Digital Resources

The coronavirus pandemic upended traditional college admissions testing, with many students registered to take the exams unable to do so, and about 30% of testing sites closed. The College Board says a remote SAT is under consideration, and some schools are administering an online SAT. Fewer students being able to take the exams will hurt test-makers' revenue and could cause colleges to extend their test-optional policies.

artists, teachers and students to help add Wikipedia pages for Black artists and adjusting others as needed. Started by Jina Valentine and Heather Hart, the edit-a-thons have been hosted at schools, libraries and other spaces around the world and resulted in the addition of 1,200 artists and institutions to the site and changes made to countless other pages. With the continued support and success of the initiative, we may begin to see similar movements to get more people included in the online encyclopedia. It’s also a great way to discuss the various ways Wikipedia pages come into being with your kids, but to keep in mind that no matter how great the cause, all sources should be vetted.

Teachers who are trying to recreate learning in a physical classroom during this virtual change from “normal” school are finding that it just isn’t the same. But what about discipline during virtual learning? During remote learning, educators should focus on teaching and supporting students, and not on disciplining them, writes Aaricka Washington, an education reporter and former educator. Elizabeth Hanif, a high-school math teacher on Long Island, asserts that some class Zoom rules were not necessary and advises that educators form relationships with students to change behavior. What is your school doing about discipline during virtual learning? What do you think should be done?

Storytelling apps and other tools that use American Sign Language (ASL)can be essential for boosting literacy among students who are deaf and learning remotely, says Melissa Malzkuhn, founder and creative director of Gallaudet University's Motion Light Lab. This article lists digital resources from the Motion Light Lab and other sources that use ASL.

Over the past eight years, more than 137 million students and teachers around the world have used free resources from CK-12, including digital books (“Flexbooks”), adaptive practice exercises and science simulations. Officials report registrations for the service are up 460% since the coronavirus pandemic. Check it out whether you are doing virtual learning or need a supplement for science and math.

As some schools prepare for a return to remote instruction, Google recently announced 50 new features -- including a widget that will help students manage assignments -- on its Classroom and Meet platforms. Google also will help support online learning with the release of a new Assignments app and a digital toolkit for families.

As kids across the country are getting ready to go back to school, one page you may want to bookmark is a free web site called ASSISTments. The site offers students math homework hints that have been crowdsourced from teachers using that particular math curriculum. So far research has shown students answer problems correctly in 58% of cases, compared with 54% for those without access to the hints, according to a forthcoming study. Neil Heffernan, a professor at Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Massachusetts who established the program, says that more importantly is to determine whether the hints help students complete more math homework, rather than giving up when they get stuck.

The University of Michigan has developed an online program, InPACT at Home, to help kids remain active while learning remotely. The free video series, targeted at K-12 students, is available nationwide and is aimed at replacing exercises that kids would have received at school via recess, physical education and, in some cases, their daily walk to school.

As the pandemic stretches on you may find yourself needing to throw a virtual birthday party. But where to start? Common Sense Media has actually collected a set of ideas for everything from a video chat with family to virtual dance party with everyone using Bluetooth headphones. How about a movie night?  Netflix Party is a Chrome extension you can use to watch shows or movies together. Everyone needs to download the extension, and the host shares a link with partygoers.

Eighty-four percent of the most popular websites visited by students on school-managed devices during the recent period of remote instruction were educational, according to a review by GoGuardian, a company that monitors activity on school-owned tech devices.  While the majority of the top 10 websites were educational in nature, the number one site visited by students was YouTube (though possible it could be used for education as well). Others on the list included Clever, Zoom, Khan Academy, Instructure and Flipgrid. If you are not familiar with some of those sites, you may want to check them out.