology. Try to focus on the core business of schools: relationships and learning.

Virtual Home Base or Online Platform: 3 Step Approach

There are some awesome tools out there for learning and creativity but first consider what you'll be using as your home base. When your classroom and school assembly halls aren't in use, your virtual hubs are more important than ever.

What will communication look like and where will learning take place? Here are three common steps you might see:

1. Communication will probably begin with information from the school district or state education department.

2. Then a school website might provide an overview of your plan for the whole community. (Need a better school website? CampusPress can help with that!).

3. From there, you could have individual class blogs or other approaches like a learning management system (e.g. Moodle, Canvas, or Google Classroom), a Facebook group (for older learners), Slack, or Seesaw.

Read on for more information and examples of this three-step approach.

1) District/State Education Department

Let's zoom out for a moment. When a school is to be closed and learning is transitioning to online, the first step is often clear communication from the top level - your district or state education department (if your school falls under one of these authorities).

Here's an example from Northshore District School in Washington state. They published a blog post on their district website to inform everyone in the school community of school closures.

It's an honest and dynamic announcement as they're still figuring out arrangements. The beauty of blog posts is you can keep publishing as more information is made available.

Of course, a blog post or website update may be followed up with a direct notification to families to ensure the news is received (e.g. SMS or email).

2) School Website or School Blog

A school website (or temporary site) can be an important next piece in the puzzle. It can provide an overview of your plan for the whole community to ensure everyone is on the same page, knows what to do, and knows where to seek help.

Website Example: YIS Continuous Learning Plan

Yokohama International School (YIS) in Japan has been closed since early March. They're becoming leaders in the community of global educators scrambling to find out how to approach school closures.

YIS has created a website to communicate a clear approach to their changed schooling format,

Although campus is temporarily closed, "school" continues as we engage students with experiences that continue the planned learning program and help them to stay connected with teachers and classmates. These learning experiences offer authentic opportunities to focus on key concepts, knowledge, and skills. They emphasize interaction and creativity, and involve a balance of on-screen and off-screen tasks that help connect to previous learning and the current curriculum.

Vice principal, Rebekah Madrid, explains the choice of the term "continuous learning",

For the first day, people weren't sure what we meant by "continuous learning". But now it makes sense for us. We didn't want online (because not always online) and we didn't want distant (because that's not the vibe we wanted). So continuous worked for us.

- Rebekah Madrid (@ndbekah) March 3, 2020

3) Classroom Hub: Blog, LMS, or Other Online Community

The third step is an online hub where you can distribute student learning tasks, share resources, gather feedback, and keep everyone in the loop.

While you could just email out assignments to students, there may be better options (emails can be better for one on one communication; they can get lost and can be hard to refer back to.).

You might already be using a learning management system or other platform (e.g. Seesaw, Slack, Google Classroom) at school that you can continue to use after your school closes. If so, there is probably no need to reinvent the wheel! Go with what you and your students know.

But maybe you don't have a place set up already where you can post learning tasks and resources that students can use on a daily basis.

Google Classroom is a popular choice. If you want to learn more, check out this demo from Alice Keeler and Vicki Davis. This cheat sheet from Ben Cogswell also goes over the basics.

Consider a Blog For Your Classroom Hub

A blog is a free, basic, and flexible tool that acts as a classroom hub and more.

Here are some reasons why you might consider a blog as your online classroom while your school is closed:

A blog is a space you can own (you don't have control over some online spaces like social media).

It's a place where all the bits and pieces you create and explore in the online and offline world can be housed.

Blogs aren't just text and images, you can include videos, slideshows, infographics, podcasts, posters, polls, charts and more. Here are just six tools that allow you to create interactive learning content for your blog (online worksheets, games, and so on).

Blog content can be organized in a systematic way and searched for as needed.

Comments and forums allow two-way interaction.

Blogs can be public or private (learn more about the pros, cons, and options in this article).

💡 We have a post that compiles some examples of class blogs from a range of age groups and locations. You'll notice that there is a lot of flexibility in the way blogs are used.

Team 2 Eagles Blog Example

Becky Versteeg is a wonderful grade two teacher in Canada.

She is using her class blog to share daily ideas. Her posts include videos, printables,photos from students and fun ideas to try at home.

Class Blog And/Or Student Blogs?

You might be only interested in having a class blog to share learning resources and so on. Alternatively, you might want all students to use their own blog to complete learning tasks, publish online, reflect on their experience privately, or even connect with the world.

My Class is a free management tool from Edublogs that brings a class blog and all your student blogs/accounts together. It makes it easier for teachers to set up and monitor their classroom blogging program.

Learn more about My Class in this post.

Example: Art Blog

Here is an example of a fantastic blog with lessons for home art activities by Chris Gadbury.

One of the great things about the blogging community is you cannot only make your own blog but benefit from other educators' blogs as well!

Want To Start Blogging But Not Sure How?

Check out our Blogging 101 page. It includes a 15-minute tutorial video and all the help guides you'll need to get going!

Educators and students can set up as many blogs as they need using Edublogs for free (no ads or time limits). Compare all the features here.

Videos And Online Learning

You can come up with fantastic tasks for students to work on at home but your program will run so much better if students can still feel your presence as a teacher. Videos are such an important part of online learning and a great way to maintain relationships.

Your familiar face will grab students' attention while building engagement and understanding.

Nervous about being on camera? Don't worry! Just start small. It will be worth it. Many teachers are nervous to start and want to re-do their video over and over (some students are like this too!). It won't take long for you to realize your videos don't have to be perfect and students will appreciate your efforts.

Let's take a look at some options.

👉🏽 Note: If you want to look at using video more deeply, check out our new Educator's Guide to Using Video in Teaching and Learning.

Synchronous or Asynchronous Videos

There are two main options for sharing videos with your learners:

Synchronously: That means real-time streaming. It could be a live stream (like on YouTube) or an interactive video conference (like on Zoom).

Some synchronous videos can be recorded so they can be viewed again at a later date. This is useful if students can't attend the live stream, they have technology issues, or need to revise the content.

Asynchronously: That means you record videos that can be viewed (and reviewed) when it suits the student. Your videos could be a simple "piece to camera" or a screencast.

Screencasting is where you narrate a video recording of your computer screen. Sometimes it's just audio and sometimes you can see your face in the video as well.

The benefit of asynchronous videos is there are no time pressures, however, the connections that can be formed in synchronous video conferences can't be underestimated.

Popular Tools for Synchronous (Live) Video Conferences

There are many tools out there that allow you to connect with students via video. This can really help to unite the class.

Four of the most popular video-conferencing options for teachers and schools include:

Zoom - Robust software designed exclusively for video conferencing.

Google Hangouts Meet - The evolved version of classic Hangouts that's part of G Suite.

Microsoft Teams - Communication and collaboration platform that's part of Office 365.

WebEx - Cisco tool for video conferencing, online meetings, screen share, and webinars.

These tools all allow video conferences with screen sharing capabilities.

The teacher can start the conference and share the access link with the students.

Students can access the conference at the specified time using any device (e.g. laptop or tablet).

Some users like to use external microphones, headphones, or webcams, however, the camera and microphone attached to your device are probably fine for getting started.

Here is a quick comparison of the free/free education plans for Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Google Hangouts Meet, and WebEx Meetings:

Notes on Live Video Tools:

Safety comes first! Your school or district probably has advice about which video conferencing tool you should use and which settings should be employed. As an example, Zoom has released some best practices in this PDF.

Zoom, Meet, and Webex temporarily upgraded their free plans for educators but these offers have now ended for Meet and Webex. If your school Zoom account hasn't already been upgraded, you can apply here to remove the 40 min time limit.

Some teachers are also experimenting with live streaming on YouTube. For teenagers, it's a platform they're often already familiar with and they can comment in real-time.

Mix it up: Principal at International School of Dongguan, Todd Brink, suggested that, "One-on-one, small group, or whole group sessions are a must. Just like the classroom!" Video conferencing software allows these sorts of options.

Example Video Conferences From Teachers

Teachers at American International School of Guangzhou are doing a fantastic job of setting up engaging video conferences using Zoom.

Here are two examples that were recently shared on Twitter,

Using #zoom_us to create a collaborative story this morning ... once we had our order, can we work together to build a story one word a time? A myth about an earthquake that goes with our #unitofinquiry #howtheworldworks ? Even better! #AISGZ #onlinelearning #virtuallearning pic.twitter.com/W4EvYnGK2B

- Katie Robbins (@krobbins84) March 5, 2020

Another #zoom meeting with second graders. I think they only come to see a mess I make doing my science experiments. Today there were beans spilled all over my coffee table and the smell of vinegar is overpowering. Science #onlinelearning is still fun. #aisgz #pypchat #sciencefun pic.twitter.com/XSjc19ltCQ

- Inga Bela (@inga_bela) March 5, 2020

Jennifer Wathall is a teacher from Hong Kong who began teaching online earlier than most of the world. She shares her tips for teaching online, most of which apply to synchronous video conferences.

John Sowash shared these tips for running a virtual lesson on Google Meet (they can apply to other video conferencing tools as well).

Popular Tools for Recording Asynchronous Videos and Screencasts

There are a number of tools available to record screencasts. Like many online tools there are free plans and paid plans.

Let's compare four of the most popular screencasting tools teachers are using for recording lessons.

This chart compares the features of the free plans (paid plans have more features).

Note: As of March 12, Loom Pro is now free for teachers and students forever. The chart below has been updated.

Notes On Screencasting Tools

I've written a blog post specifically about Loom if you want to learn more. There are no age restrictions so students can use Loom if you want them to make screencasts.

You'll remember that Zoom is a popular tool for video conferencing. To record a screencast using Zoom, you start a meeting with yourself as the only participant and record the conference. You can't record if you're using the Zoom iOS app.

Record a Piece to Camera

Your videos don't have to be part of a video conference call or a screencast. You can record a simple piece to camera using your phone or webcam.

That is, a video of your happy self teaching and talking!

In our Educator's Guide to Video on The Edublogger, we outlined ten tips for recording a piece to camera. Read the full post (you'll find a PDF copy to download) or check out the summary below.

Video Editing

Made a video and want to edit it? Maybe it needs trimming, captions, or other effects?

For quick video editing on my phone, I love two free apps from GoPro called QuikStories and Splice. QuikStories puts everything together for you with music, transitions, and other cool effects. Splice is handy if you want to make more manual edits and don't necessarily want too many effects.

Try not to get carried away though, it can be a lot of fun creating videos but a raw edit is fine!

We have more advice about editing and other video tools in our Educator's Guide to Video in Teaching and Learning.

Example Videos from Teachers

This year 1 teacher from Tokyo International School demonstrates a wonderful reading lesson,

@Ms_SarahVaughan nurturing 'reading as thinking' remotely. #distancelearning keeping @tcrwp as alive as possible during this #peskycoronavirus @holleytcrwp @clemenkat pic.twitter.com/cWeCWnUBIX

- TokyoIS (@TISlearns) March 5, 2020

For older students, here is an example from two creative art teachers.

E-learning commenced today @TISLearns worried that Middle School Art & Design teachers Sara and @mandurubell Andrew might 'make it' as the next celebrity YouTube stars! If they earn their fortune and leave us what would happen to our Arts department and staff room giggles?! pic.twitter.com/ZQYpvpTLvR

- Christopher Frost (@FrostChrissy) March 4, 2020

For more tips on using live or recorded video in your online teaching program, check out this article from Richard Byrne. He has some great suggestions such as keeping your webcam on, using check-in questions, and using a $20 whiteboard.

Other Online Tools to Consider

So you have your home base set up, you've considered recording some videos to share with students, now what other online tools can you use to engage students and fuel their learning?

Here are some suggestions with a very brief summary of each. This list is far from exhaustive Leave your own ideas in a comment!

Create fun learning games for your students called Kahoots. Classes can play live against each other or students can complete the quiz at their own pace.

*Premium features are currently free for schools facing closures. Learn more.

A free tool that allows students to study information via learning tools and games (flashcards, quizzes etc). A new individual mode has just been replaced so students can play together while they are physically apart. The free account has advertising.

*Learn how to use Quizlet for remote learning here.

These short educational videos are fantastic for online learning. There's also BrainPOP Jnr. for K-3 and BrainPOP ELL for English language learners.

*Currently free for educators affected by coronavirus school closures. Learn more.

Online tool that allows you to make all sorts of graphic designs (perfect for communicating with students and families). Learn more about Canva in our guide on The Edublogger.

*Educators can get a premium account for free (not just during school closures).

A popular tool to create interactive YouTube videos to check students' understanding. Basic plans are free for teachers and students.

Design lessons with interactive question s, polls, quizzes, and formative assessments. Works with Google Slides.

*Pear Deck Premium is free for 90 days for schools affected by closures. Learn more.

Anchor.fm is a popular free service for recording, hosting, and distributing podcasts. Check out our guide on The Edublogger to learn more about using podcasting with students.

Create grids to facilitate asynchronous video discussions that are very engaging for students. This tool is totally free.

Padlet is an online bulletin board where you can display text, images, video, and more. Padlets can be embedded in blog posts. It used to be free but now there is a limit of three Padlets before you need to upgrade.

Students at the International School of Buscan recently used Padlet for a virtual art show!

Today's Grade 3 Virtual Art Exhibition on @Padlet is brilliant! #ISBlearning pic.twitter.com/rqJqwiN5Nt

- Simon McCloskey (@SimonJMcCloskey) March 5, 2020

Simple tool for younger students to create books or learning journals that combine text, images, audio and video.

*Schools that are closed for COVID-19 can get 90 days free of the premium plan. Learn more.

Cloud based video editing tool that allows students and teachers to get creative. Students could have fun responding to some of learning tasks as a video and can collaborate with peers on projects. WeVideo have also recently introduced screencasting.

*WeVideo For Schools free for schools affected by COVID-19. Learn more.

Real world texts at different reading levels with built-in activities.

*Free for schools affected by COVID-19 closures until the end of the 2020 school year. Apply here.

A curation tool that allows you to save, organize, tell stories, and share content from around the web. See the example Wakelet embedded below.

Read all about how to use Wakelet in this post.

More Ideas for Online Tools

To stay up to date with more useful online tools that teachers are using as they switch to online learning, follow this Wakelet by Erin Flanagan (@erintegration).

There's also a huge list of education companies offering free subscriptions due to school closings by Amazing Educational Resources that is updated regularly. You can check it out here.

A Note on Students and Books

What's a classroom without books! If you're going to be teaching virtually you might be wondering where to find reading material for your students. Some students might be lucky enough to have a lot of reading material at home. No doubt, many will not.

Here are a few ideas for sourcing digital reading material:

📚 Modern books/interface

Local libraries often offer free access to eBooks and audiobooks (e.g. OverDrive, Tumblebooks, Libby, BorrowBox etc.). Find out what your local library offers and tell families how to become members if they're not already.

Newsela - Real world texts presented so that children can access the same text at different reading levels (currently free for schools).

Rivet - Free app that families can download with thousands of modern leveled readers.

Epic - Digital library of modern books aimed at children under 12. Always free for teachers and librarians (and students can access it during school hours).

ReadingIQ - Similar to Epic. There are thousands of modern digital books for readers under 12. Access is free for closed schools - learn more here.

Oxford Owl - 100 free eBook readers for young children. Free but you need an account.

Story Shares - American not-for-profit group who shares stories online, that are aimed at older students who read below grade level.

📚Less Modern books/interfaces

Don't be put off by the "old school" designs of these websites. Many allow access to older works with expired copyright that can be ideal for classroom use.

International Children's Digital Library -- A collection of international books for children aged 3-13 presented in 59 languages.

Project Gutenberg - 60,000+ eBooks that can be downloaded for all ages (most are older works with expired copyright).

Faded Page - 5000 plus eBooks that are completely free to download. Not designed for children but there are many classics for older students (like Project Gutenberg they are mostly older works with expired copyright).

Open Library - Catalogue where you can borrow books for free (lots of options for older students).

Lit2Go - A free online collection of stories and poems in MP3 (audiobook) format with accompanying text. Includes many classics with expired copyright.

Sue Waters has written a post that shows exactly how to find and read eBooks. This is a helpful guide for both educators and students.

Can I Read Aloud to my Students?

This question is being asked over and over by the online education community in recent weeks.

Many teachers are keen to read aloud to their students using video, however, remember there may be copyright issues.

If you're in the USA, you should be covered by "fair use" as outlined by EdSurge.

Some publishers are now allowing teachers to read books to their students during school closure. Kate Messner explains here.

Pernille Ripp and Kate Messner have both written about other places to find online read alouds.

My favourite site for free read alouds (by professional actors) is Storyline Online.

Some authors are hosting their own online storytimes during the pandemic. Find the details in this post.

10 Tips for Virtual Teaching and Learning

Transitioning to online schooling is a learning journey for everyone. While everyone's circumstances are different, these tips might offer you some food for thought. Chime in with your own tips in a comment!

Here's a summary and read on for lots of ideas and examples:

1) Encourage Fun, Play, and Activity

In the traditional classroom setting, many teachers plan physical activity breaks for good health and productive learning.

Many PE teachers are leading the way, sharing their creative approaches to get students moving. If you follow the hashtag #HPEatHome on Twitter, you'll find a plethora of movement activities. Many are being added to a Google Drive of resources that you're free to access.

These PE teachers in Vietnam are sharing daily "Get Up and Go" videos with students. No doubt students love seeing their teachers on screen.

A PE teacher in China is using Flipgrid to teach dancing. Great to see parents getting involved too!

This made me smile. Mother and daughter working together on @flipgrid to learn the dance. It is great to see her mum supporting her during this unique e-learning time. note: this video has been posted with permission from both dancers #aisgzhpe #physed #elearning #movementmatters pic.twitter.com/KGqjx8Hky3

- Adam Tomassen (@AdamHPE) February 28, 2020

Well known Australian P.E. teacher Andy Hair has made up an easy game that his students can play while in lockdown at home.

If you haven't yet tried GoNoodle or Cosmic Kids Yoga (free on YouTube) I highly recommend them for elementary-aged students.

The only problem is, they still involve technology so you probably want to consider some options that give students a break from devices.

Minimizing screen time is becoming a big concern for parents and teachers.

Perhaps you could publish a daily challenge to keep students active and off screens? Take it a step further by asking students to send in a photo of their experience.

Here are some ideas. You're welcome to use this resource however you see fit.

📌 Download a PDF copy of the poster

Many teachers are also trying to set learning tasks that are offline (such as "hands-on" math for younger students - baking, measuring objects, shape hunts and so on).

British International School in Hanoi ran a LEGO Challenge and asked students to send in photos of their creations. What fun!

This teacher asked her students for their own ideas of how they like to spend their time offline.

Grade 4 came up with ideas to stay balanced and get offline sometimes during these days of #virtuallearning. They connected their tips to the #pyp #learnerprofile. They were thoughtful, funny, realistic and relevant. Thanks for the idea @ALMcCloskey #isblearning pic.twitter.com/fe2g4K56kE

- Laura-Claire Corson (@LauraClaire_C) March 3, 2020

2) Communicate Clearly and Frequently

When the school community is scattered, clear and ongoing communication is essential!

Ensure everyone knows how messages will be communicated and what channels they should be checking in on (e.g. email, LMS, blog, school website).

Make sure students and parents know how they can contact teachers for learning support and how they can get tech support. Some teachers are holding "office hours" (e.g. I am available for email support from 10am to 2pm daily; or "I am available for Google Hangouts Meet sessions from 12.30-1.30pm each day").

You might err on the side of overcommunicating to ensure everyone feels connected, supported, and confident.

Make instructions as clear and concise as you can. Effective communication will really pay off.

3) Seek Feedback Regularly

On the flipside of communicating, it's important to also seek feedback from students and families.

The team at Google recently made a suggestion that many closed schools are already trying out,

Using Google Forms, create mood check-ins for students to share their emotional state on a daily basis. Within the Form, students can request a conference with the teacher if they need extra support.

Jennifer Findley has created some great Google Form check ins that you're free to copy and use. There are forms for the start and end of the day.

This situation is new for most schools and families. Engage in a cycle of continuous improvement and refinement based on feedback from families, teachers, and students.

Check out our Google Form later in the post that can be sent to parents if planning for a school closure to find out about their devices, confidence, resources etc.

4) Give Choices

There's never been a better time to empower learners and offer choice. Online learning can offer a lot of flexibility so it's a great idea to take advantage of that.

By giving students some choice in the demonstration of their learning, you can also naturally differentiate and cater to a variety of learning styles and needs.

You've probably heard of a choice board? It's a graphic organizer that allows students to choose different learning activities. They're set up in a grid, perhaps with a choice of 9 activities. Some teachers like to include one mandatory activity.

💡 Kim from Seoul Foreign School created this photosynthesis choice board for her 8th grade students.

💡 US teacher Pernille Ripp created a " Choose Your Own Adventure " two-week exploration.

This, hopefully, continues the honoring of their individual needs and desires, while still helping them with their growth. There are different levels of independence for them to choose from, as well as choices for recording or writing their responses. There are different levels of teaching involved that will unfold once they select their choice.

Check out Pernille's post for more details.

💡 In his post on online learning, John Spencer presented an amplified version of choice boards.

John's variation goes beyond choosing topics or activities and allows for some student ownership of the learning targets and resources.

Something else to think about as you move forward and become more confident with online learning.

5) Set Up Guidelines

School guidelines are an important part of the transition process to online learning. These guidelines can be established even before your school has closed.

Not sure where to start? Check out this advice and examples from International Schools Services. You'll find online learning policies, parent guidelines and more.

Guidelines for students are also important but for a lot of students, a simple PDF with slabs of text won't be an effective way to communicate.

Yosef Tewolde in China shares a clear overview in a student friendly format.

VS basic ⁦@ncpa_china⁩ . Sending out tips for students each day in our VS daily bulletin. #onlinelearning #issedu #pulaoproud pic.twitter.com/R8bkTeZOHo

- Yosef Tewolde (@YosefTewolde) February 12, 2020

American International School of Guangzhou shared this appealing resource on Twitter about videos.

Here's another great example from teachers at Seoul Foreign British School,

#virtuallearning guidelines for primary students collab with @emcslack and Becca Cook. https://t.co/XCoRPuWNq7 #onlinelearning #sfs1912 @SFBritishSchool pic.twitter.com/zVH2jvtV1W

- Jill Zappia (@JillZappia) March 5, 2020

6) Ensure Teacher Wellbeing

This meme inspired by teacher Nancy Breau sums up online teaching pretty well,

It's crucial to consider teacher wellbeing. Teaching is hard enough in the traditional sense but moving online with minimal preparation or planning can be very stressful. In addition, some teachers are also trying to teach their own children whose schools have closed.

Effective leadership and communication are key. As a teacher, try to take care of yourself. Go offline at the end of the day, take breaks, keep moving, eat well, drink water, get fresh air... you know the drill!

Perhaps you could set up a little routine for yourself at the end of the day, This checklist for health care workers in the UK might give you some ideas.

Will Arnold is a teacher in Guangzhou, China, who wisely told me via Twitter,

My perspective from week 6 is that "how will teachers/staff be supported" should move to the top of the list. It's like putting your own oxygen mask on before you help others.

Touche, Will, touche.

7) Consider Student and Family Wellbeing

Switching to an online schooling program presents many challenges to students and families. Listening to families and sharing tips to ensure their wellbeing is very important.

There are many ways to go about this. You might be able to get the help of school counselors or welfare officers. Or, you might invite students and families to share their own tips on what they're doing to stay happy and healthy during this challenging time.

The International School of Busan shared a short video on their Twitter account with basic tips for families.

Staying healthy in a virtual learning environment. #ISBlearning pic.twitter.com/HdcwWWlxol

- International School of Busan (@ISBLearning) February 29, 2020

It's also important to remember that it can be hard to predict which students might struggle with the virtual school program. For example, students who generally thrive in the classroom may find the adjustment very difficult. Keep the lines of communication open and don't make assumptions!

Rebecca Barrett-Fox wrote an article called " Please do a bad job of putting your courses online " (hat tip: Raymond Rose in the comment section below). Rebecca does a great job of stressing that students and teachers are currently facing enormous and diverse pressures. The article is designed for higher ed but can definitely be extended to K-12. Show as much empathy as possible and keep things as simple as possible.

📌 Tips For Parents With Young Children

In terms of helping families switch to teaching their children at home, check out my post with 10 tips for teaching younger children - many of these apply to older students as well.

This is a guide that you can share with families for practical help and ideas.

You'll also find a sample home schedule (there is a blank version that can be downloaded as well).

8) Embrace the Online Community

School closures are fast becoming a global issue. You might have a million questions racing around your head but you're not alone. There has never been a better time to connect with the online communities of teachers who are keen to offer tips, support, and examples.

Facebook

There is a Facebook Group set up by Kirsten Durward that is very supportive and helpful. It's called Educator Temporary School Closure for Online Learning.

Click here to find the Facebook group and remember to answer the questions that pop up when you request access.

Also, use the search function or click here to find a breakout Facebook group. Due to the huge growth of the group, there are now many breakout groups that are regional, subject specific, year/grade specific.

No idea how Facebook groups work? We have a guide that will help!

Twitter

You'll also find some fantastic posts from community minded teachers on Twitter. Many teachers are using the hashtags #schoolclosures #virtuallearning and #onlinelearning. At this stage it looks like #schoolclosures is the leading hashtag?

New to Twitter? Check out our Ultimate Guide to Twitter to get started. It'll be worth it!

9) Keep Your Class Connected

Keeping your class connected can be a challenge when students are scattered around the community (and around the world in some areas).

As we've mentioned, video conferences are a good way to overcome this. While most video conferences would be lessons, consider adding in some fun conferences that are either structured (e.g. play a game together) or unstructured (e.g. live recess where students can just hang out).

If you're not using conferences, consider a tool like Flipgrid where students can respond to each other with short recorded videos.

You might be able to come up with ways for students to work on group projects together. This can add a layer of stress for students who might be struggling so of course, you'd gauge whether group work is a positive option.

Librarian ‎Jen Caressimo (@Zenkenjen) runs Virtual Spirit Weeks to bring the school community together. She invites you to check out her Google Drive of examples.

Camps and field trips are a great way to bring your class together. Did you know your class can also take virtual school trips. Check out this list of ideas from Freedom Homeschooling or this one from Mrs. Fahrney.

Maybe you can hold virtual assemblies for your whole school or year level, just like these folks in South Korea,

Today's virtual learning highlight - The PYP Assembly! Puppet shows, dance-offs, jokes and shoutouts. The PYP team broadcasting live to the Elementary School. What a fabulous way to end the week! I'm lucky to work with so many wonderful educators. #ISBlearning pic.twitter.com/JHFu0SA0zX

- Simon McCloskey (@SimonJMcCloskey) March 6, 2020

10) Keep it Simple 💓

The message you'll hear over and over from school leaders and teachers who have been at this for a while now is clear: keep it simple!

Don't overthink things and create complicated lessons.

Don't invest in expensive technology or reinvent the wheel.

Don't expect that you will be able to cover as much as you would in the classroom.

Just do your best. That is enough!

Obstacles and Issues Created by School Closures

The rapid school closures we're seeing across the world raise concerns for teachers, parents, students, and the wider community.

Some issues that are currently being navigated include:

Students/Families

Do all students have access to devices and the internet?

Who will look after students who are home from school? Are some students being left home alone?

How can parents manage their own careers? Do their employers allow them to work from home or have time off?

What about students who rely on getting free or subsidized meals at school? How can they be supported? What are the ramifications for farmers and food suppliers if orders are suspended?

Are there concerns with excess screen time and lack of physical activity?

How can students stay connected to peers?

How can students with disabilities or additional learning needs be catered for?

Teachers

How can educators juggle teaching if they have their own children home from school?

How can teachers maintain work-life balance?

Can teachers work from home or do they need to be on campus? Are teachers trusted and supported to work remotely?

Do teachers need PD? Can the transition to online learning happen immediately or does there need to be a bridge (for example, students are provided with work/a packet for a week while teachers set up the online learning program)?

What role will non-teaching staff take on?

Who will take classes if teachers become ill?

Will teachers continue to get full pay during ongoing school closures?

Schoolwide issues

Will testing and report cards need to be delayed? What other assessment and reporting concerns are there?

How is attendance monitored? For some, attendance or class numbers are linked to school funding.

Should teachers/administrators chase up students who aren't participating?

What will non-teaching staff do during school closures?

How should the school day be balanced with synchronous and asynchronous learning that's both online and offline?

How can individual students be catered for and work be differentiated?

How can you prevent all the student work from becoming a scattered mess? Are they going to publish items on a digital portfolio (e.g. blog) or something similar?

Will you face copyright issues if you try to use learning materials online (e.g. replicating textbooks or reading picture books aloud?)

For private schools with longer closures, will parents continue to be charged full fees?

What will the transition back to online schooling look like?

What sort of "gaps" may need to be filled if students miss out on essential learning or assessment?

Are their implications for senior students graduating and moving on to tertiary education?

Schools, teachers, and families may also face different issues depending on whether they are part of an international school, private school, or public school. Each situation is unique and throws up so many different variables.

As you can see, these issues are broad and complex. Perhaps at this stage there are more questions than answers.

Planning for a School Closure: Parent Survey

No matter where you live in the world, it's highly unlikely that you can now rule out the possibility of your school closing in the future.

Now is the time to plan. If you don't need that plan, great! However, many schools around the world are closing suddenly with minimal preparation. Teachers and staff end up scrambling to get their virtual learning programs together.

The first step in planning for a possible school closure may be to survey your parents and families. It's important to find out what technology, child care, and other resources they have available.

We created an example survey in Google Forms. You're welcome to use it or adapt it for your own school. You'll find instructions on how to make a copy under the Form below.

Instructions for Editing and Using the Google Form Survey

1. Click on this link:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1viFs7kqOmJOBs-vzVX6pCbhd8rgSda0K-00LAjqruLM/copy
2. You will be prompted to make a copy (screenshot below)

3. You can edit the Google Form to suit your own school

💡 Google Forms Tips:

Planning for a School Closure: Taking Home Resources

If your school hasn't closed yet and you're planning for an upcoming closure, you might be thinking about what you should take home with you.

Every situation is different but in some schools, no one is allowed on the campus once the school is closed. In other schools, teachers are actually required to work from the school (while students are at home).

If you'll be working remotely, you might think about taking home some of the resources listed on the graphic below.

Checklist for Administrators and Educators Facing a School Closure

This post has covered a lot of information and offered a lot of ideas and options.

The following checklist might be a useful starting point if your school is beginning to discuss an upcoming or possible school closure.

Of course, this is just a very simplified checklist for schools that are beginning to think about transitioning.

📌 Click here to download a PDF copy of the checklist

Over to You

We'd love to keep this post updated with practical information. Please leave a comment if you have any tips, questions, or examples. We want to hear from you!

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Resources For Teaching Online Due To School Closures

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This extensive guide will give you insights into how educators around the world are approaching school closures due to COVID-19 (coronavirus). Learn about options for structuring the school day, using video, and using online tools. You'll also find a checklist for schools facing a closure and tips for virtual teaching.

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10 Health Study Habits of Online Students

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Incredibly Prolific Google Innovator

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Student-Centered Classrooms with Google Classroom

Google Classroom at it's heart allows you to distribute work and collect it. It does not make learning better, more engaging, more student-centered... none of that. YOU DO! How you use a tool is what makes the difference. It is an intentional decision to design lessons, that include Google Classroom, that engage and empower students.

One of the most powerful elements of Google Classroom is the private comments feature. For every assignment (not announcement) is the ability to have a private conversation with students. Whoa, let me say that again. Google Classroom turns comments into conversations. This allows every student to have a voice and communicate their ideas or struggles with a task. If we want a student-centered classroom, then we need a method to hear from students.

Respond to Feedback Topic

Students learn more when the feedback is ACTIONABLE. Perhaps you want to create a topic at the top for "Respond to Feedback." Change the topic on an assignment you've given feedback on to the "Respond to Feedback" topic. Only after they respond to your feedback do you release the score.
More tips on using Topics

What Are We Doing TODAY?

If you are organizing your Google Classroom by unit, you may want to have a topic called "TODAY" at the top. As soon as students go to the Classwork page they immediately see what is planned for today. What is also helpful about that is you can revisit assignments by changing the topic to "TODAY." At the end of the day, you need to edit each assignment and change the topic to the unit you want to organize it into.

I like to recommend that if you are going to leave feedback, make it actionable. When you finish providing feedback to students on an assignment, edit the assignment to change the topic to "TODAY." Consider this being your warmup to have students respond to the feedback you left them. Tip: Do not release the score until students respond to your feedback.

Google Classroom for Beginners

Recent Blog Posts

More Resources

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Student centered teaching with Google Classroom - resources including blog posts, ideas, tutorials, and more by EdTech integration expert Alice Keeler.

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11 Things to Start with in Google Classroom

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11 Things to Start with in Google Classroom

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In a nutshell, Google Classroom is Google Drive Management. It allows you to assign assignments and collect work from students. If you are just starting off with Google Classroom here are some things you will want to try first:

1. Create a Class

When you first log in you will be asked if you are a student or a teacher. It is very important that you indicate that you are a teacher. If you make a mistake, you will need to contact your Google Apps administrator at your site to reset your status.

2. Create an Announcement

For your first announcement why not invite your students to say hello. Students can comment, from the Stream, to any announcement unless you turn off that capability. Google Classroom is new to the students also, expect that they will be trying out the system along with you. Let them get their silliness out by posting "hi!!!!!!!!!!!!."

Your next announcement can be a friendly reminder of what types of comments are helpful to everyone in the class and when comments should be made or not made.

3. Invite Students

4. Create an Assignment

Head over to the Classwork tab. This is where assignments happen.

Student view looks different than teacher view. The student view of the assignment has a "View Assignment" link after expanding out the assignment stripe. This allows the students to turn in the assignment. You may want to include in the directions that students will need to click on "View Assignment" to view attached files and to submit the assignment.

5. View the Classroom Folder

6. Click on the Assignment Stripe

7. Provide Feedback

When students do their work in Google Apps, feedback can be left in the document itself. Click on the title of the document to open it in another tab. No downloading required!!

You can insert comments into the student's document by using the keyboard shortcut Control+Alt+M to insert a comment. Pro tip: Use Control+Enter to save the comment without having to use the mouse! Try out Control+W to close the tab and take you back to Google Classroom.

8. Return Work

Google Classroom is designed to return after you've viewed the work. After viewing student work, checkbox next to the student's name and click on the return button at the top. You will have a chance to write a private comment to the group of students you are returning the work to.

When students submit work to Google Classroom they lose editing rights. Ownership of the assignments are turned over to the teacher. Students become viewers of the document. This means they are unable to see any feedback comments left in the document itself. Return work to students to return editing rights and to allow them to see feedback comments in the document. Students are unable to see any scores you've left them until you return their work.

9. Provide a Link

10. Ask a Question

11. Develop this Mantra

All Things Start in Google Classroom

Do not use Google Classroom sometimes, use it for EVERYTHING. Getting students into the habit that they go to Google Classroom first for everything creates a very smooth workflow with your students. This will particularly pay off when you have a substitute. Directions are posted in Google Classroom, the students will know exactly what to do.

Want to know more about Google Classroom? Check out the book " 50 Things You Can Do With Google Classroom" by myself and Libbi Miller. The book is available in paperback and Kindle on Amazon. Bulk discounts are available by emailing shelley@daveburgessconsulting.com

Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2017-2018

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11 Things to Start with in Google Classroom - Teacher Tech

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11 Things to Start With in Google Classroom In a nutshell, Google Classroom is Google Drive Management. It allows you to assign assignments and collect work from students. If you are just starting off with Google Classroom here are some things you will want to try first: 1.

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Creating, Reusing and Sharing Rubrics in Google Classroom

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Creating, Reusing and Sharing Rubrics in Google Classroom

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Creating, Reusing and Sharing Rubrics in Google Classroom

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In Fall 2018 Google Classroom updated the interface to make the Classwork page the prominent focus. Check out these 32 videos to help get you going with Google Classroom. Thank you to ViewSonic for doing the filming and editing. One of the best ways to learn Google Classroom is to experience it as a student. Try one of my Go Slow workshops where all of the workshops take place in Google Classroom.

List of 32 Videos

Link to spreadsheet list
Add resources to the Classwork page

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7z4e_Advmhg&t=8s

Use the new comment bank to give feedback

Students locate the class materials

How students know they have completed their work in Google Classroom

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eXyf81E9WZw

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32 Videos to Get Going in Google Classroom

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In Fall 2018 Google Classroom updated the interface to make the Classwork page the prominent focus. Check out these 32 videos to help get you going with Google Classroom. Thank you to ViewSonic for doing the filming and editing. One of the best ways to learn Google Classroom is to experience it as a student.

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15 strategies for online when school is closed

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15 strategies for online when school is closed

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15 Strategies for Online Learning When School is Closed

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We have outlined 15 strategies to help guide your thinking in creating online learning environments for students when the physical school building is closed.

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Building and Using Rubrics in Google Classroom

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Building and Using Rubrics in Google Classroom

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Building and Using Rubriics in Google Classroom

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Building and Using Rubrics in Google Classroom

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NCCE 2020 here in Seattle has just wrapped up. NCCE (Northwest Council For Computer Education) being our regional ISTE sponsored conference with somewhere around 1500 participants coming together each year to share and learn. Being in Seattle and with the COVID-19 spreading throughout my state, Virtual School was a hot topic.

One of the sessions I ran was titled " Tech Coaches Unite ". This session brought roughly 50 tech coaches together to share and learn from each other I asked how many of them were involved in Virtual School talks at the moment due to COVID-19. Roughly 20 districts raised their hands.

I have had experience with "Going Virtual School" three times in my career and every time it was similar and yet different due to the technology we had.

2003 - In Saudi Arabia due to terrorism in the country, I helped my school set up and run Moodle to do Virtual School.

2005 - In Shanghai I helped to set up, run and train teachers to go Virtual School-though we didn't end up closing due to SARS.

2009 - In Bangkok, I helped to train, facilitate and oversee Virtual School due to flooding and H1N1 in Bangkok we used WordPress blogs as teacher websites.

2011 - I worked with Senators and the State Department in Washington DC to help fund a global Virtual School installment for International Schools to use in case of an emergency.

Each one of these experiences was drastically different due to the technology that was available at the time. For example, the iPhone was only 3 years old and smartphones were just taking off in 2010.

So here are some lessons I've learned as well as recommendations I am currently giving schools when they ask me for advice on preparing for Virtual School in an emergency.

Lessons Learned:

1. You can't just flip the Virtual School switch. If you did not require that every teacher in the district must use the adopted LMS (Learning Management System a.k.a Classroom, Canvas, Schoology, etc) before now, you're too late. In most cases, you will not have time to train both staff and students on how the LMS will work or does work before you find yourself in Virtual School. On the other hand, if teachers using an LMS is required in your district and they have been using it and training students on how to use it since the beginning of the school year-congratulations.....you're gonna rock this!

2. Digital Worksheets uploaded to your LMS for students to do at home are

Boring

Frustrating for parents

Frustrating for students

In general, are not good teaching practice

Not truly taking advantage of the opportunity you have in front of you

3 . In the two times that I was in Virtual School, we learned that teachers often gave way too much work for students to do at home. Most educators are not trained in online learning, which is different than traditional or even a blended learning format that most teachers find themselves in today. In a fully online learning environment, you must rethink the time you allow students to complete tasks. This was our #1 take away from Virtual School in 2010 in Bangkok. Both parents and students felt they were doing way more "busy work" (see #2 above) and were frustrated....especially at the Middle and High School level.

4. Every assignment must be rethought. You can't just take what you were going to do on Monday and do it anyway by just putting it in Google Classroom, Canvas, Schoology or whatever LMS you use.

5. Last but not least.... seize the moment! Both in Shanghai and in Bangkok we turned a negative into a positive by being able to-shall I say-'require' teachers to "up their technology skills/usage" for Virtual School. Once Virtual School was over, those skills remained and we saw an increase in the use of those skills back in the traditional blended-learning classroom after Virtual School had ended.

My Recommendations for Virtual School in 2020 if you did not require every teacher to be using the school adopted LMS.

Video, Video, Video we need to stop thinking in terms of "what can students type" and start thinking in terms of "how can students show me what they know"

Start by training every teacher how to make videos for instruction. Use Screencastify, Screen-o-matic or Flipgrid. I don't care, just pick the one that best fits your system and train every teacher on how to make good instructional videos. What does a good instructional video look like? Here's research out of Vanderbilt University on what should and should not be in your video.

No longer than 6 minutes max! (3-5 is perfect)

Make it casual, make it you, you're kids like you, they want to see you, they want to feel like they are in class so be you!

K-2 teachers - All you need is Flipgrid

If I was in a school today and we found ourselves quickly going into Virtual School mode I would make sure every K-2....well, every teacher really...but especially K-2 teachers had a Flipgrid account setup, and that parents had the app downloaded on their phone. During Virtual School teachers could pose questions to students via Flipgrid and students could do some investigation and post video responses back to the teacher. Teachers could read to students and ask comprehension questions. Teachers could pose a math question and students could film themselves solving the math problem with homemade manipulative in their house. Honestly, this one app is all you need. For more ideas check out #flipgridfever on twitter where teachers are constantly sharing ways they are using this incredible app. (If you use Seasaw that will work too!)

3-5 Teachers - One subject a day

Have students focus on just one subject a day in Virtual School.

For example:

Monday is Reading/Writing

Tuesday is Math

Wednesday is Science

Thursday is Social Studies

Friday Specials/20% time

By having students focus on one subject a day you can support both student learning and parents trying to support their students at home. Again, video instruction will be key and whenever possible set-up lessons that allow students to submit video for their assignment. If I was in a 3-5 classroom, I would only set-up one written question-response sort of activity a week that was focused on learning, it would be my writing activity on Monday where I would ask some sort of prompt and expect students to respond to it and to each other. One a week...that's it....everything else would be video.

Middle and High School:

During Virtual School we need to remember that we're in this situation because something else is going on in our lives. Please DO NOT expect students to do the same amount of work they would have done if you would have had them face to face with you in the same amount of time....it just won't happen. You'll be frustrated, students will be frustrated, parents will be frustrated and then you've lost them.

Remember learning, even in Virtual School is about relationships. So check in with your students. Ask them how they are doing, what they might need from you for support. Make sure there is space for everyone to talk about how they are feeling and what is going on in their lives.

Work together with teachers from other departments not to overwhelm students with work. Again, uploading PDF worksheets for students to do is not what Virtual School is about! Powerful learning can still happen if you take advantage of the technology we have available today.

I would recommend that each subject only assign things two days a week and make those days back to back so students can focus. So a schedule might look like this.

Monday: ELA and Science

Tuesday: ELA and Science

Wednesday: Math and Social Studies

Thursday: Math and Social Studies

Friday/Weekend: Elective, Elective, PE

By making the days back to back you allow for longer larger projects. This gives students space and time to finish projects and allows them to chunk their learning into sizable, manageable pieces. It will also give teachers time to prepare lessons they are not used to preparing and time to assess any work that needs grading.

Again, video is the key! Teachers making 3-5 minute instructional videos for students, and also requiring students to periodically respond in video would be taking full advantage of the technology we have in 2020 and is best practice today! If appropriate, using Google Hangouts, Skype or Zoom video conferencing for real-time interaction would be a huge bonus. Do not make it required, but an optional "Hangout" time with your friends and your teacher would help to make it feel as if school is still really happening.

Lastly, keep it simple, don't overthink it-and have fun with your students! Learning can and still will occur. It won't be perfect, but your classroom is rarely perfect in person, so take advantage of this time with your students. Remember too, that if you are in a Virtual School situation, something serious is going on and kids will be struggling to make sense of things. Be respectful of that, be respectful of families, their time together and their individual circumstances. Just like in the classroom, one size doesn't fit all.

Good Luck...and let me know if I can be of help or support.

I started blogging in 2005 and found it such a powerful way to reflect and share my thinking about technology, this generation, and how we prepare students for their future not our past.

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NCCE 2020 here in Seattle has just wrapped up. NCCE (Northwest Council For Computer Education) being our regional ISTE sponsored conference with somewhere around 1500 participants coming together each year to share and learn. Being in Seattle and with the COVID-19 spreading throughout my state, Virtual School was a hot topic.

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4 lessons from moving a face to face course online

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4 lessons from moving a face to face course online

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20 Steps to Get Started with the New Google Classroom

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20 Steps to Get Started with the New Google Classroom

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1. Create a new class.

2. Click on the Classwork tab.

3. Click on the Create button.

4. Create a topic called "Today."

5. Click on the Create button and create a topic called "About/Resources."

6. Click on the Create button and create a topic called "Unit 1"

7. Click on Create and create an assignment for your syllabus. Set it to be ungraded. Add your syllabus and assign.

8. Click on Create and create a question. Ask a question to get to know your students. Set the topic to "Today."

9. Add any additional resources to the About/.Resources topic and activities to the Today topic.

10. Click on the Stream tab.

11. In the header is the option to change the theme or upload a picture. Try this template to add an image that points to Classwork.

12. Click on the settings cog at the top.

13. Click on the pencil to set a description for the class.

14. Locate the class code and click the tiny triangle next to it to display the code.

15. Ask students to go to classroom.google.com and click the plus icon in the upper right to enter the join code you are displaying.

16. Direct students to the Classwork tab to answer the question in the Today topic.

17. Ask students to review resources you've uploaded and to mark them as done.

18. Point out that when marked as done, the icon on the assignment stripe is grey.

19. Ask students to click on "View Your Work" at the top of Classwork to see the status of their assignments.

20. Click on the 3 dots on the assignments listed under the Today topic and choose edit. Change the topic from Today to Unit 1.

Link to Graphic Link to Google Doc of the list

Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2018

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20 Steps To Get Started with the New Google Classroom - Teacher Tech

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Create a new class. Click on the Classwork tab. Click on the Create button. Create a topic called "Today." Click on the Create button and create a topic called "About/Resources." Click on the Create button and create a topic called "Unit 1" Click on Create and create an assignment for your syllabus.

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How would you feel if someone said you need to change your whole approach to teaching immediately? Imagine if, instead of interacting face to face with students in your classroom, you had to create and deliver a virtual program.

Perhaps you'd feel nervous? Overwhelmed? Excited? Unqualified? Inspired? Or perhaps plain lost.

During April 2020, remote learning became a reality for over 90% of students worldwide. Teachers, students, families, administrators, departments, and whole communities are being forced to respond and adapt quickly.

Referring to COVID-19 (coronavirus), UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay warned,

...the global scale and speed of the current educational disruption is unparalleled and, if prolonged, could threaten the right to education.

The rates of school closures have soared in the last month:

In mid-February, China was the only country mandating school closures.

Two weeks later, 22 countries were closing schools.

As of April 3, 188 countries have implemented nationwide school closures.

If your school is still open, it's never too soon to calmly plan and prepare. Things are changing rapidly and exponentially.

Want a live update on school closures across the globe? Check out UNESCO's tally.

What's In This Post?

Our guide will give you insights into how educators around the world are approaching school closures.

Thousands of teachers worldwide are currently sharing snippets of their experiences via social media or their blogs. We've compiled, curated, and built on some common themes and ideas to create this extensive guide.
Click on the links in the menu below to help you navigate the post.
This post also includes a range of useful graphics to help you that you're free to use and share. If you use the images in your own work, please attribute our article and link back.

Here's a sneak peek of some of the graphics:

Let's dive right in to the resources!

Daily Structure Options

The first question educators might be asking themselves is what does a "school day" look like when it's no longer happening in a school?

Let's talk about timetables, hours, and the overall structure you might implement.

In most cases, your school day will have to be based on technology although some departments, such as New York, are open to the option of mailing out work the old fashioned way. This is a good fallback if technology can't be used but you may not want to get into the habit of only handing out packets (worksheets) if you can avoid it.

📌Note: It's important to find out about students' technology/internet access at home and we have a Google Form survey you can adapt to survey your parents towards the end of the post.

The old fashioned approach can also work well to complement online learning and is important for younger students. Check out the fabulous "Learning Boxes" staff in Vietnam put together for their young learners.

We'll discuss many useful technology tools further on.

The issue of daily structure and timetables is a major consideration and some schools are constantly tweaking their approaches.

Do you stick to your regular school timetable? You could, but many schools are finding a modified approach is more realistic.

Lessons can take longer for students to complete at home for many reasons including:

Technology difficulties

No teacher guidance to keep students on track, engaged, and informed

A busy household (multiple family members and responsibilities)

Varying degrees of parent/caregiver involvement (there can be barriers like language, competence with technology and the curriculum, parenting younger children, or trying to keep up with work responsibilities)

Illness (let's not forget the reason for the school closures)

Some teachers are finding what they could get done in one period of class requires two periods when it's online.

Consider a "Percentage" Approach

Most teachers who have some experience with online schooling realize that the pace is slower and expectations need to be reduced.

Some teachers provide and expect a certain percentage of the normal student workload. For example, an elementary student might have a 50% workload, although a senior high school student may be given a 90% workload.

Suggesting a percentage might give teachers and families a ballpark if they're wondering what to expect.

Synchronous or Asynchronous Learning?

A question that may come up a lot as you plan and tweak your approach to online learning is whether your program will be synchronous or asynchronous. That is, whether it will be conducted in real-time or whether students will complete tasks according to their own schedules.

Here's a quick comparison:

You might find a mix of both is a useful strategy. Your own unique situation, including your students' age, might have a big impact on this decision too.

For some families, asynchronous learning can be more convenient: if parents are working, they may have more time to support/supervise student learning outside of business hours.

Other schools are finding synchronous learning is a powerful way to keep the class connected.

If your teaching and learning program involves video then you'll once again face the question of synchronous (e.g. live conferencing) or asynchronous (pre-recorded videos or screencasts).

We'll dive in to the video options further on, however, let's take a quick look at how some teachers are weaving conferences and recorded videos into their weekly schedules:

Examples of how Video Conferences are Being Used:

A 10 minute video conference to begin the day.

A whole class video conference at regular times during the week (e.g. 30 minutes every Monday and Friday afternoon).

A whole class video conference to introduce important lessons or projects.

A video conference to check in with each individual student each week.

On-demand video conferencing - students can sign up during a teacher's "office hours" if they want to book a session.

Small group video conferences for students with similar needs.

Optional "live recess" to allow students to connect and hang out.

Examples of how Screencasts or Recorded Videos are Being Used:

A video introduction or screencast for key lessons (might not be possible for all lessons).

A short welcome video each morning and/or reflection video each afternoon.

A screencast to offer feedback on student work and progress.

Student created screencasts to demonstrate learning.

Let's look at some specific options for daily timetables.

More Flexible Option: Distribute a Daily "To Do List"

When schools decide on expectations, they often need to consider whether they should give lesson guidelines that can be completed at any time, or stick to a traditional structure.

For example, if you were offering a flexible program, you could build on a checklist like this:
Today you need to complete:
It's optional whether you give an actual time requirement (e.g. 30 minutes) or just a task, however, a time suggestion can be helpful so students don't spend either all day working, or not enough time on task.

More Structured Option: Distribute a Timetable

Alternatively, students might be issued with a structured timetable that all students will complete at the same time, e.g.

Factoring in time for catching up seems to be proving extremely useful for many schools. You might schedule learning activities in the morning and leave the afternoons free for catching up and offline pursuits. Alternatively, you could schedule one day a week for completing unfinished work or even have a weekly "screen-free" day.

Here's an example of a weekly screen-free day from Shekou International School in China.

#Grade4SIS has implemented a device free day each week during #onlinelearning... & I had so much fun creating this week's choice board for our learners! #choice #learnerprofile #SISrocks #ISSedu #flipclass #disted #mlearning #elearning @SISGeckos @ISSCommunity pic.twitter.com/tNoKEIzjjn

- Mr. Peter Damroth (@PDamroth) March 25, 2020

Rather than a daily approach, some schools are taking the whole week into account and giving projects or assignments that need to be completed or worked on over 5 days. Based on progress, a new plan might then be made for the following week.

Example: Kindergarten

Ashley in the middle east is not doing any live teaching via video conference due to cultural and religious reasons.

Ashley's team sends a weekly plan to the parents of their kindergarten students along with a suggested timetable. There are no expectations that the timetable is followed exactly due to parents working and a variety of family situations.

The planners are given out two weeks in advance to help families plan ahead. The links to learning tasks go to YouTube videos and Ashley's Office 365 cloud account of activities or readings. Ashley's kindergarten class also uses Flipgrid.

Example: 5th Grade

Laura Faulk at ASIJ (American School in Japan) is a 5th grade teacher who has recently started teaching online.

Her team created a daily planner using Google Docs. They share it each morning on a website that was created for their new distance learning program.

They are currently surveying families to find out whether they'd like to have the planner in advance.

The Google Doc planner has links to all the students' classroom and specialist work. The students are given a guide as to how long to spend on each activity.

The ASIJ team adapted their ideas from the work of Hong Kong International School (HKIS have a fantastic home learning website that is worth checking out too!).

You can follow Laura and her team on Twitter (@asij_g5).

Example: Google Slides

Some teachers put their planners on a Google Doc, or Sheet. Google Slides can be another awesome way to send out a daily plan and work (but even better if these Slides presentations are added to a blog, LMS, or website so they don't get lost).

You can include text, links, and videos of yourself teaching to a Slides presentation amongst other things.

One major benefit is you can copy and edit your planner so you don't have to start from scratch each day.

Check out this post by Alice Keeler for more advice on using Slides in remote learning.

We also have a beginner's guide to Google Slides on The Edublogger for a broader overview.

Here's an example from US kindergarten teacher Megan Peschke @MeganPeschke). Don't be put off by the age group. This idea could be adapted for any age!

Click here to view the Google Slides presentation in a new tab.

Instructions for Editing and Using Megan's Google Slides

1. Click on this link:
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1Bl534rtloR0AjD2wgfLPVrJs2Q6BDS9DEz2G2m9Fzgs/copy
2. You will be prompted to make a copy (screenshot below).

3. The Slides will be saved in your Google Drive.

4. You can edit the Google Slides to suit.

SlidesMania have also published a fantastic free weekly planner template that can be used in Google Slides or PowerPoint. Find it here.

Help Students Plan Their Day

Some teachers, especially those who are giving out ongoing assignments or projects, encourage their students to plan out their own days. You could give them ideas or a template.

Here is an example which you're welcome to copy and adapt,

People seemed to like the student planners a non-twitter teacher created for our #continuouslearning students, so here is blank version. Feel free to make a copy and make your own! https://t.co/3ZzKKpUA2F

- Rebekah Madrid (@ndbekah) March 5, 2020

Instructions for use:

1. Click here to open the Google Doc

2. Go to File > Make a copy

3. Type a name and choose where to save it

4. Click Ok

5. You'll then find an editable copy of the Google Doc in your Google Drive

How do you Plan an Online Lesson?

Once you have ideas on how your school day will be structured, you might start zooming in to the planning of actual lessons.

What do lessons look like when they're online rather than face to face?

Despite being physically distant from your students, you still want to be as present as possible virtually. Online teaching and learning isn't a "set and forget" situation.

Like all lessons, you may want to start with learning outcomes, and possibly success criteria (your school might already have a framework for this). The delivery of the lesson will be the part that might just look a bit different.

Remember, there's nothing wrong with keeping your lessons quite simple, and in many cases they'll be similar to what you'd do in the classroom, perhaps with more autonomy and technology.

For example, your normal lesson structure might involve a warm up, revision, an explanation, student activity that aligns to outcomes, then reflection. The same sort of structure is possible with virtual lessons.

Easily Adapting to Virtual Lesson Planning

Timothy Malan (@timothy_malan) is a middle school science teacher at an international school in Spain. He has created a detailed video to explain how a regular classroom lesson can be transformed into a virtual lesson. He reassures teachers that it doesn't have to be overly complicated!

The first 12 minutes of the video goes through the framework, and then Timothy dives in to an example lesson.

5E Model for Creating Online Lessons

Have you heard of the 5Es framework? It's an instructional model that's been around for 20+ years. Using the model, teaching and learning progresses through five phases: Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate, and Evaluate.

Author and educator, Catlin Tucker has published a post called, Tips for Designing an Online Lesson Using the 5 Es Instructional Model.

In her post, Catlin provides a simple framework that shows how the 5Es can be used to create online lessons. Catlin has also recorded a video for each "E" that explains the model further.

While the 5Es approach is far from the only way you can go about designing online lessons, it may be a useful framework for those who don't know where to start.

💡 Catlin also shares a good tip about using Google Docs to share lessons with students. Google Docs are easy to copy and edit. That means teachers can create different versions of the same lesson with minimal work. Any suggested videos, readings, or activities can be differentiated to meet the individual needs of learners.

Useful Online Tools

For some teachers, the technology part of virtual learning will be the scariest obstacle. Before we dive in to useful options, take a deep breath and remember:

Less can be more: you don't need to be using a huge range of different tools.

Start with tools students and teachers are already familiar with: there are probably some technology tools, apps, or platforms you've used in class that can be useful.

Remember, despite technology being a crucial tool for most closed schools, teaching and learning isn't about the technology. Try to focus on the core business of schools: relationships and learning.

Virtual Home Base or Online Platform: 3 Step Approach

There are some awesome tools out there for learning and creativity but first consider what you'll be using as your home base. When your classroom and school assembly halls aren't in use, your virtual hubs are more important than ever.

What will communication look like and where will learning take place? Here are three common steps you might see:

1. Communication will probably begin with information from the school district or state education department.

2. Then a school website might provide an overview of your plan for the whole community. (Need a better school website? CampusPress can help with that!).

3. From there, you could have individual class blogs or other approaches like a learning management system (e.g. Moodle, Canvas, or Google Classroom), a Facebook group (for older learners), Slack, or Seesaw.

Read on for more information and examples of this three-step approach.

1) District/State Education Department

Let's zoom out for a moment. When a school is to be closed and learning is transitioning to online, the first step is often clear communication from the top level - your district or state education department (if your school falls under one of these authorities).

Here's an example from Northshore District School in Washington state. They published a blog post on their district website to inform everyone in the school community of school closures.

It's an honest and dynamic announcement as they're still figuring out arrangements. The beauty of blog posts is you can keep publishing as more information is made available.

Of course, a blog post or website update may be followed up with a direct notification to families to ensure the news is received (e.g. SMS or email).

2) School Website or School Blog

A school website (or temporary site) can be an important next piece in the puzzle. It can provide an overview of your plan for the whole community to ensure everyone is on the same page, knows what to do, and knows where to seek help.

Website Example: YIS Continuous Learning Plan

Yokohama International School (YIS) in Japan has been closed since early March. They're becoming leaders in the community of global educators scrambling to find out how to approach school closures.

YIS has created a website to communicate a clear approach to their changed schooling format,

Although campus is temporarily closed, "school" continues as we engage students with experiences that continue the planned learning program and help them to stay connected with teachers and classmates. These learning experiences offer authentic opportunities to focus on key concepts, knowledge, and skills. They emphasize interaction and creativity, and involve a balance of on-screen and off-screen tasks that help connect to previous learning and the current curriculum.

Vice principal, Rebekah Madrid, explains the choice of the term "continuous learning",

For the first day, people weren't sure what we meant by "continuous learning". But now it makes sense for us. We didn't want online (because not always online) and we didn't want distant (because that's not the vibe we wanted). So continuous worked for us.

- Rebekah Madrid (@ndbekah) March 3, 2020

3) Classroom Hub: Blog, LMS, or Other Online Community

The third step is an online hub where you can distribute student learning tasks, share resources, gather feedback, and keep everyone in the loop.

While you could just email out assignments to students, there may be better options (emails can be better for one on one communication; they can get lost and can be hard to refer back to.).

You might already be using a learning management system or other platform (e.g. Seesaw, Slack, Google Classroom) at school that you can continue to use after your school closes. If so, there is probably no need to reinvent the wheel! Go with what you and your students know.

But maybe you don't have a place set up already where you can post learning tasks and resources that students can use on a daily basis.

Google Classroom is a popular choice. If you want to learn more, check out this demo from Alice Keeler and Vicki Davis. This cheat sheet from Ben Cogswell also goes over the basics.

Consider a Blog For Your Classroom Hub

A blog is a free, basic, and flexible tool that acts as a classroom hub and more.

Here are some reasons why you might consider a blog as your online classroom while your school is closed:

A blog is a space you can own (you don't have control over some online spaces like social media).

It's a place where all the bits and pieces you create and explore in the online and offline world can be housed.

Blogs aren't just text and images, you can include videos, slideshows, infographics, podcasts, posters, polls, charts and more. Here are just six tools that allow you to create interactive learning content for your blog (online worksheets, games, and so on).

Blog content can be organized in a systematic way and searched for as needed.

Comments and forums allow two-way interaction.

Blogs can be public or private (learn more about the pros, cons, and options in this article).

💡 We have a post that compiles some examples of class blogs from a range of age groups and locations. You'll notice that there is a lot of flexibility in the way blogs are used.

Team 2 Eagles Blog Example

Becky Versteeg is a wonderful grade two teacher in Canada.

She is using her class blog to share daily ideas. Her posts include videos, printables,photos from students and fun ideas to try at home.

Class Blog And/Or Student Blogs?

You might be only interested in having a class blog to share learning resources and so on. Alternatively, you might want all students to use their own blog to complete learning tasks, publish online, reflect on their experience privately, or even connect with the world.

My Class is a free management tool from Edublogs that brings a class blog and all your student blogs/accounts together. It makes it easier for teachers to set up and monitor their classroom blogging program.

Learn more about My Class in this post.

Example: Art Blog

Here is an example of a fantastic blog with lessons for home art activities by Chris Gadbury.

One of the great things about the blogging community is you cannot only make your own blog but benefit from other educators' blogs as well!

Want To Start Blogging But Not Sure How?

Check out our Blogging 101 page. It includes a 15-minute tutorial video and all the help guides you'll need to get going!

Educators and students can set up as many blogs as they need using Edublogs for free (no ads or time limits). Compare all the features here.

Videos And Online Learning

You can come up with fantastic tasks for students to work on at home but your program will run so much better if students can still feel your presence as a teacher. Videos are such an important part of online learning and a great way to maintain relationships.

Your familiar face will grab students' attention while building engagement and understanding.

Nervous about being on camera? Don't worry! Just start small. It will be worth it. Many teachers are nervous to start and want to re-do their video over and over (some students are like this too!). It won't take long for you to realize your videos don't have to be perfect and students will appreciate your efforts.

Let's take a look at some options.

👉🏽 Note: If you want to look at using video more deeply, check out our new Educator's Guide to Using Video in Teaching and Learning.

Synchronous or Asynchronous Videos

There are two main options for sharing videos with your learners:

Synchronously: That means real-time streaming. It could be a live stream (like on YouTube) or an interactive video conference (like on Zoom).

Some synchronous videos can be recorded so they can be viewed again at a later date. This is useful if students can't attend the live stream, they have technology issues, or need to revise the content.

Asynchronously: That means you record videos that can be viewed (and reviewed) when it suits the student. Your videos could be a simple "piece to camera" or a screencast.

Screencasting is where you narrate a video recording of your computer screen. Sometimes it's just audio and sometimes you can see your face in the video as well.

The benefit of asynchronous videos is there are no time pressures, however, the connections that can be formed in synchronous video conferences can't be underestimated.

Popular Tools for Synchronous (Live) Video Conferences

There are many tools out there that allow you to connect with students via video. This can really help to unite the class.

Four of the most popular video-conferencing options for teachers and schools include:

Zoom - Robust software designed exclusively for video conferencing.

Google Hangouts Meet - The evolved version of classic Hangouts that's part of G Suite.

Microsoft Teams - Communication and collaboration platform that's part of Office 365.

WebEx - Cisco tool for video conferencing, online meetings, screen share, and webinars.

These tools all allow video conferences with screen sharing capabilities.

The teacher can start the conference and share the access link with the students.

Students can access the conference at the specified time using any device (e.g. laptop or tablet).

Some users like to use external microphones, headphones, or webcams, however, the camera and microphone attached to your device are probably fine for getting started.

Here is a quick comparison of the free/free education plans for Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Google Hangouts Meet, and WebEx Meetings:

Notes on Live Video Tools:

Safety comes first! Your school or district probably has advice about which video conferencing tool you should use and which settings should be employed. As an example, Zoom has released some best practices in this PDF.

Zoom, Meet, and Webex temporarily upgraded their free plans for educators but these offers have now ended for Meet and Webex. If your school Zoom account hasn't already been upgraded, you can apply here to remove the 40 min time limit.

Some teachers are also experimenting with live streaming on YouTube. For teenagers, it's a platform they're often already familiar with and they can comment in real-time.

Mix it up: Principal at International School of Dongguan, Todd Brink, suggested that, "One-on-one, small group, or whole group sessions are a must. Just like the classroom!" Video conferencing software allows these sorts of options.

Example Video Conferences From Teachers

Teachers at American International School of Guangzhou are doing a fantastic job of setting up engaging video conferences using Zoom.

Here are two examples that were recently shared on Twitter,

Using #zoom_us to create a collaborative story this morning ... once we had our order, can we work together to build a story one word a time? A myth about an earthquake that goes with our #unitofinquiry #howtheworldworks ? Even better! #AISGZ #onlinelearning #virtuallearning pic.twitter.com/W4EvYnGK2B

- Katie Robbins (@krobbins84) March 5, 2020

Another #zoom meeting with second graders. I think they only come to see a mess I make doing my science experiments. Today there were beans spilled all over my coffee table and the smell of vinegar is overpowering. Science #onlinelearning is still fun. #aisgz #pypchat #sciencefun pic.twitter.com/XSjc19ltCQ

- Inga Bela (@inga_bela) March 5, 2020

Jennifer Wathall is a teacher from Hong Kong who began teaching online earlier than most of the world. She shares her tips for teaching online, most of which apply to synchronous video conferences.

John Sowash shared these tips for running a virtual lesson on Google Meet (they can apply to other video conferencing tools as well).

Popular Tools for Recording Asynchronous Videos and Screencasts

There are a number of tools available to record screencasts. Like many online tools there are free plans and paid plans.

Let's compare four of the most popular screencasting tools teachers are using for recording lessons.

This chart compares the features of the free plans (paid plans have more features).

Note: As of March 12, Loom Pro is now free for teachers and students forever. The chart below has been updated.

Notes On Screencasting Tools

I've written a blog post specifically about Loom if you want to learn more. There are no age restrictions so students can use Loom if you want them to make screencasts.

You'll remember that Zoom is a popular tool for video conferencing. To record a screencast using Zoom, you start a meeting with yourself as the only participant and record the conference. You can't record if you're using the Zoom iOS app.

Record a Piece to Camera

Your videos don't have to be part of a video conference call or a screencast. You can record a simple piece to camera using your phone or webcam.

That is, a video of your happy self teaching and talking!

In our Educator's Guide to Video on The Edublogger, we outlined ten tips for recording a piece to camera. Read the full post (you'll find a PDF copy to download) or check out the summary below.

Video Editing

Made a video and want to edit it? Maybe it needs trimming, captions, or other effects?

For quick video editing on my phone, I love two free apps from GoPro called QuikStories and Splice. QuikStories puts everything together for you with music, transitions, and other cool effects. Splice is handy if you want to make more manual edits and don't necessarily want too many effects.

Try not to get carried away though, it can be a lot of fun creating videos but a raw edit is fine!

We have more advice about editing and other video tools in our Educator's Guide to Video in Teaching and Learning.

Example Videos from Teachers

This year 1 teacher from Tokyo International School demonstrates a wonderful reading lesson,

@Ms_SarahVaughan nurturing 'reading as thinking' remotely. #distancelearning keeping @tcrwp as alive as possible during this #peskycoronavirus @holleytcrwp @clemenkat pic.twitter.com/cWeCWnUBIX

- TokyoIS (@TISlearns) March 5, 2020

For older students, here is an example from two creative art teachers.

E-learning commenced today @TISLearns worried that Middle School Art & Design teachers Sara and @mandurubell Andrew might 'make it' as the next celebrity YouTube stars! If they earn their fortune and leave us what would happen to our Arts department and staff room giggles?! pic.twitter.com/ZQYpvpTLvR

- Christopher Frost (@FrostChrissy) March 4, 2020

For more tips on using live or recorded video in your online teaching program, check out this article from Richard Byrne. He has some great suggestions such as keeping your webcam on, using check-in questions, and using a $20 whiteboard.

Other Online Tools to Consider

So you have your home base set up, you've considered recording some videos to share with students, now what other online tools can you use to engage students and fuel their learning?

Here are some suggestions with a very brief summary of each. This list is far from exhaustive Leave your own ideas in a comment!

Create fun learning games for your students called Kahoots. Classes can play live against each other or students can complete the quiz at their own pace.

*Premium features are currently free for schools facing closures. Learn more.

A free tool that allows students to study information via learning tools and games (flashcards, quizzes etc). A new individual mode has just been replaced so students can play together while they are physically apart. The free account has advertising.

*Learn how to use Quizlet for remote learning here.

These short educational videos are fantastic for online learning. There's also BrainPOP Jnr. for K-3 and BrainPOP ELL for English language learners.

*Currently free for educators affected by coronavirus school closures. Learn more.

Online tool that allows you to make all sorts of graphic designs (perfect for communicating with students and families). Learn more about Canva in our guide on The Edublogger.

*Educators can get a premium account for free (not just during school closures).

A popular tool to create interactive YouTube videos to check students' understanding. Basic plans are free for teachers and students.

Design lessons with interactive question s, polls, quizzes, and formative assessments. Works with Google Slides.

*Pear Deck Premium is free for 90 days for schools affected by closures. Learn more.

Anchor.fm is a popular free service for recording, hosting, and distributing podcasts. Check out our guide on The Edublogger to learn more about using podcasting with students.

Create grids to facilitate asynchronous video discussions that are very engaging for students. This tool is totally free.

Padlet is an online bulletin board where you can display text, images, video, and more. Padlets can be embedded in blog posts. It used to be free but now there is a limit of three Padlets before you need to upgrade.

Students at the International School of Buscan recently used Padlet for a virtual art show!

Today's Grade 3 Virtual Art Exhibition on @Padlet is brilliant! #ISBlearning pic.twitter.com/rqJqwiN5Nt

- Simon McCloskey (@SimonJMcCloskey) March 5, 2020

Simple tool for younger students to create books or learning journals that combine text, images, audio and video.

*Schools that are closed for COVID-19 can get 90 days free of the premium plan. Learn more.

Cloud based video editing tool that allows students and teachers to get creative. Students could have fun responding to some of learning tasks as a video and can collaborate with peers on projects. WeVideo have also recently introduced screencasting.

*WeVideo For Schools free for schools affected by COVID-19. Learn more.

Real world texts at different reading levels with built-in activities.

*Free for schools affected by COVID-19 closures until the end of the 2020 school year. Apply here.

A curation tool that allows you to save, organize, tell stories, and share content from around the web. See the example Wakelet embedded below.

Read all about how to use Wakelet in this post.

More Ideas for Online Tools

To stay up to date with more useful online tools that teachers are using as they switch to online learning, follow this Wakelet by Erin Flanagan (@erintegration).

There's also a huge list of education companies offering free subscriptions due to school closings by Amazing Educational Resources that is updated regularly. You can check it out here.

A Note on Students and Books

What's a classroom without books! If you're going to be teaching virtually you might be wondering where to find reading material for your students. Some students might be lucky enough to have a lot of reading material at home. No doubt, many will not.

Here are a few ideas for sourcing digital reading material:

📚 Modern books/interface

Local libraries often offer free access to eBooks and audiobooks (e.g. OverDrive, Tumblebooks, Libby, BorrowBox etc.). Find out what your local library offers and tell families how to become members if they're not already.

Newsela - Real world texts presented so that children can access the same text at different reading levels (currently free for schools).

Rivet - Free app that families can download with thousands of modern leveled readers.

Epic - Digital library of modern books aimed at children under 12. Always free for teachers and librarians (and students can access it during school hours).

ReadingIQ - Similar to Epic. There are thousands of modern digital books for readers under 12. Access is free for closed schools - learn more here.

Oxford Owl - 100 free eBook readers for young children. Free but you need an account.

Story Shares - American not-for-profit group who shares stories online, that are aimed at older students who read below grade level.

📚Less Modern books/interfaces

Don't be put off by the "old school" designs of these websites. Many allow access to older works with expired copyright that can be ideal for classroom use.

International Children's Digital Library -- A collection of international books for children aged 3-13 presented in 59 languages.

Project Gutenberg - 60,000+ eBooks that can be downloaded for all ages (most are older works with expired copyright).

Faded Page - 5000 plus eBooks that are completely free to download. Not designed for children but there are many classics for older students (like Project Gutenberg they are mostly older works with expired copyright).

Open Library - Catalogue where you can borrow books for free (lots of options for older students).

Lit2Go - A free online collection of stories and poems in MP3 (audiobook) format with accompanying text. Includes many classics with expired copyright.

Sue Waters has written a post that shows exactly how to find and read eBooks. This is a helpful guide for both educators and students.

Can I Read Aloud to my Students?

This question is being asked over and over by the online education community in recent weeks.

Many teachers are keen to read aloud to their students using video, however, remember there may be copyright issues.

If you're in the USA, you should be covered by "fair use" as outlined by EdSurge.

Some publishers are now allowing teachers to read books to their students during school closure. Kate Messner explains here.

Pernille Ripp and Kate Messner have both written about other places to find online read alouds.

My favourite site for free read alouds (by professional actors) is Storyline Online.

Some authors are hosting their own online storytimes during the pandemic. Find the details in this post.

10 Tips for Virtual Teaching and Learning

Transitioning to online schooling is a learning journey for everyone. While everyone's circumstances are different, these tips might offer you some food for thought. Chime in with your own tips in a comment!

Here's a summary and read on for lots of ideas and examples:

1) Encourage Fun, Play, and Activity

In the traditional classroom setting, many teachers plan physical activity breaks for good health and productive learning.

Many PE teachers are leading the way, sharing their creative approaches to get students moving. If you follow the hashtag #HPEatHome on Twitter, you'll find a plethora of movement activities. Many are being added to a Google Drive of resources that you're free to access.

These PE teachers in Vietnam are sharing daily "Get Up and Go" videos with students. No doubt students love seeing their teachers on screen.

A PE teacher in China is using Flipgrid to teach dancing. Great to see parents getting involved too!

This made me smile. Mother and daughter working together on @flipgrid to learn the dance. It is great to see her mum supporting her during this unique e-learning time. note: this video has been posted with permission from both dancers #aisgzhpe #physed #elearning #movementmatters pic.twitter.com/KGqjx8Hky3

- Adam Tomassen (@AdamHPE) February 28, 2020

Well known Australian P.E. teacher Andy Hair has made up an easy game that his students can play while in lockdown at home.

If you haven't yet tried GoNoodle or Cosmic Kids Yoga (free on YouTube) I highly recommend them for elementary-aged students.

The only problem is, they still involve technology so you probably want to consider some options that give students a break from devices.

Minimizing screen time is becoming a big concern for parents and teachers.

Perhaps you could publish a daily challenge to keep students active and off screens? Take it a step further by asking students to send in a photo of their experience.

Here are some ideas. You're welcome to use this resource however you see fit.

📌 Download a PDF copy of the poster

Many teachers are also trying to set learning tasks that are offline (such as "hands-on" math for younger students - baking, measuring objects, shape hunts and so on).

British International School in Hanoi ran a LEGO Challenge and asked students to send in photos of their creations. What fun!

This teacher asked her students for their own ideas of how they like to spend their time offline.

Grade 4 came up with ideas to stay balanced and get offline sometimes during these days of #virtuallearning. They connected their tips to the #pyp #learnerprofile. They were thoughtful, funny, realistic and relevant. Thanks for the idea @ALMcCloskey #isblearning pic.twitter.com/fe2g4K56kE

- Laura-Claire Corson (@LauraClaire_C) March 3, 2020

2) Communicate Clearly and Frequently

When the school community is scattered, clear and ongoing communication is essential!

Ensure everyone knows how messages will be communicated and what channels they should be checking in on (e.g. email, LMS, blog, school website).

Make sure students and parents know how they can contact teachers for learning support and how they can get tech support. Some teachers are holding "office hours" (e.g. I am available for email support from 10am to 2pm daily; or "I am available for Google Hangouts Meet sessions from 12.30-1.30pm each day").

You might err on the side of overcommunicating to ensure everyone feels connected, supported, and confident.

Make instructions as clear and concise as you can. Effective communication will really pay off.

3) Seek Feedback Regularly

On the flipside of communicating, it's important to also seek feedback from students and families.

The team at Google recently made a suggestion that many closed schools are already trying out,

Using Google Forms, create mood check-ins for students to share their emotional state on a daily basis. Within the Form, students can request a conference with the teacher if they need extra support.

Jennifer Findley has created some great Google Form check ins that you're free to copy and use. There are forms for the start and end of the day.

This situation is new for most schools and families. Engage in a cycle of continuous improvement and refinement based on feedback from families, teachers, and students.

Check out our Google Form later in the post that can be sent to parents if planning for a school closure to find out about their devices, confidence, resources etc.

4) Give Choices

There's never been a better time to empower learners and offer choice. Online learning can offer a lot of flexibility so it's a great idea to take advantage of that.

By giving students some choice in the demonstration of their learning, you can also naturally differentiate and cater to a variety of learning styles and needs.

You've probably heard of a choice board? It's a graphic organizer that allows students to choose different learning activities. They're set up in a grid, perhaps with a choice of 9 activities. Some teachers like to include one mandatory activity.

💡 Kim from Seoul Foreign School created this photosynthesis choice board for her 8th grade students.

💡 US teacher Pernille Ripp created a " Choose Your Own Adventure " two-week exploration.

This, hopefully, continues the honoring of their individual needs and desires, while still helping them with their growth. There are different levels of independence for them to choose from, as well as choices for recording or writing their responses. There are different levels of teaching involved that will unfold once they select their choice.

Check out Pernille's post for more details.

💡 In his post on online learning, John Spencer presented an amplified version of choice boards.

John's variation goes beyond choosing topics or activities and allows for some student ownership of the learning targets and resources.

Something else to think about as you move forward and become more confident with online learning.

5) Set Up Guidelines

School guidelines are an important part of the transition process to online learning. These guidelines can be established even before your school has closed.

Not sure where to start? Check out this advice and examples from International Schools Services. You'll find online learning policies, parent guidelines and more.

Guidelines for students are also important but for a lot of students, a simple PDF with slabs of text won't be an effective way to communicate.

Yosef Tewolde in China shares a clear overview in a student friendly format.

VS basic ⁦@ncpa_china⁩ . Sending out tips for students each day in our VS daily bulletin. #onlinelearning #issedu #pulaoproud pic.twitter.com/R8bkTeZOHo

- Yosef Tewolde (@YosefTewolde) February 12, 2020

American International School of Guangzhou shared this appealing resource on Twitter about videos.

Here's another great example from teachers at Seoul Foreign British School,

#virtuallearning guidelines for primary students collab with @emcslack and Becca Cook. https://t.co/XCoRPuWNq7 #onlinelearning #sfs1912 @SFBritishSchool pic.twitter.com/zVH2jvtV1W

- Jill Zappia (@JillZappia) March 5, 2020

6) Ensure Teacher Wellbeing

This meme inspired by teacher Nancy Breau sums up online teaching pretty well,

It's crucial to consider teacher wellbeing. Teaching is hard enough in the traditional sense but moving online with minimal preparation or planning can be very stressful. In addition, some teachers are also trying to teach their own children whose schools have closed.

Effective leadership and communication are key. As a teacher, try to take care of yourself. Go offline at the end of the day, take breaks, keep moving, eat well, drink water, get fresh air... you know the drill!

Perhaps you could set up a little routine for yourself at the end of the day, This checklist for health care workers in the UK might give you some ideas.

Will Arnold is a teacher in Guangzhou, China, who wisely told me via Twitter,

My perspective from week 6 is that "how will teachers/staff be supported" should move to the top of the list. It's like putting your own oxygen mask on before you help others.

Touche, Will, touche.

7) Consider Student and Family Wellbeing

Switching to an online schooling program presents many challenges to students and families. Listening to families and sharing tips to ensure their wellbeing is very important.

There are many ways to go about this. You might be able to get the help of school counselors or welfare officers. Or, you might invite students and families to share their own tips on what they're doing to stay happy and healthy during this challenging time.

The International School of Busan shared a short video on their Twitter account with basic tips for families.

Staying healthy in a virtual learning environment. #ISBlearning pic.twitter.com/HdcwWWlxol

- International School of Busan (@ISBLearning) February 29, 2020

It's also important to remember that it can be hard to predict which students might struggle with the virtual school program. For example, students who generally thrive in the classroom may find the adjustment very difficult. Keep the lines of communication open and don't make assumptions!

Rebecca Barrett-Fox wrote an article called " Please do a bad job of putting your courses online " (hat tip: Raymond Rose in the comment section below). Rebecca does a great job of stressing that students and teachers are currently facing enormous and diverse pressures. The article is designed for higher ed but can definitely be extended to K-12. Show as much empathy as possible and keep things as simple as possible.

📌 Tips For Parents With Young Children

In terms of helping families switch to teaching their children at home, check out my post with 10 tips for teaching younger children - many of these apply to older students as well.

This is a guide that you can share with families for practical help and ideas.

You'll also find a sample home schedule (there is a blank version that can be downloaded as well).

8) Embrace the Online Community

School closures are fast becoming a global issue. You might have a million questions racing around your head but you're not alone. There has never been a better time to connect with the online communities of teachers who are keen to offer tips, support, and examples.

Facebook

There is a Facebook Group set up by Kirsten Durward that is very supportive and helpful. It's called Educator Temporary School Closure for Online Learning.

Click here to find the Facebook group and remember to answer the questions that pop up when you request access.

Also, use the search function or click here to find a breakout Facebook group. Due to the huge growth of the group, there are now many breakout groups that are regional, subject specific, year/grade specific.

No idea how Facebook groups work? We have a guide that will help!

Twitter

You'll also find some fantastic posts from community minded teachers on Twitter. Many teachers are using the hashtags #schoolclosures #virtuallearning and #onlinelearning. At this stage it looks like #schoolclosures is the leading hashtag?

New to Twitter? Check out our Ultimate Guide to Twitter to get started. It'll be worth it!

9) Keep Your Class Connected

Keeping your class connected can be a challenge when students are scattered around the community (and around the world in some areas).

As we've mentioned, video conferences are a good way to overcome this. While most video conferences would be lessons, consider adding in some fun conferences that are either structured (e.g. play a game together) or unstructured (e.g. live recess where students can just hang out).

If you're not using conferences, consider a tool like Flipgrid where students can respond to each other with short recorded videos.

You might be able to come up with ways for students to work on group projects together. This can add a layer of stress for students who might be struggling so of course, you'd gauge whether group work is a positive option.

Librarian ‎Jen Caressimo (@Zenkenjen) runs Virtual Spirit Weeks to bring the school community together. She invites you to check out her Google Drive of examples.

Camps and field trips are a great way to bring your class together. Did you know your class can also take virtual school trips. Check out this list of ideas from Freedom Homeschooling or this one from Mrs. Fahrney.

Maybe you can hold virtual assemblies for your whole school or year level, just like these folks in South Korea,

Today's virtual learning highlight - The PYP Assembly! Puppet shows, dance-offs, jokes and shoutouts. The PYP team broadcasting live to the Elementary School. What a fabulous way to end the week! I'm lucky to work with so many wonderful educators. #ISBlearning pic.twitter.com/JHFu0SA0zX

- Simon McCloskey (@SimonJMcCloskey) March 6, 2020

10) Keep it Simple 💓

The message you'll hear over and over from school leaders and teachers who have been at this for a while now is clear: keep it simple!

Don't overthink things and create complicated lessons.

Don't invest in expensive technology or reinvent the wheel.

Don't expect that you will be able to cover as much as you would in the classroom.

Just do your best. That is enough!

Obstacles and Issues Created by School Closures

The rapid school closures we're seeing across the world raise concerns for teachers, parents, students, and the wider community.

Some issues that are currently being navigated include:

Students/Families

Do all students have access to devices and the internet?

Who will look after students who are home from school? Are some students being left home alone?

How can parents manage their own careers? Do their employers allow them to work from home or have time off?

What about students who rely on getting free or subsidized meals at school? How can they be supported? What are the ramifications for farmers and food suppliers if orders are suspended?

Are there concerns with excess screen time and lack of physical activity?

How can students stay connected to peers?

How can students with disabilities or additional learning needs be catered for?

Teachers

How can educators juggle teaching if they have their own children home from school?

How can teachers maintain work-life balance?

Can teachers work from home or do they need to be on campus? Are teachers trusted and supported to work remotely?

Do teachers need PD? Can the transition to online learning happen immediately or does there need to be a bridge (for example, students are provided with work/a packet for a week while teachers set up the online learning program)?

What role will non-teaching staff take on?

Who will take classes if teachers become ill?

Will teachers continue to get full pay during ongoing school closures?

Schoolwide issues

Will testing and report cards need to be delayed? What other assessment and reporting concerns are there?

How is attendance monitored? For some, attendance or class numbers are linked to school funding.

Should teachers/administrators chase up students who aren't participating?

What will non-teaching staff do during school closures?

How should the school day be balanced with synchronous and asynchronous learning that's both online and offline?

How can individual students be catered for and work be differentiated?

How can you prevent all the student work from becoming a scattered mess? Are they going to publish items on a digital portfolio (e.g. blog) or something similar?

Will you face copyright issues if you try to use learning materials online (e.g. replicating textbooks or reading picture books aloud?)

For private schools with longer closures, will parents continue to be charged full fees?

What will the transition back to online schooling look like?

What sort of "gaps" may need to be filled if students miss out on essential learning or assessment?

Are their implications for senior students graduating and moving on to tertiary education?

Schools, teachers, and families may also face different issues depending on whether they are part of an international school, private school, or public school. Each situation is unique and throws up so many different variables.

As you can see, these issues are broad and complex. Perhaps at this stage there are more questions than answers.

Planning for a School Closure: Parent Survey

No matter where you live in the world, it's highly unlikely that you can now rule out the possibility of your school closing in the future.

Now is the time to plan. If you don't need that plan, great! However, many schools around the world are closing suddenly with minimal preparation. Teachers and staff end up scrambling to get their virtual learning programs together.

The first step in planning for a possible school closure may be to survey your parents and families. It's important to find out what technology, child care, and other resources they have available.

We created an example survey in Google Forms. You're welcome to use it or adapt it for your own school. You'll find instructions on how to make a copy under the Form below.

Instructions for Editing and Using the Google Form Survey

1. Click on this link:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1viFs7kqOmJOBs-vzVX6pCbhd8rgSda0K-00LAjqruLM/copy
2. You will be prompted to make a copy (screenshot below)

3. You can edit the Google Form to suit your own school

💡 Google Forms Tips:

Planning for a School Closure: Taking Home Resources

If your school hasn't closed yet and you're planning for an upcoming closure, you might be thinking about what you should take home with you.

Every situation is different but in some schools, no one is allowed on the campus once the school is closed. In other schools, teachers are actually required to work from the school (while students are at home).

If you'll be working remotely, you might think about taking home some of the resources listed on the graphic below.

Checklist for Administrators and Educators Facing a School Closure

This post has covered a lot of information and offered a lot of ideas and options.

The following checklist might be a useful starting point if your school is beginning to discuss an upcoming or possible school closure.

Of course, this is just a very simplified checklist for schools that are beginning to think about transitioning.

📌 Click here to download a PDF copy of the checklist

Over to You

We'd love to keep this post updated with practical information. Please leave a comment if you have any tips, questions, or examples. We want to hear from you!

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Resources For Teaching Online Due To School Closures

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This extensive guide will give you insights into how educators around the world are approaching school closures due to COVID-19 (coronavirus). Learn about options for structuring the school day, using video, and using online tools. You'll also find a checklist for schools facing a closure and tips for virtual teaching.

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Ten Strategies for Surviving When Workiing From Home

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Ten Strategies for Educators' Wellbeing:

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Ten Strategies for Educators' Wellbeing:

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A Handbook for Schools During the COVID-19 Outbreak

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Educators' Well-Being During the COVID-19 Outbreak

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When a crisis or a disruption like the COVID-19 school campus closures occur, we all respond differently and our responses will change over time. These closures may remind us of past traumatic experiences like the outbreak of a war or civil unrest, or the sudden destruction of an earthquake or terrorist attack.

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Feed back during online learning MS MYP ISBeijing

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Managing you time effective - online learning

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Remote Learning: Revisions Reflections and Recommendatiions

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Remote Learning: Revisions Reflections and Recommendatiions

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At the beginning of February, I wrote about our contingency plans for the coronavirus school closures in Remote learning: tools and principles. That post is still highly relevant because, as the title suggests, it outlines some key tools and principles. However, the situation has developed since then. Most significantly, the closures in Hong Kong have been extended until Monday 20th April, at the earliest.

Increasingly, the coronavirus is affecting more and more places around the world. If your school is likely to close but hasn't yet, make good use of your time with students and colleagues to make sure that everybody is fully equipped to embrace remote learning. I hope that my blog posts offer some useful information and a starting point for discussions. But, again, what works for one school won't necessarily work for others.

As well as the extended closure, another reason for tweaking our practices came from parent feedback. We sent out surveys on February 14th and the results were extremely useful (and very positive). I would urge all affected schools to do this if they haven't already. Parents are always important partners, but especially as we try to keep learning going while students are at home. It's essential that we understand their experiences and challenges.

Here are a few updates that were made as a result of parent feedback and/or the extended closures:
Weekly specialist days
At our school, we have specialist teachers for music, art, drama, library and PE. Previously, these teachers were assigning their tasks on whatever day they would normally teach each class. However, feedback from parents highlighted an important point: students didn't have time for specialist tasks because of all the learning engagements already set by the class teachers. This was also unfair for the specialist teachers who were working just as hard but getting so little engagement from the kids.

To address this, one day per week is now the specialist day (it's a different weekday for each grade). On this day, the class teachers don't assign any additional tasks so that students can focus solely on the specialist learning. This also gives class teachers a welcome breather! We can use this time to collaboratively plan and provide feedback to the students.
Virtual parent conferences
Just before the Chinese New Year break, mid-year reports were sent to parents. Because of the closures, we have not had the opportunity to meet and discuss them. With the extended closures, it will be a while before this is possible. Therefore, we will offer parent conferences using Zoom. Some other schools have done this already and the feedback has been excellent. In fact, parents seem to like the flexibility instead of taking time away from work to go into school. I'll let you know how they go!

If you'd like more information on how we set these meetings up, just let me know.
Track engagement
Considering the length of time that schools in Hong Kong will be closed, it's important to take a closer look at student engagement and ensure that students are working to the best of their ability (without adding too much pressure). We have a separate system for marking attendance, but attendance doesn't always mean engagement. We're keeping an eye on individual assignments and tracking throughout the week. If students miss one or two tasks, it's not a big deal. We have to be empathetic towards their different circumstances. But if engagement is low enough to worry us, we reach out to parents. They have been incredibly supportive so far.
Maintain routines and systems
As much as possible, we're working hard to maintain routines, systems and a sense of normality. Initially, we focused on classroom activities to ensure that academic learning can continue. But it isn't just classroom activities that make a school; it's all the little extra, day-to-day activities. We now have assemblies, competitions and other school initiatives online. We even had a virtual PTA meeting last week (see below).

Zoom, by the way, is invaluable during this period of school closures! We use it every day with students and colleagues.

Those are a few school-wide changes that have been made since the last post. On a personal note, here are a few recommendations from me:
Keep everything simple and clear
This is a challenging time for everyone, especially parents. It's so easy to overwhelm and confuse. When creating online learning engagements, make the instructions as clear and simple as possible (screen recording tools like Screencastify help with this). This isn't just important for the kids, but for teachers. Otherwise, we're bombarded with emails or comments from kids who seek clarification. Keeping these to a minimum is really important for our wellbeing and productivity. We need to focus on the important tasks, like providing feedback to students. Students should be able to independently follow the instructions and know exactly what is expected of them.
Embrace this opportunity to upskill
As I said last time, I believe that this terrible situation has a silver lining: everyone is embracing technology! They don't really have a choice! But the teachers who are making the best of a bad situation are grabbing this opportunity to upskill. Wherever you are in your journey with technology, take the opportunity to try new things!

On a side note, I have just started to read The Interactive. It could not have arrived at a better time! It's full of practical classroom ideas that utilise powerful technology tools. Definitely worth a look!

The final video of me winning the marathon looks very slick and professional, honest. But I thought my PLN would much prefer to see the behind-the-scenes footage. Yes, I'm much taller than the green screen. We made it work. Thanks again, @mrkpyp! #VSAHKG pic.twitter.com/PUFAWJT6Jx

- Adam Hill (@AdamHillEDU) March 9, 2020

Our technology coaches ( Ryan, Fred, Dalton and Pat) have gone above and beyond to help others. Their support and encouragement have been incredible. Last week, I took the opportunity to learn something new. I have seen other teachers using green screens to enhance their remote teaching (for example, check out my awesome colleague, Chris Gadbury) but I always assumed it that it was complicated and beyond my skillset. Actually, Ryan walked me through the process of creating content with a green screen using iMovie, and I couldn't believe how easy it was! But, as with most technology, the skill itself is easy; the challenge is to use the skill to create meaningful content (like Chris does). That's what I'm working on right now.
Take breaks away from your devices
I dread to think about my screen time this month (I obviously don't help myself by blogging). During this period, we need to spend a lot of the time on our devices to support the distance learning. But I strongly recommend that teachers take regular breaks to do something active and, ideally, get outdoors. Brain breaks are essential during this time. We need to keep this in mind for students too. I recommend following Kevin O'Shea on Twitter. He shares loads of ideas for low tech or no tech activities. Great for both students and teachers!
Lift each other up
Like I said, this is a challenging time for everyone. We all have different levels of confidence and ability with regard to technology, recording ourselves, and other important skills during this time. If we start to tear each other down, gossip or complain, we make the situation even more difficult. My experience so far has been amazing. Everybody in the school community, Hong Kong community and global community is pulling together to support and celebrate each other, and rightly so. Keep sharing!

I hope that this advice is useful. Feel free to add more ideas in the comments below. Also, click here to read my other posts about these coronavirus closures. Please reach out if you have any questions or concerns. I'm always happy to help. Finally, please look after yourself and those around you. For healthcare information on the coronavirus, click here.
To receive blog updates, find the 'Follow' icon (below or in the sidebar) or 'Like' my Facebook page. Your ongoing support and encouragement are very much appreciated.

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Remote learning: revisions, reflections and recommendations

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At the beginning of February, I wrote about our contingency plans for the coronavirus school closures in Remote learning: tools and principles. That post is still highly relevant because, as the title suggests, it outlines some key tools and principles. However, the situation has developed since then.