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We are compiling some of the best resources and exemplars for schools and families preparing for online learning in response to COVID-19

As COVID-19 spreads rapidly in the United States, schools and districts are facing difficult decisions around how to protect their students and staff while continuing to prioritize learning and equity.

To support planning, preparation, and response to COVID-19, the U.S. Department of Education has published COVID-19 Information and Resources for Schools and School Personnel, and the CDC has published Resources for K-12 Schools and Childcare Programs.

According to Education Week's Coronavirus and School Closures map, more than 124,000 schools have been closed to ensure social distancing is maintained, impacting some 55 million students. Schools have been ordered or recommended to close for the remainder of the academic year in 48 states, the District of Columbia and 4 U.S. territories. Many school systems are now implementing online or home-based learning in response to extended closures.

There are few examples for large-scale emergency online learning, making it difficult to identify best practices. The education community is working quickly to develop resources and guidance to assist educators and families during this unprecedented time. Digital Promise has assembled high-quality materials, examples, and thinking from our trusted partners and networks in the FAQ below. We hope you find these helpful as you strive to quickly meet the challenges imposed by COVID-19.

We will work to update this page regularly with the best available guidance as the COVID-19 pandemic evolves.
May 11 Updated FAQ Section

How do we plan for moving learning online while ensuring equity?
May 18 Updated FAQ Section

How do we begin to plan for a return to school?

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We are compiling some of the best resources and exemplars for schools and families preparing for online learning in response to COVID-19 As COVID-19 spreads rapidly in the United States, schools and districts are facing difficult decisions around how to protect their students and staff while continuing to prioritize learning and equity.

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The sessions board

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5/29 Know Before You Go and Session Board

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Thank you for attending Edcamp: Powerful Learning at Home. Please fill out the following survey to share your feedback about the event and what you would like to discuss at a future Edcamp. This survey will also collect information for those interested in receiving a certificate of participation.

Please email maria@digitalpromise.org with any questions.

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Edcamp: Powerful Learning at Home Feedback Survey 3

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Thank you for attending Edcamp: Powerful Learning at Home. Please fill out the following survey to share your feedback about the event and what you would like to discuss at a future Edcamp. This survey will also collect information for those interested in receiving a certificate of participation.

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Overcoming Obstacles is a free, award-winning, and research-based K-12 curriculum that provides you with the tools to teach your students life skills. With hundreds of activity-based lessons covering more than 30 critical social and emotional skills, students learn how to communicate effectively. They learn how to make informed decisions. They learn how to set and achieve goals, resolve conflicts, solve problems, respect one another, and more.

Since 1992, over 300,000 educators in all 50 states and in 170 countries have used Overcoming Obstacles' free lessons to improve the lives of more than 70 million young people.

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Curriculum - Overcoming Obstacles (es-US)

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Overcoming Obstacles is a free, award-winning, and research-based K-12 curriculum that provides you with the tools to teach your students life skills. With hundreds of activity-based lessons covering more than 30 critical social and emotional skills, students learn how to communicate effectively. They learn how to make informed decisions.

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Instead of PE teachers, Wellness instructors

Instead of Guidance Counselor,  School Counselor

Instead of Foreign Languages  teachers, World language teachers

Mission: inclusive global perspective

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Families will need PD on the how to do school. Who will they contact? How will they contact? How will students get assignments? FAQ's

A video library, maybe a Youtube channel can help

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Families need tech support: making screencasts allows you to have a resource to share with them over and over

Loom is free for educators and students forever

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Free screen recorder for Mac and PC | Loom

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Best free online screen recording tool with advanced video editing and video storage trusted by over 21 million people and easy sharing from Loom.com.

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Having a one person (teacher/advisor. etc) that the families are in contact with simplifies the communication channels

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-MindYeti for the littles
-GoNoodle
-Headspace is giving out one year free
Headspace for educators

Headspace for unemployed persons
-WideOpenSchools

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Wide Open School's mission lives on at Common Sense

With schools back in person, we have closed this dedicated distance-learning site designed to guide families and educators through the sudden shift to remote learning.
Discover More Great Resources for Families & Educators
Common Sense is dedicated to providing teachers and families with free resources to help kids learn, grow, and thrive with media and technology. Join our community for more tips and resources to support kids' learning and healthy development.

More Resources You'll Love

Get more free content like what you found on Wide Open School.
For Families For Educators
Thank You to Our Supporters & Partners

We are grateful to our supporters and partners for helping to bring these resources to kids, families, and educators everywhere during a global crisis. It is a testament to the power of creativity, collaboration, and a shared commitment to education and digital access for all.

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Wide Open School's mission lives on at Common Sense With schools back in person, we have closed this dedicated distance-learning site designed to guide families and educators through the sudden shift to remote learning. Discover More Great Resources for Families & Educators

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Continuing morning meetings
-accountability
- parents liked it
- homeroom teachers led that
- specials teachers pop in and have a presence
- giving specials teachers a platform helps them to be received without kiddos de-evaluating their classes due to look to complete graded classes. The specials and counseling classes are social connectors.

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S1: I have a dog
S2: I have a dog too
Teach them instead, ask about the dog.
S1: I have a dog
S2: What type of dog do you have?

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- Habits of Mind
- Morning Meetings

Flidgrid check ins, how was your weeknd? Tell a joke to your class?
SEL traits monthly: typical choose 3 kiddos per class and put a sign in their yard, news cast Friday shout outs and send them post cards for exhibiting SEL traits

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- you can right click (two finger click on a mac) over the Google Classroom and copy link to link classrooms in your bitmoji classroom.
Use as a reminder for advisory or check in classes

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Using google slides to create Bitmoji Scenes, with links to resources like the Calm app

Bitmoji Facebook Group: Bimoji Craze for Educators

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- counselors
-Remind
-Communications dept sends to schools

- Seesaw
(posts to parents from all stakeholders)
a digital portfolio,  and some Zoom

- leverage tech you already have. There needs to be a point that families can look to for information

-Seesaw worked for first graders, they were already used to using it and can work on it semi independently

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Building Relationships with students while distancing (S-T and S-S). Addressing stress that students carry.

Using Tik Tok or Flipgrid challenge Ss to make a 30 sec video to introduce themselves--make it memorable.

Use for creating groups for collaborative learning
https://flippity.net/

https://www.cultofpedagogy.com/
Give Ss a way to express their stress: Puppets

Stress releasers: Craft videos, journaling, things not academic

Connect with Ss thru Google Voice, Snapchat, Tik Toc

Digital Escape Rooms
https://www.breakoutedu.com/live

For Educators:
Resilience Journal. Daily Reflection & Self Care for Educators. Form Kami Guarino isbn 978-1-7329531-1-6

http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/learning_social_emotional/

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1.How do we destress the kids and families?
2. If doing Zoom, Google Hangouts, etc. set up some parameters for behavior, process, etc. Plan for structure.
3. Zoom, etc. Young children can do a scavenger hunt or sharing an art or creation...and work procedure into this.
4. Zoom, etc. Lessons are best kept short for attention.
5.Zoom, etc. Everyone is on mute before they are called on.
6. Consider smaller group opportunities to get personal.
7. Doing activities to help draw kids into meetings to keep engagement.
8. Idea- teachers voiced emoji. Virtual talent show. Can break up the academic focus.
9. Teacher and students work together in a meeting on an assignment and those kids all share ideas, finish the assignment and turn it in.
10. ESL students can use Class Dojo, etc. that have translation abilities for parents/kids.
11. Seesaw allows students to share work and comment on it.
12. Counselors/others help bridge the gap b/t school and home.
13. Highlight student birthdays, etc.
14. Parents communication? How to train them to use the technology and programs?
Have a weekly email/newsletter.
15. How to hold students accountable, help parents deal with lackadaisical children at home?
16. We need more training as teachers, parents, etc. for the online learning tools, LMS, procedures, etc.
17. Prepare to start online learning or that you could go to online learning the next school day.
18. How to handle students having difficulty with  content, unmotivated.
19. Showing student submitted work to other students helped engage more laxed learners.

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How do we do this virtually?
-Scavenger hunts that involve parents/siblings.
-activities that are family friendly
-have honest conversations w students and parents
-morning meetings 1st 5 minutes of Zoom/Google Meets
-small group meetings on meetings
-Zoom real-alouds
-Fun Fridays - play games online: scavenger hunts, kahoot, picnic, talent shows, talent show, escape room (include parents/siblings)
-Escape room, bitmoji, Google slides, Google Educator Group
-Bring class pet with you to the meeting/ it acts as a calming presents for SEL
-Therapy Read dog on meeting
-bring your animal to class day (virtual)
-give students/parents chunked materials, or all on Sunday for the week to come
-a great resource for the pause during instruction digitally can be found on Google Classroom through the extension EdPuzzle! You can provide video instructions, read aloud, assessments and build in pausing points to ask questions or provide feedback. It is an amazing tool!

Screen Record:
-loom - free - easy to use (screen record) www.loom.com
-Google Meet record/teach/send to students

How do we interact with families to support SEL?
-how do we get parents involved?
-Allow parents/students time to "talk" at the beginning of Zoom/Google Meets.
-app (paid) GooseChase - scavenger hunt app
-Dropped off prizes to students houses for winning in class (social distancing)
-Say one positive thing to a family member
-Send a mini me in the mail to students - parents involved in pics
- Superhero theme for learning content and encouraged parent involvement.
-car parade
-virtual videos to students/parents

What will Snow Days in the future look like:
-keep teaching online, no more snow days

SEL for teachers:
-Read a self-help book
-listen to calming music
-detach from social media
-What you are doing is enough!
-Do your best!

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1. Morning Meetings with social emotional characteristics to review. Use Class Dojo videos as well.
2. Ask students how they are feelings.
3.  Provide self-care resources
4. Using resources that you already use.

Safety of the kids is a concern.
How combat that?
1. Letting students know you care. Google chat.
2. Print Emojis and send to students for them to have.
3. Donor's Choose; Keep Kids Learning
4. Video of class pictures and shared with students
5. Letters to students; piece of paper that is your arm span [Represents a hug]
6. Reaching out to parents to ask if they are okay.
7. Make contacts 1 with parent and 1 with student a week using Google Voice.
8.  Teachers all sent in "introduction/welcome" videos for next year in case there is only virtual, that way students "get to know" the teacher prior to just meeting and setting up a meeting for school. [Students reply back to start learning about students.]
9. we plan on having our first grade teachers join our first 2nd grade digital meetings if we're in distance learning so that kids see a familiar face plus ours as we build a new classroom community.
10. Social and Emotional Norms. What do you do if this happens...
11. have at least a week focus of just "social emotional" in place of the academics.  We normally focus on team building, but I think before we even can get to team building, we have to address the individual and the needs prior to academics.
12. Journal writing; Google Forms as a tool or draw it out; Read Aloud with that emotion.
13. Calm App;
14. Mood tracker; write about it. Daily polls
15.  Teach students how to respond to each other's trauma.

Apps:
DownDog
Dynamic Mindfulness:https://dmind.org/
Sanvello app
PATHS Program
Gonoodle.com

Need to focus on SEL aspect especially coming from deficits.

Need to education parent about platforms we are using in the class. Parent/University

Articles: https://buildingmathematicians.wordpress.com/2020/05/21/how-not-to-start-math-class-in-the-fall-2020/?fbclid=IwAR23FEnz2BGXu_XNn5cs0uWBflGXeOKC_RZ9R_QXfmYijLfgq8E39ovTNio

Questions:
Anyone know good free/low cost counseling services for families that struggle?