Growing up, my grandmother would tell stories of her daily voyage to school nestled in rural south India.
Where she grew up, there was no school bus to pick her up and deliver her to the front door of the school. Instead, she trekked miles of rough terrain to reach her destination: education.
My grandmother understood that education was a powerful enabler; it was the way in which she would connect to the world around her on a deeper level. The fundamentals of science would eventually help her to engage effectively in farming life… her understanding of mathematics would give her success in her personal financial endeavors… and the social studies lessons she experienced would live on to help her better understand people, languages, culture, communities and organizational structures of all kinds. For this knowledge, she was willing to take the necessary (literal) steps.
Fast forward now to 2020, and the face of education the world over looks very different.
Students today have almost unlimited access to learning through just the push of a few buttons. Technology has revolutionized students’ access to the enabling power of education without leaving home. Now, as we find ourselves amid a global pandemic and the path to education has significantly changed yet again, students trek onward virtually with the help of various technological tools.
Take a look at the digital platforms and resources listed below that have enabled some of the students, educators and parents that we know, virtually, without the literal trek!
Resources for Students
- Khan Academy
- Khan Academy is an online educational program for students to view many video lessons on various subjects. There are both free and subscription-based ways to access these lessons.
Resources for Educators
- Canvas
- Canvas is web-based learning management system used by teachers to create lessons and manage classes.
- Edmodo & Zipgrade
- Besides assigning work, educators may also utilize tools thru which they can assign tests/quizzes for their students. Useful applications such as Edmodo and Zipgrade can report an entire class’s test scores back to the teacher. These applications are limited to multiple choice questions and have a set time limit in which students should be able to quickly answer the questions and submit their scores.
Resources for Educators & Students
- Zoom
- Zoom is a commercial tool for meeting virtually by video. This video conferencing tool, and others like it, play a crucial part for teachers in scheduling classes securely and safely.
- Google Classroom
- Google Classroom is another tool for the teachers’ lounge. It provides flexibility to teach classwork directly onto the page in front of the student, create assignments, add guardians to Google Classroom, content, streaming, and even reporting. Google Classroom can be used for K-12; however, high school students taking AP classes may need a more specific tool, such as AP Classroom.
- AP Classroom by Collegeboard
- Designed specifically for AP Teachers, students can be assigned multiple choice questions alongside free response questions in preparation for their upcoming AP Exams. AP Classroom also provides feedback on every question, giving detailed answers on why the correct answer is correct and why the remaining answers are incorrect. AP Classroom is provided by Collegeboard which helps students in high school receive college credit. Collegeboard has also created a YouTube channel in which you can check out here: https://www.youtube.com/user/advancedplacement . This channel provides helpful videos on every AP subject for students taking exams in 2020.
Resources for Educators & Parents
- Remind
- Remind is a texting and email communication tool that helps teachers improve parent communications, which may lead to easier formative assessments.
For additional resources, check out the links provided through NWEA.
NWEA is a nonprofit organization that assists students and educators in K-12 learning opportunities.
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