How to address violence in the news with your students.
TOP PICKS | 18 TOOLS
Best Tools for Virtual and Distance Learning
Top Picks
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Parent, Caregiver, and Family Messaging

Remind
Messaging platform offers tight focus on school-to-home connection
Bottom line: Well-designed, highly effective messaging tool delivers on its promise to connect home and school.

TalkingPoints
Multilingual texting tool enhances school-to-home communication
Bottom line: Easy-to-use tool for supporting communication and engagement with families in 100+ languages.
Video Lesson Creation

Edpuzzle
Crop, customize, and remix online video content with interactive tool
Bottom line: This is a valuable tool that teachers can use to flip classrooms or support student-led creation.

Screencastify
Easy screen-recording tool facilitates outside-the-box instruction
Bottom line: This is an instructional tool that could reinvent classroom workflow, especially for classrooms in the Google ecosystem.
Student Portfolios

Seesaw
Versatile digital portfolio appeals to teachers, students, and parents
Bottom line: A powerful multimedia learning and communication tool that demonstrates student progress over time.

Bulb
Slick portfolio tool has cool features, limited feedback options
Bottom line: A neat tool for publishing online, possibly better suited to teacher content creation than student publishing.
Learning and Classroom Management

Schoology
Free LMS for digital classrooms packed with possibilities
Bottom line: This is an LMS that offers rich learning and collaboration experiences when matched with creative tasks and assessments.

Notion
Cool, customizable tool turns notebooks into workspaces
Bottom line: With some scaffolding, this could be a great way to capture, organize, and share info without juggling a class site, notebook, to-do list, and more.
Lesson Planning

Common Curriculum
Sleek lesson planner replaces bulky binders, promotes collaboration
Bottom line: Flexible and collaborative lesson planning, calendar design, and classroom site creator save teachers precious time.

Planboard
Handy -- and free -- one-stop digital lesson planner saves time
Bottom line: This platform simplifies lesson planning with an intuitive, easy-to-use interface.
Communication and Discussion

Along
Messaging tool helps classrooms forge and foster meaningful dialogue
Bottom line: This tool opens up avenues for conversation and relationship building between teachers and students.

Parlay
Comprehensive discussion platform develops critical-thinking skills
Bottom line: A great tool in any subject or topic for teachers looking to make discussion a central part of their classroom.
Assessment and Feedback

Intergalactic Mobile Learning Center
Free collaborative tools a bit clunky, but kid-friendly and cohesive
Bottom line: For elementary classrooms and virtual learning experiences, this collaborative app site will keep kids connected with the material and each other.

Kaizena
Nifty add-on enables audio and text feedback in Google Docs
Bottom line: If your classroom relies a lot on Google Docs, this might just be the feedback tool you're looking for.
Class Website Creation

Edublogs
Encourage student expression and maintain digital portfolios with easy-to-use blog creator
Bottom line: Edublogs is a fantastic platform for any teacher committed to providing consistent opportunities for creation and reflection.

Google Sites
Make your own website with easy, intuitive drag-and-drop features
Bottom line: With a few clicks, students can design a basic but custom, responsive website that allows for easy collaboration with their peers.
Slideshows and Lesson Delivery

Nearpod
Engage and assess students with media, videos, and interactive slides
Bottom line: This is a great tool with a vast content library, and the teacher- or student-paced learning can unlock the potential of 1-to-1 environments.

Pear Deck
Interactive slideshows offer a variety of ways to engage and assess
Bottom line: This is an appealing platform that can really ramp up engagement around formative assessment.