Resources for Distance Learning

2022 Update: This list was created in 2020 as a resource for students and teachers when schools were transitioning to at-home learning. Now that most schools have moved back to in-person learning, we are no longer updating this resource. Instead, this serves as an archive of the ways our partners and grantees were able to create and adapt tools for distance learning.

Resources created by our open education partners are marked with a double asterisk (**), and may be more likely to include customizable content for at-home learning.

 

Resources for Educators and Learners

K-12

** Science Resources for Educators | California Academy of SciencesLive video events, learning resources for students at home, and customized science support online.

** Keeping the doors of learning open COVID-19 | Commonwealth of Learning
A list of online learning resources for policymakers, school and college administrators, teachers, parents and learners and capacity building for K12 and postsecondary. Most of these are available as open educational resources.

Virtual Field Trips and Experiential Learning | Common Sense Media
Online museums and other games, apps, and websites that allow students to virtually explore and learn about new places. 

** COVID-19 Online Learning Resources and FAQ | Digital Promise
A searchable database of online resources for schools and families preparing for online learning in response to COVID-19, and an FAQ with high-quality materials, examples, and thinking from trusted partners and networks.

** Resources for Educators | Educators For Excellence (E4E)
Educators for Excellence is working to ensure that educators’ voices are heard about how COVID-19 is hitting highest need communities the hardest. They’ve compiled online and offline resources, as well as tips on best practices for virtual learning, and information on how to get access to free internet and digital devices. 

** Coronavirus Resource Center | EL Education
A collection of free resources for virtual learning and opportunities to connect online for educators and students and families, including support for ELA curricula and access to Premium Library and online Canvas courses.

Remote Learning Toolkit | iCivics
Tips on how to prepare for a remote classroom, as well as access to print-and-go lesson plans and free civics education games.

** Online Mathematics Education Resources | Illustrative Mathematics
Free resources to help educators and caregivers plan, implement, and support students’ mathematics education.

Learning Keeps Going | ISTE and EdSurge
A coalition of education organizations has curated free tools, strategies and best practices for teaching and learning online. Educators can also ask experts online learning questions.

** How Teachers Can Navigate School Closures Due to the Coronavirus: Digital Learning Resources for PreK-12 | KQED
A collection of all of KQED’s resources that educators can use to continue to provide meaningful learning experiences for students during school closures. 

Resources: Learning in the Time of COVID-19 | Learning Policy Institute
Lists of useful resources for teachers and parents, including some for English Learners and students with exceptional needs.

** OER Resources to Get Started | New America
In the wake of COVID-19, there is an increased need for high-quality instructional materials to meet the needs of students learning remotely. New America has curated this list of free and openly licensed resources to provide a simple way to search and discover OER that can aid in distance learning.

** Online Learning in the Wake of COVID-19: Tips and Resources with Equity in Mind | New America
A collection of resources curated by New America’s Teaching, Learning, and Tech team that focus on helping more students gain access to remote learning, how to engage parents in at-home learning, how to find and use openly-licensed digital learning materials as a part of distance learning, and how to choose and use digital media with young children.

Get Smart about COVID-19 Misinformation | News Literacy Project
Free resources for educators, parents, and students, including downloadable charts and graphics for identifying misinformation and tips, tools and quizzes to build news literacy skills.

At-Home STEM Resources | New York Hall of Science (NYSCI)
Free online STEM resources for educators, parents, and students, and a new online exhibit on coronavirus.

 

** K-12 Remote Learning Resources and Courses | OER Commons
Collections of kindergarten through high school resources and full courses organized by grade level, subject, and provider.

Free Videos and Interactive Lesson Plans For K-12 Educators | PBS Learning Media
Los Angeles Unified School District, PBS SoCal, KCET and KQED developed a suite of TV and digital learning resources, free for all schools, districts and county offices of education across the state to ensure equitable access to at-home learning opportunities during school closures, regardless of access to internet or computers.

#PlayatHome with Playworks
PlayWorks is providing free video tutorials of games that follow CDC guidelines and can be played at home with little to no equipment. Families can also download a printable Play at Home Playbook that features these games.

** Interactive simulations for science and math learning online | PhET Interactive Simulations, University of Colorado
A collection of 150 free math and science simulations for actively engaging students in STEM learning and virtual labs. Teachers and parents can also make a free user account to access teacher tips and over 2,000+ sim-based lessons.

COVID-19 Impact on Educational Equity Resources and Responses | The Education Trust
As an education equity organization, Ed Trust recognizes that America’s most vulnerable students are at particular risk while schools are closed. They’ve curated useful resources and information that keep equity at the forefront, including The Education Trust – New York’s six steps that schools can take to promote educational equity and preserve student well-being during school closures.

Supporting Students with Disabilities | The National Center for Learning Disabilities
A selection of resources and tools for supporting students with disabilities during the COVID-19 crisis, including four immediate suggested actions for educators. 

Library Support for Shifting to Online Teaching | The University of Arizona
To help parents keep their kids engaged and learning during school closures, educators and librarians are compiling educational resources and guides—from printable lessons to virtual “book clubs.” The University of Arizona has compiled this collection of free-of-charge resources for kids.

Online Teaching Resources for Teachers and Families | Wide Open School
Wide Open School is a free and open collection of high-quality online learning experiences and activities for kids, curated by the editors at Common Sense and organized by grade and subject.

Postsecondary

** Community Contributed Open Educational Resources for Teaching and Learning in the COVID-19 Era | CCCOER and Open Education Global
A collection of resources from the open education community to support educators, students, and their families in the transition to online and homebound schooling during the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic.

** Keeping the doors of learning open COVID-19 | Commonwealth of Learning
A list of online learning resources for policymakers, school and college administrators, teachers, parents and learners and capacity building for K12 and postsecondary. Most of these are available as open educational resources.

** Teaching Quantitative Biology Online | QUBES
QUBES has curated resources to help educators teach quantitative biology courses online.

 

Tips for Educators and Administrators Supporting Distance Learning

 

Best Practices in Fair Use for OER | American University
American University’s Washington College of Law is hosting a webinar series on copyright and open education strategies with two tracks: K-12 and Higher Education. Sessions are designed to support educators in evaluating resilient digital teaching and learning materials, authoring and adapting OER, and learning essential copyright knowledge and best practices in fair use with educational materials.

Resources to Support Distance Learning | CenterPoint
CenterPoint has compiled a list of resources for states, districts, schools, educators, and communities to support remote learning.

Resource List from State and District Agencies | Chiefs for Change
A curated list of resources from Chiefs for Change members and other states and districts that provide guidance for systems leaders in this challenging time.

Reading Aloud: Fair Use Enables Translating Classroom Practices to Online Learning | Creative Commons
Webinar to answer questions about copyright law and translating classroom-based practices of reading aloud to the digital environment.

5 Things Districts and Educators Can do to Support Instruction for English Learners During COVID-19 | English Learners Success Forum
High level guidance for teachers and districts on supporting EL students in distance learning.

Distance Learning Plan Overview | Grossmont Union High School District, San Diego, CA
One of the Office of Educational Technology’s #GoOpen school districts shared its distance learning plan overview, which includes instructional and support resources for teachers, professional learning resources, program plans, technology tools and communication best practices, and resources for students and parents.

News and Resources in Relation to the COVID-19 Outbreak | International Council for Open and Distance Education
ICDE has collected and curated up-to-date and relevant news and resources relating to distance and online teaching in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

COVID-19 School Resource Hub | Instruction Partners
The School Resource Hub provides school and system leaders a starting point to support student care and continued learning during extended school closures and re-entry into buildings. It includes toolkits, templates, and ready-made instructional materials that can be adapted for local community needs.

Weekly Virtual Learning Series for Educators | Learning Accelerator
The Learning Accelerator has launched a weekly series focusing on specific problems of practice for remote learning.

Teacher Resources for Online Learning | State Educational Technology Directors Association
A collection of professional learning resources and interactive tools curated by the State Educational Technology Directors Association (SETDA) Coalition for eLearning that teachers can leverage when teaching online.

Extraordinary Stories of Open and Online Learning During during COVID-19 | CCCOER
CCCOER is collecting stories of inspiring ways educators are using open education materials and practices to support learning during the pandemic.

Preparing Teachers & Students for Online Learning | The Multimedia Educational Resource for Learning and Online Teaching and SkillsCommons
A collection of free digital resources to help teachers and students prepare to start teaching and learning online.

OER support group for educators during covid19 | OER Foundation
A global community support group to assist educators in the transition to online learning using open educational resources, including online courses, open tech, curated resources, capacity assessments, and web-conferencing.

Staying Grounded when Teaching Remote | OpenSciEd
A webinar series with tips for educators on staying grounded in the best practices of science teaching and learning while they shift to remote learning during school closures in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. This series focuses on routines and elements of storyline instructional models that are central to OpenSciEd, inquiryHub Biology, and NextGen Storylines materials.

Support for Moving Your Course Online | OpenStax
Tips for moving courses online, online homework software that’s being offered for free this semester, and curated community resources.