E-Learning TOOLS, IDEAS, & MORE
Although many low-income families have Internet access at home, most are under-connected: that is, they have “mobile-only” access – they are only able to connect to the Internet only through a smart device, such as a tablet or a smartphone.
Please keep in mind that while there are many resources out there, many parents will continue to work, leaving their young children with older siblings during this time. Be mindful of the amount of work you will expect from your students. Many families may only have one device to share among multiple children. Crisis teaching is not homeschooling! Be supportive and be safe!
PLEASE KNOW THAT ALL PHOTOS AND BUTTONS ARE LINKS TO THE SITES AND E-LEARNING PLATFORMS.
"Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much."
– Helen Keller
E-Learning TOOLS & Ideas
With the idea of limited access in mind, here are some ideas when working with low-income families with "mobile-only" access to the internet.
Here are a few tools I currently use with students, even more so, when they miss school. Parents have been very supportive and engaged. These tools have worked well with parents allowing their children to complete tasks on their phones. When additional tasks were assigned such as writing activities for younger grades, parents replied with photos of the completed tasks.
Talking Points allowed me to keep parents informed via text messages, photos, links to lessons and videos, as well as sending short videos with explanations for content and tasks.
Nearpod is a great tool allowing students to feel part of the class remotely. They can watch videos and complete tasks from home.
ReadWorks and Newsela provide a number of texts with illustrations and photographs to support content. The audio tools and comprehension questions keep students engaged. The activities can be scaffolded to support learning.
There are a few other tools I haven't explored with my students yet but I will soon such as ZOOM chat sessions, Flipgrip and Voicethread activities. More information below.
CAM TRANSLATOR APP
Helps students and families.
Translate photo and document into any language with one touch. Built with the powerful camera and AI translation services. Documents in most of language can be scanned and translated instantly.
This is NOT FREE. $49.99 for a lifetime or monthly subscription options for every budget.
LIT. LEVELER
Here is an app that can help with tracking books in your classroom, when sending grade-level books home with students.
It is a FREE app.
Just scan or take a pick of the book and create a list per student. It also automatically checks the level of the book.
It's like your own private library check-in/out station.
EXPLORING OTHER ONLINE TOOLS
I have heard many colleagues say that they are not comfortable using technology, so I know that some of these tools may be new to you and you may be hesitant to use them. Here is a short explanation of how these tools work:
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Voicethread: All you have to do is upload a PowerPoint presentation. After that, you may choose to add a note, voice recording, and/or video of yourself explaining the topic or simply attach a video.
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Flipgrid: This is a platform that allows students to share their video responses with you. There are a number of ready to use ideas for you to click and share with your students.
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ZOOM: This is a great tool for conferences with your students and parents. Multiple people can join the meeting at the same time. All you will need to do is to send a link for students and parents to click on to join your session. There has been a lot of ZOOM on the news lately due to security issues. Be aware and careful when making a selection that works best for you and your families.
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GOOGLE HANGOUT: Use Hangouts to keep in touch. Message contacts, start free video or voice calls, and hop on a conversation with one person or a group. Turn any conversation into a free group video call with up to 10 contacts. Connect your Google Voice account for phone calling, SMS texting, and voicemail integration.
E-Learning TOOLS & More for Teachers
Here is a list of companies, codes and much more that is accessible to you and your students at this time. Many of these companies are offering FREE subscriptions for the rest of the year. Take advantage!
By AMAZING EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES - Facebook Group - Check out this group for additional resources
E-Learning Reading Resources
Free Diverse Books for Children
Luckily, our friends at Storyweaver have built an amazing free platform for very interesting and amusing children’s books from all over the world! Filter by Type, Level, Categories, and Language to find books of interest to your child.
Read up to three books right now online and sign up with just your email (no credit card needed) for extra features such as saving your favorites, reviewing, and downloading or even making your own books online. Downloaded books can be read offline when you may not have access to the internet. They can even be printed and shared with others!
Multicultural Narrated Books
RESOURCE ROUNDUP
by Fountas & Pinnel Literacy Blog
VIRTUAL READ-ALOUDS:
Listen in as authors and celebrities read aloud popular trade books.
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We Are Teachers: The Big List of Children’s Author’s Doing Online Read-Alouds & Activities
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Author and former teacher, Kate Messner’s curated collection of read-alouds
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Vooks: A streaming library of animated read-alouds
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Storyline Online: Free read aloud's from the SAG-AFTRA Foundation
DIGITAL LIBRARIES/AUDIOBOOKS:
Supplement and enrich children’s at-home digital libraries with thousands of digital books.
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Read and learn on Epic!
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Audible audiobooks
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Compilation of complimentary Online Spanish Books for children
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Interactive eBooks from NSTA
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Time for Kids Digital Library
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Curated digital library of interactive books from Skybrary
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Digital library from Scribd
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Virtually borrow from your local library via Overdrive
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TumbleBook: curated database of eBooks and audiobooks
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International Children’s Digital Library: A Library for the World’s Children
VIRTUAL FIELD TRIPS, MUSEUM TOURS and WEBCAMS:
Send children around the state, country, and world with these digital experiences.
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[NEW] Take a virtual exploration of The Metropolitan Museum of Art with MetKids
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Discovery Education Virtual Field Trips
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Explore the world without leaving your classroom with Virtual Field Trips
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Field Trip Zoom: The World in Every Classroom
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Travel and Leisure: Virtual Museum Tours
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The Smithsonian, National Museum of Natural History Virtual Tours
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The Smithsonian, National Air and Space Museum: Take a look inside historic air and space objects
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Live Cams from the San Diego Zoo
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Live Cams from the Houston Zoo
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Aquarium of the Pacific: Visit exhibits virtually with the live Aquarium Webcams
CREATIVITY, STEAM and MOVEMENT:
Stay active, create a doodle, play, imagine, build, experiment, and create with these resources.
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[NEW] Brain Pop: Free access to multidisciplinary curriculum ideas
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[NEW] Bilingual Math Resource for grades PreK-5 from Lesley University and Kentucky Center for Mathematics
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Lunch Doodles with Mo Willems: author/illustrator and Kennedy Center Education Artist-in-Residence.
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Movement and Mindfulness videos from GoNoodle
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Create at home with Crayola
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Learn about NASA and its missions: NASA Kids Club
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We Love Weather for Kids: videos for children produced by The Weather Channel
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America’s Test Kitchen Kids: The Young Chefs’ Club contains resources to help kids learn in the kitchen
E-Learning FUN EXPERIENCES
Paris Museums put 100,000 Images Online for Unrestricted Public Use
ML Accommodation Tips
Here are some ML accommodation tips to support MLs in the regular classroom.
1) Provide videos of the lesson. YouTube, National Geographic, online television stations, etc. BrainPOP is offering FREE subscriptions which include their ML component. - A list of Educational Companies offering free subscriptions is located above.
2) Provide picture support for unfamiliar vocabulary.
3) Use of Google Translate to help with comprehension or other translation apps. Take into consideration MLs literacy level in their native language and use this to assist students access the content. This should be a temporary supporting tool.
4) Have students build academic vocabulary notebooks in Google Drive or physical notebooks.
5) Shorten and/or modify assignments.
6) Allow alternative responses via video recording or audio recording. Make adjustments to writing rubrics to reflect student's English proficiency.
7) Sites like Read&Write and Newsela read passages to students.
8) Encourage students to watch related information on YouTube.
9) Math - Khan Academy and AAAMath http://aaamatematicas.com/ are great for additional support.
10) Reading - online reading for grades K-3 from www.storylineonline.net. or www.scholastic.com/learnathome