These resources have opened their doors to their services while the school closures are happening.
Zoom – I wanted to pass along some student directions for accessing a Zoom meeting created for teachers who will be using Zoom to connect with students while at home. They are editable so feel free to use and add your own spin.  These were specifically created for teachers who have students using computers and ipads. The last slide contains links to more helpful resources (using other devices/attendee controls/using Zoom in a browser). Make your own copy from Google Slides or from PDF. (Thank you Techie Teacher) Zoom help video for teachers here.
Meet – Google Meet is the same as Google Hangouts basically. The service is free.
Loom – Might be a great option because unlike the other changes to plans and pricing in response to COVID-19, this is a permanent change; moving forward they will continue to provide Loom Pro to verified teachers and students for free.
Creating your own Youtube Live channel is another way to reach your students, but doesn’t allow for them to reach you back. One option is to open up a Goolge Doc to the whole class (may edit) so they can all ask questions and work on the same document in realtime.
If you use Edmodo, here’s a great post from them about live streaming your Edmodo lesson.
Keep in mind, I asked my 5th-graders what app they used to communicate with each other and they told me Snapchat. That’s not really going to work for online learning, but it might work for teachers who keep office hours for students to contact them… might being the keyword here.
I hope this is helpful! I’ll be adding more resources soon, so check back. Follow me on Twitter to stay updated @bobbiegrennier.
Stay healthy!
Bobbie
