Resources

School-wide Tools and Platforms

In order to implement successful learning, certain core technology tools/platforms will be used to ensure consistency, promote clear and reliable communication and support parents and students both at home and in school. It will be important that these tools are used consistently even in class, when students are in school, so that they can also be seamlessly implemented with students at home.

Tools all teachers will use:

• Veracross:

  • ISA will post all information relevant for parents on the Veracross portal

  • Each LS homeroom teacher and each US teacher will use their Veracross Class Website as a one-point of entry for parents to allow parents to support their children’s learning; Class Websites will direct parents and students to other digital tools as appropriate through links to Google Classroom, Seesaw or Storypark as applicable

  • Upper School teachers will use their Veracross class website as a one-point of entry for parents to allow parents to support their children’s learning. Any assignments students are expected to complete will be posted on Veracross and parents will be able to view a completion status. The Veracross class websites may direct students and parents to other digital tools as appropriate through links to Google Sites or Google Classroom.

• Google Education Suite:

  • Google Chat for students to ask questions and seek help from teachers

  • Google Meet for video chat and real-time lessons with students

  • Google Drive for storage of all digital resources

  • Google Docs, Sheets and Slides for collaboration

  • Gmail:

    • In a distance learning situation email should not be the main communication tool. It can be overwhelming for students and teachers if communication flows through email.

    • Teachers should use the tools listed above to post assignments and give instructions to students. If students want to contact the teacher, they should do so through Google Classroom or Google Chat.

    • US Teachers should share information with parents via the Veracross Class Website, through posts and assignments. Parents will still choose to email teachers and that is to be expected.

The following digital tools, platforms, apps and websites can be used by teachers in distance learning:

Library Resources

• Veracross - ISA class websites, homework assignments, classroom announcements, post videos and documents.

• Google Classroom - Create assignments, post videos, post announcements and documents. You must still post all assignments in Veracross.

• Google Hangouts Meet - Student/teacher communication, can invite entire class to join live discussion, works on phones and laptops

• Google Hangouts Chat - Good for quick questions and answers. Text-based responses..

• Gmail - ISA approved email system

• Google Drive - All Google Suite for Education apps for collaboration and creation.

• Screencast-o-matic - Create and edit screencasts and videos. Download the completed file to your computer, or upload it to YouTube.

• EdPuzzle - Turn any video into an interactive formative assessment and track student responses.

• Pear Deck - Turn your existing PowerPoint/Google Slides slides into an interactive experience for your students. Collect and track student responses as they work through the content.

• Newsela – Newsela provides nonfiction and current event content linked to our standards and at various reading levels. Teachers can create text sets and assign them to their class. Teachers can view data from the assignments to help engage their students.

• Book Creator – Students can create interactive books on their computer or iPad as a way of sharing their learning. Teachers can also create books as an innovative way to bring a variety of resources together for students.

• Padlet - (Tutorial) Sign in to our school account at https://isa.padlet.org/

• Flipgrid - (Tutorial) Create a grid for: discussions, reflections, book talks, mini-presentations, debating, explaining solutions, content check-in

• YouTube - Upload videos created via Quicktime or Screencast-o-matic. Remember to post videos as Unlisted

• Kahoot! - Classroom gamification, quizzes, etc.

• Quicktime - Webcast the lesson using Quicktime. Record your screen or audio

• Socrative - Summative and formative assessments, exit tickets