Back to Hybrid Virtual Distance School: Resources for Teachers and Families to Maximize Learning

Back in Mid-March when schools began closing their doors due to Covid-19 and attempting to transition to virtual learning, I shared "A Family Survival Guide for Keeping the Learning Going at Home". My goal was to assemble some ideas and resources for parents who suddenly found themselves in all-new roles as their children's main source of instruction. "Mixed results" is probably the kindest way to describe how families and education, in general, handled March, April, May, and June. Some kids and schools thrived while others threw in the towel long before their scheduled last day.

As schools re-open this August and September, there will be a hodgepodge of plans in place. Whether schools are going back all-day-everyday, in some hybrid model, or fully online, most administrators and teachers have spent a huge chunk of their summer creating digital resources, determined to provide far better online learning experiences than in the Spring. Even schools planning on a traditional opening want to be ready for another possible shut-down or want to have quality materials online in case a student has to miss extended periods of time in the coming year. Schools are also committed to placing fewer burdens on parents when it comes to providing instruction. Parents should be supporters of the experience and not feel like they are the ones delivering instruction.

While assembling my own digital tools and lessons for the coming year, I created the following site Resources for Teaching Remotely. Although it may seem like it is just for teachers, there are a lot of tools families will find useful when helping their kids through their online work. 

Pedagogy: The front page is the most educator-centric and I discuss different ways to teach digitally and there isn't a lot to offer families. 

Creativity: Here's where kids and parents can find engaging digital tools that will allow students to demonstrate their learning. Tools are also divided between being Chrome and Chromebook friendly and iPad specific. 

Content Resources: Think of this page as a mini digital library with links to many primary sources like the national archives, digital field trip experiences, fun interactive sites, and cool places to explore like the national aquarium.

YouTube Channels: This is a curated list of 50-plus channels on YouTube that are from great content providers like the San Diego Zoo, The Smithsonian, and PBS Kids.

Organize: This one is also quite an educator-specific page for digitally organizing all of these resources and tools. That doesn't mean though that online bookmark services like Wakelet, can't also be utilized by students as they get digitally organized. 

Without a doubt, educators all wish they could be teaching the way they were teaching before Covid-19 shook up our world. Unfortunately, schools will have to make the most of it. Hopefully, these resources will prove helpful to teachers, students, and families as we embark on a new round of learning in uncharted waters.