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I'm definitely focused on Flip Grid at the moment. I don't know that I am going to want to try it out in the 4th term of this school year, but I think it's something that I will add to my summer to do list! I'd love to get to the point where my students are communicating with me via Flip Grid routinely, even weekly. I like the ability for students to express themselves verbally, and the possibility for that dialogue with me to start of as private and to build up confidence to do it in front of others sounds truly inspiring. And, yes, I'm with some others here, this Padlet thing seems fun, but it is DEFINITELY a bit overwhelming visually in these initial moments/interactions.

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Wow these tools are all brand new to me and after looking into them they are all every exciting. I love the collaboration with parents and the various learning styles included in Seesaw, I have used Google Meet before and think it has amazing feature for video conferencing and engagement, and FlipGrid would have been something my students would have LOVED!! That would have been used as a reward! Note: This posting board is overwhelming to me-- anyone else?

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I use these 2 resources in every lesson I teach! Google Classroom for organization and having all the information that is presented along with all assignments in one place for students to access quickly as needed. The students love Quizizz as it lets them know instantly how they did, shows me immediately what they know and what we need to work on. They love to play against each other to see who does the best.

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There seems to be an emphasis on group work in the classroom now. Unfortunately, it is very difficult to properly assess individual participation in a group project.  Google Docs allows the teacher to see exactly who is contributing what to a group assignment.

The teacher or the group leader can, within Google Docs,  assign specific tasks to certain students. This divides the responsibilities evenly among the participants. No longer will you have one student who merely spends hours picking the perfect font or picture for the project.

Students and teachers can make suggestions, on the document, without actually changing it. In this way, they can ensure a smooth and consistent flow from one persons section to the next, without directly editing or deleting someone else's work.

Throughout the process the teacher can view the document versions and comment histories to see exactly who contributed what to the document. Even if someone's contribution has been edited or deleted, the teacher can see it in the history. The entire evolution of the project is viewable.

Rather than one grade for the group project, the teacher can assign individual grades based on their actual contributions.

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I agree with the majority! Kahoot is the best. I used for review before benchmark testing and state assessments. As I stated before, I believe learning should be fun. When I first started using it, I thought the students would pay more attention to play the game and not learn the skills. So of course, I converted back to the traditional teaching, and the students showed what they learned.

Google Classroom is one that I had to learn to love. The main thing that made me stick with using it was the documentation piece. I added all the assignments, including any videos and even recording of me giving directions. This program helps the students take ownership of their education. I still have a lot to learn to implement this program to it's fullest, but I'm willing.

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From my own experience, Formative and Desmos were two tools that helped my students collaborate more efficiently and effectively within the classroom. With my iPad in hand, I was able to monitor their responses and maximize learning through flexible groups as they progressed through activities and questions that were strategically designed to elicit thinking and understanding. Students were more likely to be engaged because they had continuous, actionable feedback and support at the level they needed.

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I use Google Classroom for Homework assignments in spelling. I provide sentences for my students to complete using their spelling words. This is my first year using Google Classroom with homework. My students and I have really enjoyed it this year. I really wish there was a way that I could utilize Google Classroom or Quizlet to assist me in Math. I would like for my students to have the ability to practice their multiplication and division facts. I also use Google Classroom to post instruction videos for my students to view at home in Social Studies and Science. I have enjoyed reading several of your posts about the different sites and tools that you utilize. I would love to try some of these out in the future in my own classroom.
-Bailey Adkins

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For class-wide review sessions, I was a loyal Kahoot user for years until I started experimenting with Quizizz. Long story short, I prefer Kahoot when reviewing NEW material. With Kahoot, there is an opportunity to check for (genuine) understanding and to clear up misconceptions in-the-moment, before moving on to the next question. With Quizizz you're forced to wait until the end of the game to check for understanding, since students are answering questions at their own pace - usually at random. For my purposes as an English teacher, Quizizz is a better tool to check for retention of information. I'd be interested to learn what teachers from other subject areas think about the two platforms.

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I use Google Classroom just about everyday.  My students love that they can go there and do their assignments and turn them in.
I haven't experienced used Kahoot yet, but I've heard about it and it sounds very interesting and fun. I just might give it a try.

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As I mentioned, I've been out of the classroom since 2015.  However, as a mom, I've been exposed to the technology that my son's teacher's have been using to engage students.  My favorites have been Kahoot & Quizlet because it is a fun, interactive way for my 12 year old to easily review information before a test.  He then remembers far better than he does with other ways of reviewing.

__Harris, T.

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Kahoot has been an awesome resource! It gets students excited about competing in teams, or can be used individually. They love to see who is the fastest and the most accurate.

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I used Loom for the first time during the Pandemic. I was very pleased with the result. The students received instruction and they were able to share their thoughts and responses. I also used this tool to read aloud to our students. With Loom I was able to stay connected to the students and remained relevant as a teacher.

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Kahoot is one of the game based learning platforms that I use in the math class to have students practice what they've learned. The game can be assigned to them in groups or independently. Students are excited and the atmosphere is charged as they each work to be celebrated as one of the top three performers. After we've covered the standard, I then use quizzes as a way to assess their level of understanding.

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I'm thinking this....taken to a digital platform. 

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There is soooo much information. My brain is still downloading, but I'm immediately interested in SeeSaw. It seems to allow the students to make personalized pages that allow them to share their learning. Students in 5th grade LOVE to share their lives and thinking with everyone.

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These are two online tools that I use regularly. I use Kahoots as a change of pace activity to reteach and freshen up on skills we've already covered. Google Classroom is virtually an everyday tool. Generally I will share the weeks notes, study guides, presentation on Google Classroom and Docs for the students to access when ever they want. Google Docs is heavily used in my class due to high amount of essay writing we engage in.

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If you want to get the class excited about lesson review then make yourself a kahoot or just use one already available by searching your topic. Students love it!!!

Another great resource is classkick. This allows teachers to upload documents and allows students to write on the document, all while the teacher is looking on. Wondeful.

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I've used Kahoot many times over and over again. But more recently, I was introduced to Blooket. I love it and so do the students! It's the same concept, but this one seems to hold the engagement a bit longer. It's great for review, and there are several "versions" of the game. Students tend to enjoy the "Gold Quest" because it allows students who haven't been as successful with the correct answer to still be relative in the overall game. That's part of the reason I've chosen this over Kahoot more recently, because it holds them in longer, and I don't often run into the defeatist mentality they'll often have.

https://dashboard.blooket.com/dashboard

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Kahoot, Thinglink, Google Classroom/ J. Kavanagh

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Kahoot, Thinglink, Google Classroom/ J. Kavanagh

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The collaborative tools listed above are just a few that I have used with students. I'm in elementary education and students need to be highly engaged in order to participate. Kahoot is extremely effective with students. I used to use Thinglink for research projects with lower grades. I haven't used it in the past year, but I think I'll use it again. There are so many different tools out there, it's hard to remember what works and what doesn't. I use Google Classroom extensively. It's great for providing students easy access and I also use it as a place to hold all of my lesson plans.

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I like using Kahoot to test students' knowledge of information that has been taught whether it be library rules or a library lesson that students need to recall information on. I like using Google Docs for group work. Students can use this to work together without having to be in the same space. They enjoy this as they don't have to rush to get things done while they are at school. They have time to work on it while at home. I enjoy this as well as I can view the assignments while in progress. I have students share the document with me so that I can monitor progress if and when I need to.

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I am no longer in the classroom, but am now a Brand Strategist. But if I were still in the classroom, I would incorporate Animoto into lessons and projects. A big part of my current career is digital advertising and social media. Social media is an active part of most people's lives and therefore, Animoto would be a good tool for teaching them how to create videos that could be used for presentations and formative assessments. Plus, one of the articles I read in this course talked about not fighting the cellphones, but using them as a tool for discovery, communication and ultimately success.

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When I conducted trainings for adults, they enjoyed Kahoot tremendously. Their energy felt like that of children. The music heightened their anxiety levels and seeing their screen names made it even more competitive. It allowed time for discussion as each one aimed to make sure they took the next question into careful consideration before responding. I enjoyed Google Doc because of the ability to collect information simultaneously and in real-time!

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Carlton, R
We use Google Suite for our learning system. We use Google Classroom daily. This is where students have access to all assignments. I like using the Google platform because the items are all similar in format and everything can be in one place for the students. I have also used Edpuzzle and it is one of my favorites. Students could sit and watch YouTube videos for hours at home, so what better way to engage them than with an interactive video!

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While i currently use Kahoot now as an assessment tool I could have students create their own Kahoots on topics they are interested in as part of our student interest initiative at my school. I'm having trouble finding ways to be student interest based without me spending my personal money on projects and activities.

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Using Google Docs for students to create written assignments is a great idea that I'd like to implement because it allows for more collaboration during the writing process. If a student has feedback along the way from the teacher and/or fellow students, the creative process would be much smoother.

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Hallmark, S.
I use Loom a google chrome extension to make videos of my lessons. This extension works with the chrome books that all students in my district have and the cart of chrome books most teachers in the building have. I love the fact that students who are absent or quarantined can view me teaching the lesson just like they are in the classroom. Also all students, whether absent or in class, can watch the videos at any time to clear up confusion from the lesson.

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Even the college students love it. If the music doesn't play, they get so bummed! Barefield, A.

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https://www.teachbetter.com/blog/visiting-other-teachers-classrooms-seeing-life-on-the-other-side/

This resource is beneficial because it provides information on visiting other teachers' classrooms. Visiting teachers' classrooms is a positive resource because it allows each teacher to observe other teaching tactics, collect resources and classroom setups ideas. This exposure will arm each visiting teacher with additional resources, new ideas, and a new collaborative relationship. (Griffin. T)

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In this post:

Often, teachers become experts at their respective age levels, with little to no experience at others.

This leads to an unintended consequence of our profession.

Stepping out of their daily work environments and seeing what teaching and learning looks like at another grade level can help change perceptions.

Some teachers think of themselves as elementary, while others think they're only high. Still others put themselves squarely in the middle. They wouldn't have it any other way.

Sound familiar?

Often, where teachers begin their careers is often where they end. Some spend decades in kindergarten, while others never leave secondary classrooms. As a result, teachers become experts at their respective age levels, with little to no experience at others.

What comes of this is a flawed belief system about what takes place at different grades. It's an unintended consequence of our profession.

To change perceptions, our district offered middle school and high school teachers a chance to see what life is like on the other sid e. By this I mean stepping out of their daily work environments and seeing what teaching and learning looks like at another grade level. For many, this was the first time they stepped into a middle or high school in years.

Imagine -- middle school students actually take notes in all their classrooms, daily! Click To Tweet

Visiting Others' Classrooms:

To do so, we established a cross-divisional walk-through protocol for visiting teachers' classrooms, safely and respectfully, with an eye towards better understanding students' educational journey. These visitations were a major part of our vertical articulation goal that helped teachers get a better idea about how other levels worked. Vertical articulation conversations had been largely neglected for years, leaving teachers uniformed about how students meet expectations from year to year. That needed to change.

This year, we sent co-teaching teams to see inclusion classrooms in action. Sixteen teachers (eight from the middle school and eight from the high school) visited the 'other side' and had a full day to watch, listen, learn, and debrief their experiences. Talking with co-teaching teams from other levels was enlightening, too.

[scroll down to keep reading]

Seeing is Believing:

These visits were a revelation. Imagine - middle school students actually take notes in all their classrooms, daily! Our high school teachers were truly amazed to see them do so.

Middle school teachers were amazed, too! How is it that high school students do not need to make endless trips to the bathroom during the course of a period? These were among many 'ah-ha' moments for teachers on both sides. Yes, seeing is believing.

The visits also dispelled much of the 'mythology' about what actually takes place at other levels versus what teachers simply believe takes place. It helped to strengthen our efforts to make co-teaching classrooms more successful for special education students. Seeing other co-teachers helped to reinforce that our collective efforts are working. It also helped to form better relationships among the teachers who made the visits.
Purpose:
The purpose of these non-evaluative visitations, therefore, was to provide first-hand insights that prompt professional conversation around what comes before and what comes after pivotal transition grades. Our process revolved around how students interact with curriculum and meet expectations. We took this step to provide a more holistic view of students' progress, to build trust and to provide fresh perspectives.
Classroom X:
After a review of several protocols, we decided to use 'Classroom X' that we adapted from UCLA's School Management Program. Here is a brief description:

"UCLA Classroom Walk-Through is a protocol used by teachers to watch students at work and then to debrief their noticings in order to identify patterns of successful learning... Participants identify trends that suggest areas for professional inquiry." (2008) It is a simple protocol, yet it yielded excellent results.
Training:
Prior to teachers visiting others' classrooms, we conducted a foundational training to help prepare them. We reviewed the protocol, data collection forms, norms when inside the classrooms, logistics, and debriefing our experiences together at the end of the day. Teachers were encouraged to notice and wonder.

Some of our norms included the following: put away your mobile device and avoid side bar conversations. Although these norms go without saying, we said them anyway. By being direct, teachers were extra cautious in classrooms. Norms such as these helped to set the stage for successful visits.

Here are some takeaways from a "day on the other side!"
Takeaways:

Classrooms at other levels were more structured than anticipated;

Students were more capable than they previously thought;

It is eye-opening to know where students are coming from; and

Teachers would like to visit more often in order to discuss impressions with colleagues and make adjustments.

All of us working on the vertical articulation initiative are excited about its success. Over three years, more than 100 teachers have made the trip to the other side, with many more requesting to go. Without question, we can learn much by spending time in others' classrooms.

So open your doors, open your minds, and see what life is like on the other side. It can be quite the revelation that makes a difference in your perspective and in your classroom as well.
References:
Martinez-Miller, Patricia and Cervone, Laureen. (2008 ). Breaking Through to Effective

Teaching; A Walk-through Protocol Linking Student Learning to Professional Practice .

Lanham, Maryland. Rowan and Littlefield Education.

Cervone, Laureen and Martinez-Miller, Patricia. (Summer 2007) "Classroom Walkthroughs as a

Catalyst for School Improvement." Leadership Compass . Vol. 4, No. 4.

About Dr. Maribeth Edmunds

Dr. Maribeth Edmunds, an educator in New Jersey's public schools for over 30 years, is Director of Secondary Education with the South Brunswick School District. She has served as an English teacher and then as an elementary school principal before assuming the role of director. Maribeth earned her doctorate in Educational Leadership Management and Policy from Seton Hall University where she now teaches graduate courses as an adjunct. Dr. Edmunds is committed to high academic achievement for all students and quality professional development for teachers. You can follow her on Twitter @DrMBEdmunds where she connects with educators from all over the world.

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Visiting Other Teachers' Classrooms: Seeing Life on the Other Side

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Often, teachers become experts at their respective age levels, with little to no experience at others. This leads to an unintended consequence of our profession. Stepping out of their daily work environments and seeing what teaching and learning looks like at another grade level can help change perceptions.

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Kahoot seems very interesting since
most students are likely to engage in games. What a neat way to incorporate this in to learning at at same time. I am new to this technology but willing to dive right in! Just set-up my account. A different way to look at formative assessment and one that seems very engaging. If you have any suggestions for me, let me know!

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I have used flipgrid with kindergarten before and the kids really enjoyed making and watching videos. We did one in an All About Me unit and I also did on using our Summer reading book. They used flipgrid to tell their favorite part of the book. The students liked responding to each other's videos. I want to explore Kahoot a little bit with K. I am not sure how it would work because I have only used it on cell phone not individual computer. I am not sure if that can be done. I would like to try using vocabulary lessons.

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Kahoot is so much fun for students to play while being actively engaged in learning. Often we see students sit and stare when answering questions. They will take forever to get finished just because they are dying from boredom. Kahoot gives students the perfect platform to think on their toes to get the correct answer. It is quick and very engaging. It gives instant feedback and teaches students to work harder to see their name at the top. It helps with reasoning and forces them to use strategies to eliminate incorrect answers. It is a great way to make learning fun and exciting.

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I am not familiar very familiar with it, but Kahoot seems interesting to me because it provides many different ways it can be used. Students like playing games on their phones and Kahoot allows them do so. I like how you can use it for distance learning and self paced as well. Kahoot can be used in centers or stations by replaying live games for reinforcement.

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I use googleclass room's google meet a lot with my computer art classes.  They can watch my demos on my screen. I don't have a JTouch or one big screen so we make due with what we have.
My art classes like Flipgrid.

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Google Hangouts is pretty standard fare and I imagine many older students would already have it and be familiar with it. This would be a great idea to have a virtual discussion of a topic or material, or help a friend review for an upcoming quiz or test.

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I'm amazed at the plethora of available digital tools! Some of these could definitely consume my time since they create a sense of curiosity and attraction. Green, S.

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Flipgrid is a way to replicate the "turn and talk" format that our classroom uses!

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Helped kids learn vocabulary words in a fun way and they could use their cell phones!

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When reading the different tools that one can use, I thought that Voice Thread would be an excellent way that my zoom science students could collaborate on a project, research a scientist and present what they learned using this tool. Also as a teacher this is a way I could present and explain material. The student could pause, rewatch all or just a piece that they might need further understanding on.

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I recently began using Flipgrid with my class during distance learning. On Flipgrid, the teacher posts a prompt in text or video and the students respond with a video. The teacher can then respond with private feedback. The platform is very easy to use and allows the teacher a lot of control over the interactions that are available. For example the teacher can choose to allow the students to respond to or like each other's videos or disable these options. This makes it a manageable platform for all ages and maturity levels. Some of my colleagues were using this website even before distance learning, and I could see myself doing the same in future school years. I can particularly see myself using Flipgrid to monitor students' reading fluency and speaking skills, aspects I am particularly concerned with as I teach ELL students. I like Flipgrid because it is easy to use and allows students to interact with both other students and the teacher.

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I like Kahoot because it’s a game-based classroom response system that the whole class can play in real time. Students love using their phones, so playing Kahoot gives them a legitimate reason for having their phones out in school. Multiple choice questions are shown on a screen. Students answer the questions using their phones or tablet. The teacher can make the assignment eye-catching by adding engaging images. I think Kahoot is a good way to keep students focus and involved. Kahoot makes learning fun.

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I love Google Classroom and have found this tool even more helpful, since we've moved to online learning. I love how easy the platform makes it to share material with my families and also receive their feedback on different assignments. Families comment on my assignments and even upload pictures of their children completing the work. It's been a great way to keep in touch with my families, since we've been out of the classroom.

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Kahoot! is a useful and fun tool that can be used in a school, work, or home setting. It provides templates or the ability to create custom-made quizzes that can be done by cell phone, tablet, or computer. It doesn't cost participants anything, and you can even get a basic plan at no cost for use with up to ten participants. Kahoot! provides immediate results, the ability to poll, and can be used for presentations, e-learning, collaboration, teaching and training.

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Using Kahoot in classes is a fun way to review during a lesson to make sure students are learning. They love it because they get to use their cell phones in class to choose the multiple choice answer they feel is correct, and it shows on Kahoot the percentage of students who chose each answer. This way, they don't have to be embarrassed about getting the answer wrong. If a large percentage gets the answer wrong, it's an opportunity to discuss their reasoning behind choosing that answer and a chance for the teacher to better explain the concept. I would use this in Literature lessons to make sure they understood a story or poem.

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This is really neat service for students to be teamed up with a native speaker and learn a language during this time.
One of the mental health issues facing students will be the lack of socialization. This allows them to make a friend, learn something new, and keep socializing!

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Conversation Exchange - Language learning with native speakers

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Through Conversation Exchange you can have three types of language exchange: face to face conversation by meeting up with native speakers, Correspondence (pen-pal), text and voice chat

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Hi mom 👋🏻

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We didn't talk much about helping our students with their problems and concerns online.  Here's some great ideas for our whole child--mental health
https://www.edutopia.org/article/theres-app-school-counseling-and-sel-go-online

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It's a Thursday afternoon and I'm meeting on Zoom with Yafae and Elijah, two Chicago high school sophomores, and their teacher Melissa Hughes-all of us at home due to coronavirus mandates.

While teachers and parents around the country fret about the transition to home-based learning during the pandemic, the boys say that's not what they're worried about. They're thinking about the other impacts of being home-namely the loss of connections, experiences, and memories made at school.

"Some people really rely on other people to make them happy. They get joy coming to school and seeing their friends," said Yafae, who tells me he hasn't gone outside since the weekend but is itching to go for a run to stay in shape for football. "A lot of my peers are scared," adds Elijah. "We can't really do anything. We can't go places... There's just a lot of stuff going on in my head."

It was only a few weeks ago that the boys and their peers were notified that their school, like schools across the nation, was closing its doors. As teachers and students hastily prepared for the transition, the boys did their own scrambling-to record a series of podcasts about the stress and uncertainty many kids were experiencing. On one episode, a social worker talks young listeners through mindful breathing exercises to calm the brain; on another, a counselor reminds students "an idle mind is the devil's playground," and encourages them to brainstorm activities like playing video games, doing pushups, and reading books to cope with being home.
Courtesy of Charles Anderson
The boys' novel response to the circumstances-a mix of new technologies and more traditional counseling known as "telehealth" or "teletherapy"-is now being adopted in a hurry by school districts around the country. Seeking new avenues to reach kids without direct access to school-based services, counselors and social workers are now connecting via video conference, apps, and phone calls, or working directly with teachers to embed social and emotional practices into their remote teaching.

Counselors, principals, and teachers share their new approaches:

The Big Privacy Question

Regulations around the privacy of minors-who had limited telehealth offerings in schools in the past-are being loosened during the pandemic, allowing districts to offer virtual counseling and therapy sessions for students who need it, according to Debbie Plotnick, a vice president at Mental Health America, who says it may set a new precedent for school-based health care.

Students who were already receiving services at school can continue one-to-one sessions (or even group therapy) by video or phone. Some districts, such as Onslow County Schools in North Carolina and Seattle Public Schools, are also providing the option for any student who feels they need to talk. For counselors or psychologists who are new to running virtual therapy sessions, national organizations like the National Center for School Mental Health and the American School Counselors Association are offering resource pages and videos with guidelines.

Given the legal implications, educators recommend being fully transparent about the risks of virtual settings, and asking families to provide explicit consent for virtual counseling. In the San Carlos, California, school district, for example, an email was sent out to parents of children receiving counseling services notifying them that absolute privacy cannot be guaranteed using telecommunications platforms, and getting confirmation they were comfortable with it.

There's an App for That

Educators are also turning to a wide array of digital tools that provide everything from breathing exercises and journaling prompts to quick options to check on a students' mental health. Alex Shevrin Venet, a college professor and former administrator at a therapeutic high school, recommends the SuperBetter app, which uses digital games like "fulfilling a quest" or "recruiting allies" to teach kids social and emotional skills like cooperation and persistence. The popular Calm app, which focuses on relaxation, also features activities just for kids.

Designed with help from high school students, the new Atlas app offers users a library of podcasts-updated weekly-featuring students' own stories on stress and ruminations on their lives. The reflections are paired with "techniques and strategies that you would find in evidence-based therapies to help students work through whatever they're going through," said Max Savage, one of the co-founders, who is now offering the app for free during coronavirus school closures. Forty-two schools are currently partnered with Atlas.

Apps can even serve very young learners. A pre-k program in Ohio recently tested out GoogleDuo -a video communications app with stringent privacy standards-to conduct virtual counseling with 3-5 year olds from families with a history of trauma. Though the children struggled a bit to sit still and adapt to the medium, the educators worked through the problems. "There's nothing that's going to substitute" for face-to-face counseling, said one mental health counselor, but the program is now considering using the app for summer extensions after the pandemic ends.

Embedding Virtual Touchpoints

Regular touchpoints like online check-ins can also help ensure kids are tethered to the school community and aren't slipping through the cracks, say educators and counselors we talked to.

Sarahi Monterrey, the 2018-2019 Wisconsin State Teacher of the Year, says she's started asking students how they are feeling in her daily Google attendance form as a way to keep tabs on students' mental health, for example. Other teachers suggest monitoring attendance in digital classrooms carefully, then notifying counselors if a student is chronically absent or unengaged in activities so they can reach out directly.

Meanwhile, Phyllis Fagell, a school counselor in Washington, D.C., recommends teachers and counselors carve out time to have students do non-academic activities online together like play games and participate in book clubs, lunch groups, or small group projects to give them moments of "joy and relief" with their peers.

It's also important for counselors and educators to connect with parents/caregivers to understand the best ways to reach them and to get a sense of what's going on at home, says Mathew Portell, a principal of a Title I elementary school in Nashville, Tennessee, who has made it a priority to call all 325 families at his school during the closure.

"What we're learning right now is that the majority of our parents are in survival mode; they need comfort and somebody they trust and talk to," said Portell, who plans to continue the practice into next school year.

Always-On Portals

Online portals stocked with social and emotional resources can be a rich, asynchronous destination for parents and teachers to support students' mental health on their own time.

In the San Carlos school district, counselors set up an online portal that provides weekly social and emotional learning (SEL) activities teachers or parents can use on topics like emotion regulation and calming/breathing routines. Similarly, Sarah Kirk, an elementary school counselor in Oklahoma, has set up a page on her class website dedicated to the coronavirus that provides a list of SEL resources for families and teachers, such as books about identifying feelings, games that teach self-regulation skills, and reflective activities to do while watching TV or movies.

Community Partners

Some districts recommend working collaboratively with health care providers in their communities to extend their reach to more students.

A number of providers, who already have experience with telehealth, are offering pro bono or heavily discounted costs for virtual counseling services during this time, according to educators. In New York City, for example, 60 community agencies are now partnering with local schools to support students' mental health, while in San Carlos, California, schools are working directly with the local One Life Counseling Center, which offers reduced-cost and free services for families in need.

A Note of Caution

Mental health professionals urge caution with all digital outreach, given that not all families have the resources to stay tapped in virtually, and recommend educators consider ways they can reach everyone-whether it be by phone, text messages, or even letters sent home.

Additionally, while mental health professionals encourage schools to address students' and families' immediate needs, they are mindful they may face challenging issues ahead-like a family's changing circumstances, and loss of jobs or even lives-that will have significant impacts on students as they transition back to school.

But though the pending issues are grave, mental health professionals retain some optimism that the digitals tools will provide new ways to connect with and support students now-and when the pandemic ends. "We've got to see the silver lining in all of this," said Melissa Reeves, past president of the National Association for School Psychologists. "It's a new skill set that might enable us to increase and provide services in ways we haven't in the past to reach more students."

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There's an App for That-School Counseling and SEL Go Online

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It's a Thursday afternoon and I'm meeting on Zoom with Yafae and Elijah, two Chicago high school sophomores, and their teacher Melissa Hughes-all of us at home due to coronavirus mandates. While teachers and parents around the country fret about the transition to home-based learning during the pandemic, the boys say that's not what they're worried about.

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Hooray!  You made it to our Padlet!  Click the + sign below and add to our ideas.  J. Pickett

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Hooray!  You made it to our Padlet!  Click the + sign below and add to our ideas.  J. Pickett