Jillian asks: I want to keep my students engaged but don’t know where to start w when it comes to live streaming video. I have a camera and zoom but not up to date on the technical stuff. IT staff from the school are not available and no one can come into my home. Is there an easy way to do this on my own? I’m looking for a quick, easy way to collaborate with my students via the web.
Google has a number of awesome education tools from Classroom to Hangouts Meet and everything else in G Suite.
Given the uptick in remote learning, the company published Teach from Home — a “temporary hub of information and tools to help teachers during the coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis.”
This website is a complete overview of how to get started with distance learning — for example, how to teach online, make lessons accessible to students, and collaborate with other educators.
There are simple card-based instructions on how to “teach remotely with video calls.” This includes using Hangouts Meet, livestreaming, and the Audience Q&A feature in Google Slides. For those with different connectivity constraints, the “teach remotely without video calls” section recommends Google Sites, online quizzes through Forms, and real-time Docs feedback.
This is really awesomeness from Google, to say the least.
Meanwhile, Google announced a $10 million Distance Learning Fund to “support organizations around the globe that help educators access the resources they need to provide high-quality learning opportunities to children, particularly those from under served communities.” The first million is going to the Khan Academy, with Google volunteers also helping translate existing educator resources.
