All the teachers are now moving into the online mode due to COVID 19. Over 31,000 K-12 schools in the United States are being shut down due to the widespread coronavirus affecting at least 25 million students.
Teachers are experiencing remote learning which is a little change from their own very traditional way of instructing kids in their room under their supervision for eight hours. Is it going to be efficient, convenient? But it’s not without its challenges.
Myth # 1. Most of our students may not have a computer or laptop with high-speed internet in their homes. Low income families are more likely to rely on smartphones for internet access, and children in those households may not be able to use more sophisticated learning software that requires a tablet or computer.
SOLUTION: We teachers can send our work through Classdojo, and we can record our video which is the instruction time on Classdojo using our phone or laptop with the in built or a earphone mic and post it to the individual students. This is a free app on the phone for both the teacher and the student.
Teachers can use Google Class for free and students can access it from anywhere on their phones just by downloading the free app.
They can also use PS4 or the Xbox at home.They can go on their web browser and sign in through their Gmail account. Then they can login to Google Classroom which the teacher uses as a channel to post all her work and get work from them.
Myth # 2. Younger children require a lot of adult supervision when the little ones are online, like assisting them to turn on or logging into a particular app, reading the instructions, clicking the right place, typing the answers, or even staying on task.
SOLUTION: Teachers on IXL can see live time. That is, who is working, which skill they are working on, if they are on task or if they need help or they are idle. You can help them by texting them or facetime with them with their problem. Edpuzzle is another tool where the child cannot skip the video and answer the question. Nearpod is another free tool where teachers can use this tool as formative assessment and dynamic media to provide the feedback loop, provide a real-world connection to academic content, and deliver lessons, increasing hands-on and classroom management.
Though students will be at home in different locations, they can still see their classmates answering the teacher through the screen that the teacher has shared (optional - if the teacher doesn't want to share the screen they don't have to). They can see what each one is writing about and can discuss with each other and the teacher. Remember this is also a free tool, but if your school can afford it you can pay and get a school edition with more features.
Myth # 3. Students with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder get too bored and leave your class.
SOLUTION: Teachers can use Brainpop where the child has to dance or move with the song, which is free now for both the teacher and the student due to Coronavirus. This can be embedded in between two classes.
Myth # 4. Smaller students, Grade Pre K and K can’t write their answers and send them to the teacher for assessing the learning outcomes.
SOLUTION: ABC Mouse is free, and if your school has Spelling City and IXL they can just click on them to answer the questions for assessment. The apps will read it to them if they need it. It will be recorded online and we teachers can transfer the grades into our grade books.
When the microscopic enemy is tearing across our nations during this time of crisis, the urge to protect our children is a natural concern. Like the old saying goes “Prevention is Better Than Cure.” Let’s keep our children and families safe.
Here are few free tools you can use for your children accordingly.
Learning Activities
· 123 Homeschool4me: Get printable worksheets and other resources for homeschooling.
· All Kids Network: Get worksheets, craft ideas, printable dot-to-dot, hidden pictures, and more.
· Animals are Amazing: Learn all about animals from the Switcheroo Zoo.
· Arcademics: Games are aimed at students from kindergarten to eighth grade.
· Ascend Math: Ascend Math offers math instruction for kindergarten to 12th-grade students. The platform will be free until the end of April.
· Beaverton School District: Math, reading, and many other activities for students pre-K through 12th grade.
· Bedtime Math: See math as part of your child’s daily routine.
· BeeLine Reader: BeeLine Reader helps students of all ages and skill levels improve their reading skills.
· Belouga: Get a free account for K-12th grade students for resources such as math problems and social science videos.
· Big History Project: Get free access to a social studies course. It is focused on high school students but works for most of the rest of us.
· BlocksCAD: Build math and computer science skills by using specialized 3D CAD (computer-aided drafting) software.
· BrainPOP: Want to make a movie? BrainPOP lets students make movies out of images, build maps, and develop their block-based coding skills. BrainPOP focuses on K-12th grade children.
· Classroom cereal: Work on your grammar by learning to proofread short stories.
· Club Oasis: A free STEM club offers DYI STEMlabs, live classes, coding lessons and live pop-ups.
· Crash Course: Courses in sociology, computer science, film history, and mythology are offered for starters.
· Desmos: Students can use online tools to visualize math problems, create interactive tutorials, and play math games with kids from all over the world.
· Discovery K-12: Pre-K to 12th-grade lessons and activities in these areas: language arts, reading, math, science, history/social studies, performing arts, and physical education.
· Dr. Seuss to the rescue: Who doesn’t want to read and play games with Dr. Seuss?
· DuckDuckMoose: An app for tablets for preschool to kindergarten students.
· Duolingo: Learn a new language while you are stuck at home.
· Fun Brain: Activities, games, reading, and more are available for grades pre-K through eighth grade.
· Games, videos and math: ABCya offers activities for students grades pre-K through sixth grade.
· Giant list of Ideas for being home with kids: It is a pretty giant list of all kinds of ideas for kids to do from art projects to making ice cream to gardening.
· Go to the museum, virtually: Get a virtual tour of 12 museums.
· Going for the record: The folks at Guinness World Records have some ideas for kids who want to be record setters. How many balloons can you burst by sitting in 30 seconds?
· GoNoodle: GoNoodle has games to get your child moving.
· Into the Book: Elementary school students can practice reading comprehension.
· Into the Map: For the world traveler, a way to create maps and explore the world’s geography.
· It’s Epic: The Epic! reading app is free to parents for the rest of the school year if you can get a digital invitation from a teacher or school librarian. They can sign up free to provide access to their students.
· KiwiCo: KiwiCo “helps kids think big and act like creators and producers instead of just consumers.” Great activities and DYI science projects.
· Little Twisters Yoga & Emotional Wellness: Don’t forget your child’s emotional health. What about yoga?
· Mathcelebrity.com: Check your math with Mathcelebrity.com.
· Minecraft Education Edition: If you like coding, math and problem-solving try Minecraft way.
· Mystery Science: Video science lessons that will inspire kids to explore our world.
· NaNoWriMo: If your child is looking to write the Great American Novel, here’s a website for you.
· National Geographic for Kids: Look for games, videos, lessons and “cool stuff.”
· New American History: Learn from history materials aimed at grades 4 and up.
· PBS KIDS daily newsletter: Sign up for a free daily newsletter from PBS KIDS.
· ProjectGutenberg: A free library where kids can download or read online more than 60,000 free eBooks.
· Readworks.org: Reading comprehension is the goal of Readworks.
· Scholastic Learn at Home: Scholastic Magazine is offering four learning experiences each day.
· Science Friday: Elementary to high school students can get lessons in physics, chemistry, earth science, and biology.
· Star Fall: Math, reading, art, and music are available for students in kindergarten through third grade.
· The Activity Mom: Get the printables kids love to work on.
· The FAB Lab: Watch STEM videos with Crazy Aunt Lindsey.
· Toy Theater: A fun website with math, art, and reading games.
· Vizzle: If you have a child on the autism spectrum, you can get specialize lessons from Vizzle.
· Wonderopolois.com: Learn about 2,000-plus wonders of the world.
· You can draw: Jarrett Lerner is posting activity pages on his website which you can print out and enjoy.
by Alwina Kindo
Alwina teaches at New Orleans Adventist Academy.
