We had a rollicking good time sharing ideas, wishes for the school year, and exchanging tech tips and tools. During Office Hours Deanna and participants shared some of their favorite tech tools.

At Inspired Classroom, we advocate a blended approach to distance learning. That means using technology tools like Zoom video conferencing synchronously in combination with collaborative tools like Google docs, slides, and forms, asynchronously. There are many great resources out there to help you. Students will need to have an email to access Google Drive. Click here for a short tutorial video from Google.

You can learn and help (really, actually help) researchers with topics ranging from penguins to botany, astronomy to bacteria, anti-slavery manuscripts to maturity of baby sounds!

Are you familiar with Google Earth Voyager projects? I could spend hours checking out these voyages! The idea behind the Voyager projects are simple: Use Google Earth to explore a curated topic.

Technology is going to fail. It might be on your end or on your students’ end, but chances are it is going to fail. So, what should you do? After years of connecting with teachers and students here are my recommendations.

Here is a video we share with students and educators before any live event. It is a good reminder video and a way to help set expectations for your virtual class.

Sometimes, it’s a really good idea for students to see you teaching. It helps to build a sense of community and familiarity. Using your phone to record you is a simple, low-tech way to build an on-demand video.

You may be looking for great resources that students can use semi-independently. Inspired Classroom has partnered with Google Earth Education to create: Stories Golden Eagles Tell with the Google Earth creation tool. This project consists of eight interactive ‘cards’. Each card has basic content, videos, and interactive Google Maps directing students to explore the natural history of Golden Eagles, habitat, migration studies, and issues facing Golden Eagles.

Tools like Flipgrid are great to keep your class going as a cohesive whole. If you and students are all trying to learn remotely, the collaboration and sense of community are tough to maintain. Also, hearing students’ thinking is a key part of monitoring progress. Flipgrid is a way to empower your students’ voices by sharing short videos. Also, because you create the ‘grid’ it is private to your class, and responses are moderated by you. Click here for the Educator’s Guide to FlipGrid to help you get started.

Connecting with students through virtual video conferencing platforms is a great way to continue learning activities even if the school is closed. But what happens if a student has limited or no internet access at home? What if they don’t have a device to access your instruction?

The Missoula Art Museum (MAM) is thrilled to offer teachers, parents, and caregivers FREE access to Museum as Megaphone, a distance learning curriculum that connects kids with contemporary art, artists, and art-making “On Demand”. Please feel free to share this widely to anyone who is taking care of children. There is no need to sign up in advance and the modules are self-paced – just jump in whenever you like.