The pandemic has forced us to live our lives online. With this shift came challenges, primarily how to adapt to a lifestyle centered around the Internet. Working professionals had to set up home offices, and children had to adjust to online learning. If children have a hard time acclimating to an online environment, it’s an even bigger challenge for teachers. 

If you’re an educator, you understand well how tough it can be to maintain quality of learning at par with one in a face-to-face environment when you’re only interacting with your students through a screen. The good thing is there’s a silver lining in this entire online learning setup: it makes using online resources a lot easier.

This article will explore various online resources that teachers can use to survive the era of online classes. If classes have returned to a face-to-face format where you live, rest assured that these online resources will remain substantially helpful.

Science and Math

Discovery Education

Science and Math majors will find Discovery Education (DE) godsent. Created by the same company that owns Discovery Channel, DE is a platform that offers top-quality teaching resources such as ready-to-use activities and teaching and assessment tools. Apart from that, it also has professional learning resources that should enhance teachers’ ability to facilitate instruction and create a learning environment that is enduring and effective.

As a cherry on top, DE offers entertaining materials through its partnerships with exciting, popular shows such as Myth Busters.

National Science Teachers Association 

The National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) is a go-to resource for teachers who want to be more confident with teaching Science. The NSTA will provide teachers with access to the NSTA magazine, books, and journals that offer experiment ideas, lessons, and the latest news in the field of Science. Moreover, teachers can also get advice on curriculum planning and professional learning.

Google Earth

Apart from being a fun way to explore our planet virtually, Google Earth is an excellent resource for teaching geography. This computer program presents a 3D model of Earth based on satellite imagery. It makes learning geography easier and a lot more entertaining as it allows you to get a birds-eye view of any continent, country, or city. What makes it more exciting to use is its Street View feature that lets you view locations as if you were on the street in front of it. 

English and Writing

Purdue Owl

Teachers who want to help their students be better academic writers should point and guide them in using Purdue Owl. Standing for “Online Writing Library,” Purdue Owl is Purdue University’s platform where writers across the world can develop their writing skills, regardless of skill level. The website offers all critical information necessary for proper citations, and it also answers common questions about grammar.

Grammarly

One you’ve probably heard of, Grammarly is an outstanding tool for developing writing skills. Teachers and students can write directly on the app or upload a document where it will be analyzed for grammatical errors and potential improvements. The application or website offers corrections or suggestions that can help accelerate learning. A bonus feature of Grammarly is its plagiarism checker, which can help students avoid writing too close to their sources and help teachers assess their students’ work faster.

Flocabulary

Expanding students’ vocabulary can be made more fun through Flocabulary. The program/ library offers songs, videos, and activities for teaching students in grades K-12. The lessons are presented in rap form, transforming each learning session into an enjoyable and memorable experience.

History and Social Studies

Smithsonian’s History Explorer

Specifically useful for teaching American history, the Smithsonian’s History Explorer was created by the National Museum of American History. It’s an excellent resource for interactive lessons in American history for K-12 students. As a bonus, it also allows teachers to show students museum artifacts.

EDSITEment

Created by the National Endowment for the Humanities and the National Trust for the Humanities, EDSITEment gathers the best quality content for humanities from all over the Web. Teachers can access it for lesson plans, videos, images, and a vast collection of humanities topics without paying a cent. 

General use

Book Wizard

Scholastic’s Book Wizard helps teachers level a classroom library in just one search. By entering the book title, author, keyword, or ISBN, teachers can determine the reading level required for consuming a particular book. Another feature of Book Wizard is providing book recommendations. It suggests texts at a difficulty level compatible with your students and provides resources for the books you are using.

Scholastic Book Clubs

If you want to improve book accessibility for your students, the Scholastic Book Clubs is the site to visit. The site is a fantastic resource for finding high-quality books of every field and level at an affordable price. It can be accessed as a teacher or as a parent. A neat system the site offers is every parent’s purchase can earn you points, which you can spend for more classroom resources.

For The Love Of Teachers

This site is a comprehensive resource for teachers that functions as a place for collaboration, professional growth, and tons of valuable resources. They feature articles spanning a wide range of topics such as teacher testimonies, teaching strategies, and tricks that can help you keep learning a fresh experience.  You can check out the variety of resources at the site, blog, and Shop for all things elementary from writing to classroom management.

Others

There are other resources available that teachers can indirectly use to help their students. Tons of online courses are available, and you can point students to these resources if they need to focus on learning a particular subject. Parents of students struggling with math can be advised to enroll their children in online math courses. Of course, it would be your responsibility as their teacher to verify the integrity and quality of these online courses.

Do you use any of these online resources? Which online resources would you add to this list?

About the Author: Bash Sarmiento is a writer and an educator from Manila. He is currently finishing his Doctor of Education degree in Miriam College. Bash writes laconic pieces in the education, lifestyle, and health realms. His academic background and extensive experience in teaching, textbook evaluation, business management, and traveling are translated in his works.

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