Resources to Grow as an Educator and Lifelong Learner

I think most of us would prefer to be in school sharing and learning with our students, but I know many of us may be away from our students for extended period of time during the Coronavirus Pandemic. 
I know we will busy adjusting our objectives and schedules for when we get back. Many of us will also have the opportunity to engage our students in eLearning activities. When all this is done, we will have something that we often struggle to find during the school year, time.

How will you use this time to grow as a teacher and learner? 

Learning Doesn't Need to Stop if School is Closed - It Really Doesn't!

Many EdTech companies have jumped in to support teachers and learners as schools close in response to the Coronavirus Pandemic. You don't have to look far to find these resources.

A Few Lists of EdTech Tools to Support School Closures

• Wakelet Collection - EdTech companies offering FREE support and/or access to schools affected by COVID19 closures.
• Google Sheet - Education Companies Offering Free Subscriptions due to School Closings

If you are looking for more, Twitter is recommending the hashtag #RemoteLearning

These resources are great but are important to also remember that engaging students outside of the classroom does not always have to be digital. There is something called a book, reading still matters. Paper is another great resource. Drawing can powerful way to engage students in a learning experience. I am a huge fan of sketchnotes and infographics. I've also been exploring some ideas to engage my students in just making observations without any technology.

We can’t ignore the power of digital resources to engage students in ideas and concepts. Here is our collection of recommended digital resources and digital learning frameworks to support learners outside of our classrooms.

One Doc to Rule Them All

HyperDocs - Interactive Engagement for Remote Learning

When students can't be with their teachers, HyperDocs can be used to provide students with engaging student-paced learning experiences. We've put together a document of resources and recommendations to help educators use HyperDocs with students outside of the classroom.

Pear Deck Awesomeness - Pear Pop and More

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Pear Deck is an awesome tool that allows educators to create interactive questions to engage students. Educators can create and add questions to a Google Slide Deck or a Powerpoint.

I've been a huge fan of Pear Deck for several years and I was super excited to learn about the new Pear Deck Pear Pop option for quick interactive feedback collection from students. Pear Deck Pop now allows educators to quickly create a prompt without using Google Slides or Powerpoint.

Pear Deck Pop is only available on Premium Accounts. You can learn more about Pear Deck Pop here.

Creativity Resources for Educators and Learners

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“You can't use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have.”― Maya Angelou

I believe that content should support the development of student skills connected to the 4 Cs of collaboration, communication, critical thinking, and creativity. Students need these skills today and in the future.

I have long believed that creativity is an essential piece of the learning process. I always tell my students that we are learning to create so we can create to learn.