As we struggle with the coronavirus COVID-19 health crisis, many of us educators are figuring out how to prepare to teach online. Blended learning (having a face to face and an online classroom) is best. We have one more reason– when you already have an online space for your classroom, it is a smaller step to teaching totally online when necessary. Whether you want to or not, go ahead and set up now. 

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I'll also be sharing more resources this week on my blog, podcast, and social media accounts and in my newsletter.

Learn about 16 Free Resources for Schools Who Are Closing Due to Coronavirus

Get prepared now. I hope these resources can take you to the educator communities that are collecting and sharing. This is bigger than any of us so we need to work together and help each other.

Note: This doesn't discuss the policy issues involving meals, access, and equity but is meant to get you started and prepared.

1. Take the course, Designing for Online Learning which is free. Today it is free. The course that starts today is full but they’ll teach it again starting next Monday. It will take 45 minutes a day, so don’t sign up unless you mean it.
2. Join the Facebook group Temporary School Closure Support – many helpful conversations are in there.
3. International Educator Shared Resources Google Doc
4. Google has given Google Hangouts meet premium through July 1 which gives you a way to meet with your students and add video. Learn more here.
5. Edpuzzle Pro is available for schools closed due to the virus. See this site.
6. Book Creator is giving 90 days free so you can collaborate together writing books.
7. Kahoot Premium is available to schools that are closed.
8. If you’re using the free version of zoom, you can apply to have the 40-minute limit lifted so you can extend your time using zoom with your students.
9. Boomwriter is a free writing app but of course, you can use Google Docs too.
10. If your school is closed due to the virus, you can apply for free access to the BrainPop videos to use at your school.
11. Buncee Classroom is free for schools closed due to the coronavirus as per this tweet if you email info@buncee.com
12. If you are in the US and closed due to the outbreak, your school may be able to get access to Discovery’s Education resources by emailing EducationPartnerships@discoveryed.com and they also have a special channel to help explain what is happening to students that you can access here.
13. Peardeck also allows you to request individual or district-wide access if you’re impacted by closures.
14. Tynker will let you apply to receive their entire curriculum free if you’re impacted by closures.
15. I’ve also just posted a full 16 day set of project-based learning lesson plans to teach photography using Adobe Spark (which is free) that can be easily adapted to use at home and online. They are here on the Adobe Education Exchange. Adobe sponsored the development of these but they are being released at an ideal time for you to benefit and take these plans and use them.
16. Free tools for schools dealing with coronavirus – This list is being updated continually.

The Week Ahead

This week on the podcast and my YouTube channel, I’m going to be sharing resources to help you prepare to teach virtually if necessary. This is a very difficult issue and many are impacted. We all have those with compromised immune systems that we love and want to protect, so let’s do what is necessary to keep everyone safe. Meanwhile, I’ll be sharing resources out via social media, the podcast, and my newsletter