Top Learning Tools when School is Closed

As with almost everything technology-based, remote teaching and learning has been on a steady increase in recent years. That is until the Coronavirus emerged and changed everything! 

With the rapid spread of the virus forcing more and more schools around the United States and the world to close, many teachers are now having to rely solely on technology to deliver instruction (preferably effective) to their remote students.

Here is a list of suggested tools that can be used to keep the learning happening when schools are closed:

*This Lists is in alphabetical order

Top Learning Tools when School is Closed

1. ABCmouse - A very popular online curriculum for ages 2-8 on subjects such as: Math, Reading, Science, and more.
2. Adventure Academy - Similar to ABCmouse, this online curriculum is for ages 8-13 in Math, Reading, and Science.
3. Answer Pad - Is a free visual and student based response system that educators use to blend learning and flip classrooms in real-time on browser based devices.  The mobility of Answer Pad lets students use at home to interact w/ teacher created resources.
4. BoomWriter - This free site has always been a favorite of mine, and teachers and students love it! With BoomWriter, teachers can easily create student accounts before then directing them to super engaging fiction, nonfiction and/or vocabulary-focused personalized writing activities in any subject. Enter instructions (with or w/o vocabulary) upload resources (also optional) and then share with your students. If you need to teach remotely, you'll want to check out BoomWriter! 
5. BrainPop & BrainPop Jr - One of the most popular educational sites around for learning a wide range of subjects through animated videos then taking a short assessment/quiz.
6. Buncee - One of the most versatile learning tools around that provides a digital canvas for all sorts educational needs.  Buncee's "Ideas Lab" is a great place to find educational resources to be used/viewed at home.
7. Classhook - A wonderful site for educators to find educational videos/playlists and assign them to students to view at home.
8. DOGOnews - DOGOnews is an excellent site for creating Reading assignments for grades K-8 that can then be integrated into Google Classroom.  This is done through their curated safe (COPA compliant) educational database that provides assessment and language/speech features.
9. EDpuzzle - One of the world's most popular sites for flipping a classroom/lesson where educational videos can then be viewed at home and students can take assessments to gauge learning.
10. EducationCity - A excellent online platform for grades PreK-6th for finding educational games, resources, and activities.
11. Edulastic is an online K12 digital assessment platform. It allows teachers to make their own assessments and assignments or choose from over 35,000 pre-made assessments. 
12. Explania - A great site for finding educational and instructional animated videos. 
13. Glogster EDU - An "oldie" but good, Glogster's "Glogpedia" is a great place to find animated posters on a wide range of topics.
14. iKnowIt - A wonderful place to find interactive Math practice for grades K-5 that tracks student data.
15. Kahoot - A fun way to learn at home w/ Kahoot's game based learning system.
16. Knoword - A excellent Vocabulary game w/ teacher portal where educators can create their own "word" packs and track student's progress.
17. Nearpod - One of the most popular mobile learning tools around, that recently released a blog post on how to use Nearpod at home w/ school closures happening around the world.
18. NeoK12 - One of the best places to find educational videos, lessons, and games.
19. RoomRecess - A great place to find over a 100 games on a wide range of subjects such as: Math, Reading, Literacy, Typing, and more.
20. Socrates - A great new site where educators can asses students and differentiate instruction through a unique Game Based Learning system.
21. SuperTeacherWorksheets - A wonderful place where teachers and parents can find educational worksheets/activities to print out for use at home.
22. TeachVid - An amazing learning tool for ESL and Foreign Language teachers, where they can flip a lesson and have students do them at home through educational videos/activities.
23. Vocab Victor - A wonderful free mobile app for students want to work on their Vocabulary skills.  Best of all, Vocab Victor assess and adapts to student's vocabulary level in real-time.
24. VoiceThread - A great learning tool that has stood the "test of time" and lets students express their creativity through interactive digital stories/presentations.
25. WatchKnowLearn - A great free site similar to Discovery Streaming for finding educational K-12 videos.
26. YouTube Teachers - YouTube offers a educational portal for teachers for finding educational videos.