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The 21st Century has seen unprecedented changes in the country’s education system. First due to technology, and now with the outbreak of the global coronavirus, which has brought about more virtual education. As we discussed in our recent podcast about a teacher's perspective on the state of education, these ever-increasing virtual learning options have made the world smaller, and teachers can now incorporate resources from other parts of the world in their teaching. But with the internet being a vast domain, it cannot be easy to select the best ones. So here are some of our picks of the best resources from outside the US that teachers can use in 2020.
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Virtual Learning Experiences: Get started with Virtual Learning.
Virtual education shouldn’t be restricted to English, math, and science basics. It is just as important for children to get a rich learning experience that includes the arts. The Royal Opera House’s online learning platform allows children to explore opera, ballet, and theater. With over ten weeks of exciting resources, students can gradually enter the world of theater, where they learn to not only act and sing but also get a look at the behind-the-scenes action.
Many museums are continuing their programming despite not welcoming in-person visitors; this means children can attend festivals virtually that they wouldn’t have been able to otherwise.
National Gallery Singapore hosts a children’s festival named Small Big Dreamers, and this year they’ve included an exclusive online exhibit. Teachers can augment their arts curriculum with the range of activities that their online exhibit offers, including:
The Artist’s Studio
The Make and Create Lab
Play and Discover (includes woodcarving, composition, and digital still life painting, among others)
Watch and Listen (where you learn about patterns, textures, music, and colors)
And that’s not all; for older students, the National Gallery Singapore also has virtual exhibits apart from the children’s festival. Focusing on modern Singaporean and Southeast Asian art of the 19th and 20th Centuries, the digital exhibits feature some eight thousand art installations. With features of works of esteemed artists such as Ong Kim Seng and Lim Cheng Hoe, teachers can hold a class on art history and use these online resources as aid.
Even though travel is limited, world adventures don’t have to stop. Skyscanner has just the resource for teachers to incorporate in their classrooms: Skyscanner Play Packs! These weekly packs include puzzles, quizzes, word searches, art projects, and games based on different countries and the international landscape. So, gear up children to think about the wider world right from the comfort of their own homes!
If there’s one thing that’s monumental to Europe’s history, it is their stunning cathedrals. And now, students can explore three of them virtually courtesy of the Roundme videos.
This includes:
Sagrada Familia, Barcelona, Spain
Notre-Dame de Paris, Paris, France
Canterbury Cathedral, Canterbury, England
Teachers can provide their students with historical information about each of these locations to accompany the videos as an added aide. With an easy to use interface, children will be able to navigate the virtual tour themselves as they browse through the Cathedrals’ interior. The best part is that these videos are extremely easy to access as they don’t require any registration or login, all you need to do is head onto the arch20 website, and that’s you set!
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5) Roman Ruins
No history lesson is complete without delving into the history of Ancient Rome, and what better way to supplement your historical learning than with a tour of the Roman ruins. With the Tour Guy’s virtual guided tour of the best of the best that encapsulated Ancient Rome, teachers can bring their class to life. The tour, which takes place live from Rome, is entirely interactive, which means students will be able to indulge in some social contact – albeit virtually – that will help bring some enthusiasm into the class.
The tour covers:
The Colosseum
The Emperors
The Gladiators
The Roman Forum
The Ancient Metropolis of Rome
All in all, it is sure to be a history class that your students won’t forget!
6) Duolingo
World languages have always been an educational priority but there hasn’t always been a curriculum or availability of teachers that make them possible. Technology can now facilitate that with Duolingo. Teachers can make teaching a language fun and engaging with Duolingo’s many features. Not only does the platform have immediate inbuilt grading that lets your students see their performance with detailed feedback, but it also operates on a ladder model, motivating students to do more and to do better to unlock newer features.
With over thirty-five languages to choose from, teachers can get their students to learn one of the following:
Spanish
French
German
Italian
Portuguese
Dutch
Japanese
Arabic
Czech
And many more!
The Google Arts and Culture website is an art lover’s dream. Packed with virtual copies of some of the most iconic artworks of all time, such as Vermeer’s ‘The Milk Maid’ and Velazquez’s ‘Portrait of a Lady’, students can study these pieces in detail. But Google hasn’t restricted itself to only the fine arts. Their platform also includes virtual museum tours from around the world, including:
Alte Pinakothek, Germany
Van Gogh Museum, Netherlands
Queen Sirikit Museum of Textiles, Thailand
Musée de l’Orangerie, France
Acropolis Museum, Greece
Rijksmuseum, Netherlands
From historical events to monumental places around the globe, with the Google Arts and Culture website, each day will be a step into the world! Many experiments, activities, and games are available on the website that teachers can use in class.
So, there you have it; some great resources to give your students a feel of something other than the books during this extended virtual education model.