by Stacey Lett, Director of Operations – Eastern U.S. – Proactive Technologies, Inc.
A massive disruption, such as the Covid-19 virus, challenges everyone’s notion of “normal.” It can send us, especially the unprepared, scrambling for short-term solutions when the connections to established institutions and resources are unplugged.
Some workers who had not worked from home try to set-up a space to effectively perform work previously performed onsite if employers support the effort. Some workers either find themselves at home, not necessarily “working” from home, with children who are also restricted to house confinement – children whose education can be at risk if delayed or previous progress is idled for too long. Teachers and parents are painfully aware of the “drop-off” in retention that occurs just over holiday and summer breaks alone. Younger students might see this as an unexpected vacation, older students may see this as a threat to their educational attainment and next phase of their education or employment.
No matter your assessment of the “stay at home” decrees, this disruption is particularly hard on those without internet access or lacking the hardware to connect from home. Somewhere between 21 – 162 million Americans lack access to broadband, depending on who is estimating it. Many of those that do have access struggle with decreased speeds as large providers such as Sprint and Verizon went to “throttling” of bandwidth when net neutrality rules were suspended in 2018. Then there is the problem with crowded bandwidth use as so many more people are staying at home shopping, streaming videos and music and, yes, trying to work from home.
But for those who are fortunate to have access, some of the wireless providers have made available free and/or expanded access during the Covid-19 response, and schools and philanthropic organizations in some communities have tried to make laptops, tablets and hotspots available to those whose financial resources are focused on financially surviving this period.
Parents challenged to be a “teacher” or “teacher’s assistant” when those things being taught were forgotten many years prior is still a problem for the newly “appointed.” It can be frightening to find out how much has been forgotten for lack of use and how the nature of learning is so much different today. No one wants to appear ill-prepared or uninformed to a child learning 5th grade math.
Whether you are a parent frantically attempting to establish a stable learning environment and program to fill the current void in learning, or a worker wishing to fill this unexpected confinement with skill development or enhancement, there are a number of online resources – some free and some fee-based; some with good content, some easy to use – that could help organize the effort. Take some to explore these options and other sources before deciding on your plan.
Online remote learning classes offered through school districts – If your local school district has not already reached out to parents or students in their schools with a plan for remote learning, contact them to see what resources are available. If there is a program in place, it is important to pair with it to ensure your student receive proper credit for the at-home learning effort.
Online materials available through the school district – Check with your child’s school district to see if they have put together, in lieu of remote learning classes, lesson plans, resource materials and guides to guide a student through course completion and graduation. This should help you formulate a framework and, perhaps, implement a plan to help you help your child keep up with the curriculum and reach the credits required to continue towards graduation.
If you are without guidance from your local school district, here are a few online learning resources available to you. A good approach to determining your action plan is:
- Determine the nature of your child’s current coursework and progress.
- Research the links listed below to see if they have content that is appropriate, relevant and complimentary to anything that is established part of the school district’s curricula. Note: In some cases, the online source makes downloadable pdf-formatted learning material available.
- Determine the best way to apply the resource in the learning process to enhance, not confuse, learning goals and build on the knowledge and skill foundation previously established.
- Determine ways to measure progress integrating established materials and outside resources.
- Set and maintain a schedule – it is a proven fact that learning and retention are improved when delivered in a routine, and diminished when competing with uncertainty and chaos.
- Make sure beforehand that your “lesson plans” will lead to course credit.
- Try to make learning fun!
ONLINE COURSES AND RESOURCES:
PBS Courses PBS TeacherLine offers courses that can inspire, educate, and reinvigorate your teaching strategies! PBS TeacherLine offers 15, 30, or 45 hour courses that are facilitated by content experts and master teachers that immerse you in a collaborative, online environment with your peers. You have the opportunity to earn graduate-level credit with our partner universities. Interested in trying out a course before committing? PBS TeacherLine offers free, self-paced courses that require 1.5 to 4 hours of study. Explore PD for PreK-3 Educators or view the monthly schedule to find a course that fits your needs!
PBS – Public Broadcasting Service (“PBS”) has altered its normal televised daytime program typically for very young children to include some of its shows on history, nature, physics, astronomy, and other topics. One of its affiliate stations CreateTV has a number of DIY, travel, cooking and cultural videos. PBSWorld has a number of history, nature, cultural, travel, science courses from around the world. And feeder channels, such as Deutschewelle (from Germany) and NHK (from Japan), the BBC (from Great Britain) and France24 (from France) all have news, cultural, travel. nature, science and language modules that are free, very good and professionally done. The language courses are designed to meet international language learning standards.
Kahn Academy is a nonprofit with the mission to provide a free, world-class education for anyone, anywhere. Help every student succeed with personalized practice. 100% free. Find standards-aligned content. Assign practice exercises, videos and articles. Track student progress. Join millions of teachers and students.
Free Roku Educational Channels Roku educational channels offer tutorial videos for students of all ages, content from education institutions, foreign language instruction, test prep, and information of interest to educators at all levels. One example, IEducation by FavesomeTV, is for K-12 classwork plus college and SAT prep modules.
Funbrain Funbrain is the leader in online educational interactive content, with hundreds of free games, books & videos for kids k – 8.
Futurelearn Choose from hundreds of short, online courses from top universities and specialist organizations. They offer a diverse selection of courses from leading universities and cultural institutions from around the world. These are delivered one step at a time, and are accessible on mobile, tablet and desktop, so you can fit learning around your life.
Splashlearn Free Interactive Games and Rewards Motivate K-5 Children
to Learn and Improve Their Scores. Fun Rewards: Get coins for each correct answer and redeem coins for virtual pets; Multiple Themes; Children explore the world of math in a Jungle, Candy or a Space theme; Anytime Anywhere: Play on device of your child’s choice – iPad, iPhone or desktop.
Great Course Plus The Great Courses Plus is a Video-On-Demand service brought to you by The Great Courses – the leading global media brand for lifelong learning and personal enrichment. With thousands of in-depth videos taught by the world’s greatest professors, you’ll always have something fascinating to learn. A free 1-month trial is available
Adventure Academy A fully immersive virtual universe for those ages 8 – 13 seeking knowledge and adventure. Gain access to hundreds of hours of educational activities teaching essential skills in math, language arts, science, social studies, and much more! Free 1-month trial available.
Coursera Find flexible, affordable options. Choose from many options including free courses and university degrees at a breakthrough price. Learn at your own pace, 100% online.
EdX Founded by Harvard and MIT, edX is home to more than 20 million learners, the majority of top-ranked universities in the world and industry-leading companies. As a global nonprofit, edX is transforming traditional education, removing the barriers of cost, location and access.
Our World in Data A non-profit, world organization of researchers that take a broad perspective, covering an extensive range of aspects that matter for our lives. Measuring economic growth is not enough. The research publications on Our World in Data are dedicated to a large range of global problems in health, education, violence, political power, human rights, war, poverty, inequality, energy, hunger, and humanity’s impact on the environment. This is a good research tool for students doing research for papers.
Some wireless phone providers are offering up to 60 days of the following learning platforms, on sites such as:
- Shaw Academy reskills & upskills millions of adult learners online across a range of subjects focused on practical skills. Courses professionally certified.
- Epic has over 40K e-books and audiobooks that let kids under 12 explore a variety of fun topics.
- Quizlet or Quizlet Plus lets students create more engaging sets, study on the go, and find better focus with an ad-free experience.
- Bookful brings stories to life for kids under 10 using 3D/AR interactive books and games.
- Chegg® Study Pack helps students tackle hard homework with step-by-step problem solving, video explanations and more.
The New York Times offers every high school in America free digital access to Times journalism and its Learning Network—helping students understand and stay connected to this rapidly changing world.
Some U.S. government departments have offered resources, as well.
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration: Students can learn about the weather, the Earth, space, sea life, the role of a hurricane hunter in forecasting hurricanes, and take a virtual tour of the ocean. Visit Site
National Institute of Standards and Technology: Kids can learn about the importance of measurement, the metric system, time keeping and even how speed and spin affects the curve ball in baseball. Visit Site
National Inventors Hall of Fame: Kids can learn about the famous inventors who have been inducted to the prestigious National Inventors Hall of Fame and explore some cool STEM-related at-home activities. Visit Site
Library of Congress: The Library of Congress has a vast wealth of resources on most research topics. Visit Site
Smithsonian Institute: The Smithsonian Institution is the world’s largest museum, education, and research complex. We are a community of learning and the opener of doors. Join us on a voyage of discovery and explore and learn online. Digital resources include online events, exhibitions, podcasts, collections, animal webcams, and more. Visit Site
These are just a few of the many resources that can be found online through a search. Be sure to search on “________[online source] reviews” before you commit to using one of these platforms. Make sure it is safe for your student and right for you. Ask your local teachers and other parents in the same situation for trusted online sites they would recommend. While you are browsing these online site catalogs of courses, keep an eye for any that may help you boost your own skill base during this unexpected furlough. It may boost your spirits and value as a worker at the same time.
Proactive Technologies’ structured on-the-job training system approach develops incumbent, new-hire and cross-training workers to full job mastery through the accelerated transfer of expertiseTM. To see how it might work at your firm, your family of facilities or your region. Contact a Proactive Technologies representative today to schedule a GoToMeeting videoconference briefing to your computer. This can be followed up with an onsite presentation for you and your colleagues. A 13-minute promo briefing is available at the Proactive Technologies website and provides an overview to get you started and to help you explain it to your staff. As always, onsite presentations are available as well.
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