Distance learning resources have recently become more popular than ever before. The COVID 19 pandemic has given rise to an enormous amount of digital platforms and tools for distance education or learning from home. This means that finding resources for online learning or education is not a difficult task any more. A simple search in the internet for digital distance learning tools will yield tons of resources. At this point, however, the benefit of counting on a large amount of distance learning resources may become a problem; which ones should teachers and students choose? Just follow the elephant tracks and you won’t be lost! The following are the most popular distance learning platforms and a list of digital devices you’ll need.
Google Classroom
Google Classroom is probably the most popular free digital platform for distance learning. This tool, which is widely used around the world, is a Learning Management System that allows shifting learning activities from a traditional physical environment to an online context. To get started, all you need is a Gmail Account, which is free! Once teachers and students are logged in, they can carry out their regular class activities online. That is, they can manage class creation and development, distribute and handle assignments, communicate virtually and much more. Together with this tool, we recommend using GoConqr and Quizizz for assessment and Google Slides, Mentimeter and Apple Keynote for presentations.
Canvas
Canvas is a learning management system (LMS) that is being widely used in K12 and higher education systems; actually, it is the favorite digital platform among universities. It has all the functionalities for a top notch virtual classroom, including conferencing, presentation, assessment and more. It also integrates easily with other student information systems (SIS), distance learning apps or digital tools like Google Classroom.
Moodle
Moodle is an open source (free) digital platform for online education. It is a learning management system that allows course design, management, examination and more. This system, which is complete, but still customizable through the installation of plugins, is well renown and acclaimed; actually, many people believe it is the most used platform all over the world. However, this system does not include a video conferencing tool per se, which is not a problem because its website suggests downloading and installing mod_videoconference, a plugin that integrates nicely with Moodle.
Other than a Learning Management System, in order to materialize a distance learning process, you’ll need some updated digital devices like the following. If you don’t have them yet, we recommend getting them from a well-known distributer, one with good customer services and price policies.
- Desktop or laptop computer
- Smartphone or tablet
- Headphones and earbuds
- Speakers and webcams (may be optional depending on the previous device)
Once you have set up your online classroom, it is advisable to appeal to top quality digital learning resources for the various content areas. Just click on any of the following subjects and explore multiple options of wonderful teaching and learning resources:
Written by Jose Vallejo
