The resources listed here appear to be free unless noted otherwise.
Please double check this is true before making commitments for use.
Internationally Available Free Online Education: Khan Academy
Khan Academy offers grade school, high school, and college level education in a wide range of subjects, especially in math and science. The Academy can be used by parents for homeschooling, by school teachers for remote learning, and directly by students who wish to get extra educational support via self-directed review or advancement. The platform is able to track the student's progress and automatically present the appropriate set of options for moving forward at each point.
Learn about Khan Academy through an inspiring podcast interview with its founder: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gM95HHI4gLk
https://www.khanacademy.org/
A list of the science courses offered, by topic and level: https://www.khanacademy.org/science
Parents: how to use Khan Academy as a math curriculum for home schooling https://www.organizedhomeschooler.com/how-to-use-khan-academy-as-a-math-curriculum/
Teachers: how to use Khan Academy for distance learning https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9xg0picYJ3o
Students: how to use Khan Academy if you are engaged in distance learning https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vOU2WbU8URg
General basic information about Khan Academy, from a distance learning specialist: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MH9bhVxvQiU
A helpful introduction to, and review of, Kahn Academy: https://www.bitdegree.org/online-learning-platforms/khan-academy-review
Tuition-Free Online Public Schools K-12
https://www.k12.com/online-public-schools.htmlEtymology & Emotional Learning:
Teaching Materials for Parents and TeachersTwo young entomologists with media and teaching experience--Kiristi Reddick and Jessica Honaker--have produced learning materials that are likely to be useful to teachers and parents at any time, but particularly during the pandemic.
For Teachers: A full curriculum, called "Different: Emotional Learning Using Arthropods", costs $99 per teacher and includes 10 videos, accompanying lessons, a tech project, and an assessment tool. https://thebugchicks.com/product-list/different-sel-curriculum
For Parents: Hour-long teaching videos appropriate for all ages, but "perfect for for K-6", can be purchased individually or as a series for $5 each. These may be well suited to parents teaching and entertaining their children (and themselves) at home during the pandemic. https://thebugchicks.com/bugdork-university
For Anyone: Twitter account @TheBugChicks offers up to date information on such things as international insect-sighting competitions, or you can sign up directly for their emails.
Reddick and Honaker have MS degrees from Texas A&M, and one has taught this topic at the university level. They can be hired to provide services directly to schools. https://thebugchicks.com/hire-us
Arithmetic - Grade School
Coolmath offers grade-school students quizzes, games, and brain teasers that are fun, lively, and easy to use. You choose a grade level and or topic. Then you choose to compete against the computer or against someone else online. Give Coolmath a try right now. It's free, and very accessible. https://www.coolmath4kids.com/math-games/canoe-penguins?tid=21
Starting Points Maths. Free math educational tools for parents and teachers. https://startingpointsmaths.com/2020/04/04/fraction-stories-multiple-representations/
Komodo. $90 per year per student. 14-day free trial available. Personalized math education for learning at home. Includes a parent dashboard. Offices in the United States and the UK. Created by a teacher, for families. https://komodomath.com/d/26
Customer reviews: https://www.reviews.co.uk/company-reviews/store/komodo-learning-ltd
Storytelling From Around The World
On Radio: Folktales from around the world in radio plays for kids ages 4 to 10. Each 10- to 20-minute episode explores important issues and ends with an activity that inspires a deeper conversation between children and grown-ups. wbur.org/circleround
"Writers Speak To Kids"
A series of short NBC News Learn videos of writers speaking to children about writing. What is it like to write a book? Where do their ideas come from? https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLRpUYjB1LkA_weB0oVGO9XK9f0n2PdDxC
Educational Videos from PBS
Organized by subject matter and grade level. https://kcts9.pbslearningmedia.org/subjects/social-studies/us-history/The Natural World - Grade School
National GeographicFree games, quizzes, videos and general information about the natural world, for young people.
https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/
Includes a recycling game. https://images.nationalgeographic.com/wpf/media-content/richmedia/1/1143/project/dist/desktop.html
American Museum of Natural History
Educational Videos on YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/user/AMNHorg/videos
Anthropology
"Ask an Anthropologist"A well organized, fun website.
- Arizona State University
https://askananthropologist.asu.edu/explore/listen-watch
Chemistry
- The British Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) offers help to high school educators. See for example what they offer for teaching students about lithium battery recycling. You may need to register with them to gain access to specific tools and materials.https://edu.rsc.org/science-research/recycling-lithium-from-electric-vehicle-batteries/4013272.article
Subtleties of the Human Brain - Middle School & High School
The Hidden Brain, for EducationNPR Radio weekly program on National Public Radio
"Using science and storytelling, Hidden Brain reveals the unconscious patterns that drive human behavior, and the biases that shape our choices."
Hidden Brain podcasts--downloaded two million times per week--explore how research in human behavior and the social sciences can lead listeners to think about the news in unusual and interesting--and often positive--ways. Shankar Vedantam, host of Hidden Brain, is an award-winning journalist and author of fiction and non-fiction. He has served as a part-time lecturer at Harvard University and Columbia University and as a senior scholar at the Woodrow Wilson International Center in Washington.
Educational Materials available online: Podcasts, and Teacher Study Guides
https://www.npr.org/2017/03/27/518822674/hidden-brain-study-guides-beta
"To foster even more learning, we've created a series of study guides based on selected episodes of Hidden Brain. These guides are designed to supplement teachers' existing curricula, and have been tailored to serve a range of different learning levels, from middle school to high school to college. Whether you're teaching a sixth grade social studies class or an undergraduate seminar in psychology, we hope you'll find the materials below to be topical and age-appropriate.
To get to the study guides, just jump to an age level and then click on the thumbnail picture next to the episode description. To make it easier for you to browse episodes, we've organized them by subject."
Reading and Science K-8
Education.com K-5
A broad range of teaching materials, including worksheets, lesson plans, and on-line games for use by teachers, parents, and students. This resource is not free. The monthly fee is modest, but it's not obvious how much might also be charged on top of that for specific items.
https://www.education.com/game/solving-equations/
Amplify K-8
https://freeresources.amplify.com/
Not clear how much it would cost.
Website is clean and elegant.
General Information about Online Tools, for Teachers and Parents
A Teacher's Guide to Online Teaching Tools
- Education World
https://www.educationworld.com/a_tech/favorite-tools-for-online-learning.shtml
An Adult's Overview of Online Teaching Tools
- Huff Post, 2/1/2013
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/education-tools_b_2567342
STEM K12
https://www.k12.com/parent-student-resources/online-stem-education.html
Common Mistakes with Distance Learning https://www.edsurge.com/news/2020-08-27-watch-out-for-these-3-mistakes-you-re-making-during-distance-teaching
From Edutopia: Tips for Creating an Online Club for Students "I created an online coding club through Google Classroom and allowed all students to join. I posted asynchronous resources for the students, and soon it became a place for them to share their work." edutopia.org/article/creati #onlinelearning #clubs
Solutions to World Problems?
"Just Have A Think" is a set of YouTube videos--a channel. "This channel seeks to understand the issues that face our civilization in the 21st Century and focuses on the potential solutions that will save as many lives as possible and hopefully bring about a greater level of equality in the world."
Created by Dave Borlace: "Born 1969. BSc Hons. degree in Technology from the Open University in the UK. Working full time as a Project Manager in London as well as spending 20 to 30 hours a week researching and producing these videos."
https://www.youtube.com/c/JustHaveaThink/about
A Debate Platform
for direct use, and for use by educators"Kialo
is a public discussion platform designed to facilitate reasoned debates
about complex topics online. Since we first launched in the fall of
2017, we’ve grown into a community with thousands of debates and
millions of contributions."
https://www.kialo-edu.com/about
