Students, their parents and educators are feeling the extraordinary ripple effect of the novel coronavirus as schools shut down and quarantine methods are ordered amidst the public health emergency. In this series, we want to share best practices from our community and how our educators and innovators are managing school shutdowns, distance learning and more.
Pero Sardzoski, EFL teacher, Edmodo Certified Trainer and Director of Studies, Tetovo, Macedonia.
For a few days now, all schools in Macedonia have shut down, both state and private, as one of the measures recommended by the Ministry of Health in relation to the novel coronavirus outbreak, for a period of two weeks at least, but we can expect it could take a bit longer. The Ministry of Education has announced that the school year might be extended in order to make up for the lost time. However, there is very little talk about the possibility of using educational technologies to enable a continuous distant-learning process, provided that students and teachers have access to the Internet and have mobile devices.
An online article recently published by UNICEF offers a list of free educational resources available online for teachers who want to keep their students occupied during the temporary school closure period.
Free and open digital tools to support remote learning during temporary school closures
One of the best tools that I find most fitting for the current situation is Edmodo, because it enables teachers to create a safe learning environment, where students would be able to share digital content, do quizzes, turn in assignments, and communicate with each other online, without being in the same physical space. Thanks to Edmodo, I have been able to conduct remote mentoring for students who have not been able to attend classes for various reasons, and even now, during the temporary school closure, I find it a very useful tool that helps me keep my students updated and well informed, and give them tasks and assignments so that they keep practicing their English language skills even outside the classroom.
Edmodo is a virtual learning platform that is easy to use and it allows teachers to build their own content by writing posts, creating quizzes, or giving assignments on a specific subject. As an English language teacher I have developed an approach that involves teaching English through specific contents that generate interest among students, allowing their curiosity to be the driving force behind the learning process. I am currently 'teaching' science to my 9th-graders, focusing on a variety of topics related to astronomy, quantum physics, chemistry, IT, women in science, and medicine and biology, allowing students to acquire as much information as possible, and encouraging them to express their ideas related to these topics in English, using a variety of digital tools to enhance their learning experience.
This screencast video shows how Edmodo can be used to teach science, along with other digital learning tools available online for free.
As an Edmodo Certified Trainer, I would like to offer free Edmodo basic training sessions (via Skype) for teachers who are wanting to try out Edmodo with their students, using some of its basic features.
Check out this webinar link to find out more about Edmodo's basic features:
We thank our community members like Pero Sardzoski for offering support and resources in this time of need. For more articles, innovations & resources, head to our Educator Toolkit especially designed to support educators & parents during this COVID-19 outbreak.
