The vast availability of online tools to choose from today can be quite overwhelming for educators. That’s why ensuring teachers and students have full access to high-quality, trusted online learning resources has become more important than ever.
But how do you know where to start? How can you ensure you’re using the right online tools to help your students thrive in any learning environment?
Here’s a list of new apps that can help teachers in online classes.
- Prodigy Math Game
Price: Free, with optional Premium Memberships for additional student & parent features.
How to get it: Access through web, Apple or Android apps. Sign up with email, Google or Clever.
Looking for an online math resource your students will love?
Prodigy is a fun, engaging video game where success depends on answering curriculum-aligned math questions! While they learn, students can build their own characters, embark on fun adventures and collect awesome pets and rewards.
As students play, Prodigy’s adaptive algorithm meets their skill level and gives them the right math questions, making it easy to meet individual learning needs.
And with your free teacher account, you can set Assessments to differentiate math content, track their progress and help them build more math skills!
- Actively Learn
Price: Free and Premium options available.
How to get it: Access through web or Chromebook App. Sign up through Google, Clever or Office.
This one-stop-shop program prides itself on “unrivaled content, thoughtful instruction, and powerful tools for differentiation.”
With curriculum content in ELA, science and social studies from the elementary to high school level, students get access to tons of thorough articles, videos and even simulations to help them learn.
- 3P Learning
Price: Contact for a quote, or start a free 30-day trial.
How to access it: Visit the website (or access specific programs with Apple and Android apps).
This virtual program offers a blended teaching software from elementary school to middle and high school.
In both literacy and math, 3P learning offers online programs that match what you want your class to learn. Students will enjoy the gamified approach to learning, and you’ll enjoy the data-driven reports that help you pinpoint individual student progress.
- Actively Learn
Price: Free and Premium options available.
How to get it: Access through web or Chromebook App. Sign up through Google, Clever or Office.
This one-stop-shop program prides itself on “unrivaled content, thoughtful instruction, and powerful tools for differentiation.”
With curriculum content in ELA, science and social studies from the elementary to high school level, students get access to tons of thorough articles, videos and even simulations to help them learn.
- Achieve3000
Price: Free and Premium options available.
How to get it: Access through web or Chromebook App. Sign up through Google, Clever or Office.
Founded in 2000, this resource has supported student learning for over 20 years. And in 2018, it also acquired Actively Learn as one of its supported programs.
Achieve3000 offers numerous options through its literacy, math, science and social studies programs — including tools to help you teach more effectively. Choose the learning platform your class needs and easily provide differentiated content to help you accelerate learning.
- Banzai
Price: Free.
How to get it: Access through the website. Sign up with email or Google.
Teaching students how to handle their future finances is an important topic that often gets overlooked. That’s where financial literacy programs like Banzai come in.
Perfect for children or teens, this program provides real-world applications to help students understand borrowing, budgeting, spending and more. Alongside the online courses, you’ll also get access to workbooks for students to use in class or at home.
- ReadWriteThink
Price: Free.
How to get it: Access through the website.
Select any grade level from K-12 and find tons of literacy-based resources, including:
Printouts
Lesson plans
Calendar activities
Interactive student tools
Plus, find professional development resources to help you teach literacy in your virtual classroom!
- TeacherTube
Price: Free.
How to get it: Access through the website and register an account to save and upload videos.
Join a community of teachers providing instructional videos and podcasts that are perfect for visual or auditory learners. Use these teaching resources in class or over Zoom, or send your students links so they can watch on their own time.
With TeacherTube, you’ll access a huge library of video or audio lessons across tons of subjects, including educational songs to add some musical flare to the school day!
The need for quality educational resources
Advances in technology over the last few years, combined with the urgent need for remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic, have clearly impacted the way we teach students. And the lasting effects of learning through coronavirus will likely continue to transform the way education looks.
Last year, school closures affected more than 60% of the world’s student population. Many schools moved directly from an in-class approach to a virtual or hybrid approach, with not much time to adjust.
The CDC asserts that students benefit from in-person learning. But a hybrid approach is likely here to stay, especially since students are highly encouraged to stay home whenever they’re feeling sick.
The most important part is knowing what to look for when choosing tools for your online classroom.
When selecting an online learning resource, keep these top three considerations in mind:
Accessibility — Can all students easily access and use the resource from home?
Engagement — Does it have an interactive component that will keep students actively learning?
Progress tracking — Does the platform make it easy to track learning progress and understand the value students are getting out of it?
Child studying at a desk with a tablet device in front of her.
Current challenges with e-learning
Online learning isn’t perfect yet. There are still many daily challenges teachers and students face. But the more aware of these challenges you are, the easier it will be to overcome them!
Often, virtual learning is more effective for students who:
Come from a higher socioeconomic status
Don’t require as much direct instruction or support
Have parents or guardians with the time and resources to provide support and homework help
For many other students, it can be tough to get the same value out of online learning as they would in a physical classroom.
Other challenges with e-learning include:
Screen time requirements
Connectivity and internet issues
Keeping students engaged and motivated
Ensuring students have the media literacy skills they need to navigate virtual learning resources
Creating hands-on learning opportunities with an online curriculum and finding strategies for different learning styles
Online learning resource benefits for teachers
Despite the challenges e-learning presents, virtual classrooms can have a positive impact on the future of learning.
Online learning resources can provide many benefits to teachers. These include:
Ease of access — Online tools are a convenient go-to, especially during any school closures or lockdowns.
Teaching support — Free access to a huge variety of educational resources can help you create comprehensive lesson plans and learn new teaching strategies.
Tracking and reporting — Many learning platforms have built-in progress trackers and reporting tools, making it easy to track and communicate student progress
Flexibility — The more teaching resources and apps you have access to, the better equipped you are to provide quality instruction virtually. Plus, you can stay connected to students anytime.
Differentiation — Adjusting online lessons to meet individual needs and using multimedia to match students’ interests can ensure they get a high-quality learning experience from home.
July 18, 2022
