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Distance learning has become the new norm in education since the advent of school closures as a response to the Covid-19 pandemic, and teachers have adapted鈥攚ith the help of some truly amazing online applications.

Throughout my three months of distance learning, the following five online education applications were my lifelines; they genuinely helped bring my courses to life when I couldn鈥檛 be present in person with my students.

If we find ourselves in distance learning mode again this fall, they will be on the front lines of my course delivery.

My Essential Distance Learning Apps

1. Flipgrid:听 is a free online application that allows students and teachers to record short, online videos. Teachers can easily create accounts and then within accounts create 鈥渃lassrooms.鈥�

Similar to Google Classroom, students join classrooms via a code. From there, teachers can create posts for students to respond to via short videos. The settings can be manipulated to allow only teachers to see responses or for students to be able to see and respond to each other鈥檚 videos.

Flipgrid is a fantastic oral communication application that is easy to use. It can be adapted to almost any age group or subject area effectively. I know my own kids (grades 3 and 5) were also using it in their distance-learning classes, and they loved it as much as my high school students.

2.听WeVideo: An online video editor with free and paid accounts, has offered free upgrades to accounts for teachers and students during the pandemic, which I took immediate advantage of. I鈥檓 hoping that if distance learning continues听they will extend this program.

WeVideo is another application teachers and students can join via a Google account, and it also can link and upload directly to , which was an added convenience when students were submitting work. Teachers can also make a 鈥渃lass鈥� within the application and have students join their class via a special code.

The actual video editor program is absolutely the easiest and most user-friendly I鈥檝e found. I also like that WeVideo has stock images, videos, templates, music, and sound effects, which make video creation a snap.

My students said the program made it simple to share their work. Through this application, I was able to transform many of my assignments to a video communication format, and I couldn鈥檛 be happier with the results.

3.听Google Forms: This听application is often used to gather information in a variety of contexts (surveys, quizzes, etc.). Its quiz feature can be enabled to block users from opening other windows. It also offers auto grading for multiple-choice tests.

I鈥檝e used in my classroom regularly; however, it became a daily application in my classes during distance learning. I used it for pre-assessments, quizzes, and surveys.

Google Forms is user-friendly and free if you have a . It鈥檚 a great way to ensure students are on track and to allow them an anonymous way to share feedback with you as a teacher.

4.听Google Meet:听Our district used the online meeting platform to deliver our course material live or, depending on grade level, to record lessons and then post them to Google Classroom.

A听feature I really like about this application is the option for students to show their faces, allow only their voices, or stay silent. There is also a chat feature on the sidebar if they鈥檇 like to communicate through writing.

Teachers (or students) can share their screens for all participants to see as well as record the meeting. I recorded all of my daily lessons鈥攕howing my screen only and talking through the lesson鈥攁nd then posted the recordings to Google Classroom at the request of my students. This is a practice I鈥檇 like to continue even after distance learning as students really liked the option to return to a recording of the day鈥檚 lesson to review it at their own pace.

5.听Google Classroom: This popular听application allows teachers to create online forums to share course curriculum, news, or lessons as well as a platform to assign, collect, and give feedback on student work.

I鈥檝e used for years, but it became the cornerstone of my classroom throughout distance learning. This is where I posted the daily agenda as well as attached any necessary assignments, videos, or links. As previously mentioned, I also linked my Google Meet live lesson recordings for students to review if required. Essentially, Google Classroom became my online course management tool where students could easily access course work in an organized and engaging manner.

Although the 2019鈥�20 school year didn鈥檛 end the way any of us in education predicted or wanted, at the very least, distance learning allowed teachers to explore new online applications that can and will be relevant to our听future course delivery in any format.