Distance Learning Resource Center

Distance Learning Tools & Technologies for Educators

Learn more about distance learning and how it’s playing a role in education today. Here's a list of tips and tools for advancements in distance learning.

June 1, 2020

5 Tips for Virtual Instruction

With uncertainties about when schools can safely open, Instructional Technology Coaches at Educate LLC share virtual instruction tips for admin and teachers.

May 26, 2020

Looking Ahead: The Future Implications of Social Distancing on Education

Read about how the current social distancing experiment for education could influence the future of school communities, in both technological and non-tech ways.

May 21, 2020

Best Educational Apps for Students to Supplement Distance Learning Programs

Online learning today is easier and more necessary than ever. Check out these best educational apps for students to help them navigate distance learning.

May 15, 2020

Creating a Student-Centric Virtual Learning Environment

Student-centric learning environments and social-emotional learning matter, especially in a virtual world amid a crisis.

May 13, 2020

Miseducation: How COVID-19 Unlocked the Education Cheat Code

A superintendent shares how the education cheat code was unlocked while educators had to find new ways of teaching and students found new ways of learning.

May 12, 2020

Teacher Cheatsheet: How to Use Skype as Your Classroom

Learn how educators are transforming their classrooms by using this digital tool. Read our steps, and learn how to use Skype as your classroom in 2020.

May 7, 2020

Teacher Cheatsheet: Transition to a Full Digital Classroom with Google Classroom

Our guide for learning how to use Google Classroom is here to help. With the free online platform, teachers can assign work, give tests, and meet with students.

May 5, 2020

Teacher Cheatsheet: How To Use Google Hangouts (Now Google Meet)

Learn how educators are using this digital tool to transform their classrooms. Read our tips and how-to for using Google Meet as your classroom in 2020.

April 30, 2020

Teacher Cheat Sheet: How to Use Zoom

Easy how-to’s for educators learning how to use Zoom for distance learning. Our digital classroom tips assist teachers navigating the Zoom classroom.

April 28, 2020

Navigating the Digital Classroom and the Need for Distance Learning in 2020

Learn about the four areas educators need to focus on to successfully implement distance learning in digital classrooms.

April 21, 2020

The Transition to Online Education Has Been Rocky, But the Future Is Bright

Learn about online education and how it can be used to augment in-person education arrangements.

April 20, 2020

The Distance Learning Phenomenon: What is it, and where will it take us?

Read this article to educate yourself on distance learning. Learn about distance learning’s benefits, how to implement it, and its current state and future.

April 16, 2020

Safety

The Surge in Need for Remote Therapy Solutions for Students

Stress, depression, and anxiety can be heightened during a time of isolation. Without in-person counseling and support, families are turning to teletherapy.

March 8, 2020

Best Practices for Remote Learning

Read this article to get to know e-learning. Learn about the basics and how to build a remote education system.

Admin Help Center

Creating Out-of-School Filtering Policies

Out of School mode allows the application of different sets of filtering rules for when students are "Out of School," as defined by the In School Hours and the School IP Range.

Admin Help Center

Managing Users and Organization Settings

Users with "Super User" permissions can make changes to your school's account using Org Management.

Admin Help Center

Facilitating Home and Remote Learning with GoGuardian

When looking to extend GoGuardian filtering and monitoring to students while they are home or away from school, here are a few best practices to consider.

Resources for Teaching and Learning

August 12, 2020

How to Write a Digital Lesson Plan: A Guide for Educators Teaching Online

Learn how to write a digital lesson plan. Includes questions teachers should ask themselves and key components of a digital lesson plan with examples.

August 11, 2020

7 Online Learning Strategies to Prepare Educators Teaching from Home

Learn about online learning strategies to prepare teachers in digital classrooms. Explore establishing a home base and utilizing individual touch points.

August 3, 2020

Screen-Sharing Tips for Teachers Navigating Zoom, Skype, Google Hangouts, & Beyond

Learn screen sharing tips for teachers to better utilize Zoom, Skype, and Google Hangouts.

July 29, 2020

How to Prepare Engaging E-Learning Content for Every Student on Your Roster

Explore these tips to create engaging e-learning content for learners of all ages.

July 28, 2020

It's going to take more than one semester to fix the 'COVID slide'

A principal and an ed tech researcher outline steps for assessing students' learning loss and making curriculum adjustments this fall.

July 27, 2020

6 Top Virtual Classroom Tips & How to Set Educators Up for Success

Find out how educators can see success in taking learning online. This list of tips can help teachers navigating the virtual classroom for the first time.

July 16, 2020

7+ Ways to Combat Summer Learning Loss

Discover how both educators and parents alike can help combat summer learning loss. Here you’ll find easy ways to keep students learning during summer months.

July 9, 2020

Understanding the Reality of the Summer Slide

Educate yourself about the summer slide, learn about past statistics, and read a list of tips for combating this type of learning regression.

July 7, 2020

What is the COVID Slide? Everything Educators & Parents Need to Know

Learn what the COVID slide is and its potential impact, and get to know ways that educators and parents can combat it in learners of all ages.

June 19, 2020

Resources for Distance Learning and School Closures

K-12 schools can access this resource list to support them in elearning and distance learning during COVID-19 closures. The list will be updated daily.

June 4, 2020

Using GoGuardian Teacher for Asynchronous Remote Learning

GoGuardian Teacher isn't just for management of your group classroom sessions. Read about how this tool can be used for asynchronous learning at a distance.

May 29, 2020

Summer Learning Loss and the COVID Slide

The annual summer slide will have a greater impact on student regression this year, especially with the COVID slide also affecting learning gains.

May 14, 2020

How GoGuardian Teacher Helps Me Quaranteach and Connect with Students

GoGuardian Teacher has become an integral part of educators' remote learning programs. Read about how one educator uses GoGuardian to help her quaranteach.

March 30, 2020

Homeschooling for Working Parents: How to Handle At-Home Education

A guide on homeschooling for working parents. Learn tips on how to best conduct homeschooling.

March 26, 2020

Set Up GoGuardian Teacher So You Can Focus on Teaching

Read about how a teacher who uses GoGuardian Teacher sets up her online classroom ahead of time so she can spend more time on instructing students.

March 16, 2020

Remote Digital Learning Strategies for Students with Limited At-Home Technology

Digital learning platforms can support schools and students during distance learning, but those with limited access to technology may need other strategies.

March 9, 2020

How to Best Use GoGuardian Teacher for Remote Learning

In the case of a remote learning scenario, here's a resource for educators on how to best use GoGuardian Teacher for E-Learning

March 6, 2020

5 Ways Teachers Can Use Online Learning to Spark Remote Engagement in Students

Online education can be useful for supplemental learning or to set up remote learning. Here are 5 ways teachers can utilize technology for remote education.

Resources for Mental Health

June 30, 2020

Safety

Student Stress: Compounding the COVID-19 Crisis

Pandemic stress from isolation, uncertainty about the future, and the disruption of daily routines mean that students are in need of mental health support.

News

July 21, 2020

Introducing Video Conferencing in GoGuardian Teacher

Teachers can now host video conferencing sessions with students while monitoring and managing student browsers. An all-in-one solution for K-12 classrooms.

April 15, 2020

GoGuardian Product Updates for Remote Learning

Learn about our latest product updates to support your school's remote learning environment, including communication, web filtering, and.

April 10, 2020

GoGuardian Teacher’s Off-Task Alerts Feature

Off-Task Alerts is the latest feature to GoGuardian Teacher that scans browser activity and provides visual notifications when students are off-task .

April 8, 2020

Major Updates to Chat in GoGuardian Teacher!

New Chat updates in GoGuardian Teacher include sound notifications, unread chats badges, chat history, easier access to chat, offline messages, multi-line chat

March 19, 2020

Providing Learning Continuity During School Closures

GoGuardian can help your school with remote learning. Read the blog to see our offers and resources to K-12 schools practicing distance learning.

Immersive audio stories from
distance learning heroes

Homeschooling Lessons from a Dean

A school dean with two children of her own shares how she manages homeschooling her kids/pupils while their schools are closed and they’re all staying home.

A Principal's Take on Remote Learning from Home

A school principal shares his experience with transitioning his secondary school into a remote learning environment, focusing on student mental wellbeing first.

A Compton High School Teacher Misses His Students

A media production teacher at Compton High School shares his story about transitioning to remote learning during a time of collaboration, while missing his kids.

August 13, 2020

Makeshift HomeSchool: How to Inspire Your Family with Self-Directed Learning (Episode 4)

Kids can learn from anybody, including those that they teach. Discover how kids can use Makeshift Homeschool to learn and teach their peers.

August 6, 2020

Makeshift HomeSchool: How to Inspire Your Family with Self-Directed Learning (Episode 3)

Discover what kids miss most about school and how the “rat race” style of learning can be replaced with fulfilling and effective learning.

July 30, 2020

Makeshift HomeSchool: How to Inspire Your Family with Self-Directed Learning (Episode 2)

Discover how to tap into children’s natural curiosity and leverage technology tools to help them become interested in writing. Learn about Makeshift Homeschool.

July 23, 2020

Makeshift HomeSchool: How to Inspire Your Family with Self-Directed Learning (Episode 1)

Discover how technology, passion, and self-directed learning can help drive the change in learning and tap into children’s natural curiosity.

June 25, 2020

How We Used Virtual PD to Support Teachers During the COVID Shutdown

Teachers need virtual support for distance teaching. Here's how two education technologists supported their faculty’s remote learning during school closures

June 16, 2020

Transforming My Art Room into a Digital World Tour of Museums

Before COVID-19, this teacher was adept at using technology to build a digital learning environment for his class. But one thing was missing in remote learning.

May 20, 2020

An Education Renaissance: How We've Adapted to This New Mode of Teaching and Learning

English teacher Natalie White pens a story about how she and her students have adapted to a new way of teaching and learning online.

May 6, 2020

Instructional Coaching in the Virtual World

Instructional Technology Coaches from Educate LLC share how social distancing has affected how they coaching schools on instructional technology.

April 27, 2020

When Two Weeks Becomes a Semester

A school registrar shares how she and her husband, also an educator, balance their work and their own children's remote education.

April 24, 2020

My Remote Digital Classroom: Disconnected in the Time of COVID-19

A teacher shares her experience with digital classroom management during the COVID-19 pandemic. Learn about how digital tools have helped her succeed.

Distance learning webinars

Protecting Students by Planning Ahead: Illinois Remote Learning

Illinois has been at the forefront of remote learning delivery. In this webinar, Illinois Superintendents and Academic Officers outline how they have driven their capability in this area, the challenges they have had to overcome, and the technology they have used to achieve it.

What’s Happening in Texas with Remote Learning

The needs of teachers, students, and families across Texas vary greatly as they face long-term school closures. In this webinar, district leaders discuss how they are meeting these diverse needs as they roll out remote learning programs that ensure teachers are delivering effective instruction.

What They’re Doing in California

Hear how the Los Angeles Unified School District launched a remote learning program to one of the nation’s largest school districts. The district was quickly able to train its teachers, add a more robust library of vetted resources to its LMS, and roll out the devices needed so every student had access from home.

What They’re Doing in New York

What They’re Doing in Miami

Hear how Miami is pivoting from digital learning to remote learning while taking care of families in the remote setting. In this webinar, leaders from Miami-Dade County Public Schools discuss their remote learning strategy both for short- and long-term planning.

Join our community

Tell us how you’re enabling distance learning, and connect with other educators on Twitter.

@nwhuskies students are proud when they do well, whether working remotely or at school. This student used GoGuardian to let my wonderful co-teacher @kcochrane85 know that the score on the new vocabulary was perfect. #112Leads #NWHuskies @D112Teachers #ILSchoolsStepUp #coteaching pic.twitter.com/27p7fFFVZ0
— Miriam Schuman (@Miriam_Schuman) April 21, 2020

I’m working on how to ensure my kids still know I’m believing in them even though we are apart. I’m emailing, commenting in google & goguardian, have sent postcards, & verbalizing it in Hangouts. Please share your other ideas!! 💚 Honestly, this is my “why”! https://t.co/DoKPs5jTXa
— Brooke Stege (@BBStege) April 21, 2020

It's these @goguardian chat messages I get that remind me how much I love what I do and why I do it! 😍 #millersmunchkins pic.twitter.com/FEjb1Dtl0G
— Ms. Miller (@MTL_CS_Miller1) April 21, 2020

#fullheartfriday My heart is full and my eyes are damp from a simple @goguardian chat message from a student... @KariTolle @hoover_melinda @CarrieTracy96 @SiglerStars pic.twitter.com/wa128V0Gag
— Raquel Dixon (@RaquelDixon422) April 17, 2020

Chatting with my students on @goguardian and I get this sweet message. Things like this really brighten my day. I miss you too, fourth graders! @ParkViewCCSD89 pic.twitter.com/NPC86yeU5X
— Ms. Colangelo (@ColangeloMs) April 17, 2020

Sometimes you just have to send a student a meme by opening a tab on their Chromebook using @goguardian to make #distancelearning more fun. #D76Diamonds pic.twitter.com/aYnu87nFuS
— Mr. Tom Schorsch (@MrSchorsch) April 16, 2020

A3b. I have learned that keeping your relationships strong and just letting students know you care and are ALWAYS there to help them. I make sure to message my students via GoGuardian or Google Hangout just to chat about how it's going. #msum640
— Ms Lund🍎📚 (@MissSydney12) April 16, 2020

It definitely helps. Ours can also look at their @goguardian account to see what the kids are looking at and direct them to me! #mscchat
— Nicohl Shelton Webb (@counselorPCE) April 16, 2020

Wow! Amazing google chat w/ a group of PPSD teachers about their distance learning experience:
1. Leadership Matters
2. @goguardian is a gamechanger
3. Individualized PD is key
4. Need more opportunities to plan
5. Oftentimes they are teaching an entire family @pvdschools
— Harrison Peters (@HarrisonPeters) April 15, 2020

One of the many benefits of GoGuardian is “seeing” a group of students go to @GoogleForEdu Meet to work on a math problem together. #distancelearningwin @pvdschools @HarrisonPeters @AInfanteGreen #fourthgraderocks
— AlfredLimaElementary (@ElementaryLima) April 15, 2020

Using @goguardian to observe my students using Algebra Tiles to add integers. #distancelearning pic.twitter.com/b9mD2xZdVq
— jocelyn renteria (@renteriateaches) April 13, 2020

Using GoGuardian to be able to see what they are looking at has really streamlined our ability to help students remotely! #112Leads
— Miriam Schuman (@Miriam_Schuman) April 7, 2020

#GoGuardian is a game changer for online learning. I'm having real-time chats/answering questions with up to 23 kids at a time. It takes most of my day, but I am still connected to my kids. Plus, chats are monitored and recorded! #distancelearning2020
— Cheryl Dick (@Cheryl_L_Dick) April 9, 2020

Thanks to @goguardian I was able to walk a student through a math problem, and also see her using her resources. Made this math teacher all giddy! #WeAreMeadows pic.twitter.com/XxLjnPTOHA
— Alyson Esch (@texasteacher98) April 9, 2020

Used @goguardian to check in with my Ss this morning and helped a few through the chat feature. It feels good to connect! Happy Friday😊@VacchioValerie @OBENSchools
— Janet Link (@JanetLink11) April 10, 2020

Partner resources

Free partner-provided resources for distance learning and school closures.

As schools around the world respond to COVID-19, the need for remote learning tools has never been more urgent. To make the transition to distance learning easier, Microsoft has created resources, training and how-to guides that will help schools, educators, students, and their families navigate their “new normal."

The coronavirus crisis will affect us all. It’s especially challenging for parents, teachers and students, as schools close and normal routines are disrupted. Google has created a temporary hub of information and tools to help teachers during this crisis.

National PTA has compiled resources and information at PTA.org/COVID-19 to help communities navigate the challenges the pandemic has presented. Among the resources, are guides for families on social and emotional support, learning at home and healthy habits; and resources for educators on teaching from home, supporting their students and self-care.

For over 22 years, ClassLink has been trusted to deliver reliable and secure online access to resources from any device. ClassLink has created ClassLink Lite and partnered with AESA to provide essential remote learning tools and help schools make the switch in less than 90 minutes.

To help communities navigate remote learning in this challenging time, Clever is offering quick start resources and live webinars. These resources focus on creating access to edtech at home and helping educators leverage Clever to help kids learn. Some notable resources include Free Zoom video conferencing, resources from our edtech partners, login guides in multiple languages, and accounts for parents.

During this time of school closures, it is PowerSchool’s commitment to provide you with tools and support to continue your operations. Based on your feedback we have put together a number of resources to help keep the learning and school operations going through these unprecedented times.