Distance Learning Must Haves

With most of teachers teaching remotely, I thought I'd share some advice, as to what things are must haves for teachings working remotely during this distance learning time!

Teaching from home, in some sense, has been a joy! I get to see my own children learn new things and interact with their teacher and classmates on Google Meetings. But something that I have found most beneficial for me is headphones, so I can hear meetings, co-workers, and students more clearly!

This mint/gray pair of Elecder i39 Headphones with Microphone sells on Amazon for $18.99. They are adjustable and have a built in microphone. I have not used this brand, but they have decent reviews. They also come in a wide range of colors!







These Sony ZX Series Wired On-Ear Headphones are the ones I have been using this week. They sell on Amazon on about $18.49. I haven't found them to be the most comfortable headphones though. And to be honest, I've only been using them because my earbuds have been misplaced!!






Another item that I have found to be essential is the ability to communicate with my students through video. My computer, a Mac Book Air, has a built in camera, so I have been able to use that. But if you are in need of a relatively inexpensive webcam, here are some ideas:

 This KLJKUJ Webams HD Computer Camera with Absorption Microphone sells on Amazon for less than $8. It's ad claims that it can be used on both laptops and desktops.

This FENGTING HD Webcam is also made for laptops and desktops. It is more expensive, as it sells on Amazon for $26. The camera is also rotatable 360 degrees.






If you are wanting to show your kids how to do something, for example, highlight a text, or write an informational paragraph, a doc camera is what you would use in your classroom, but here are some inexpensive options for at home:


This cellphone/iPad holder isn't quite a document camera, however it holds your phone, and allows your to take videos/pictures as a doc camera would, and it's not as pricey, it costs $18 on Amazon.





This portable camera also sells on Amazon, for a bit heftier price of $50. It has a built-in microphone, and is versatile for taking pictures, video conferencing, creating time lapse videos.

What about some ideas to use with your student? My students loved Prodigy back before we were learning remotely. You can math standards for a certain date range, and they answer questions based off that standard, and you can look at their data how they are performing and what areas they are struggling in. My students also love Mystery Science. They have some great videos and the content is high interest! Another essential I have found while using Google Classroom platform is a daily slide agenda, as shown here:

These slides are editable, as well as there are different color options. My students see this on our daily stream and they know what they have to get done for the day.

I have been creating resources on Teachers Pay Teachers since 2013, and in 2017 I started creating Interactive, Paperless Resources  in order to use them in my classroom and in Google Slides and Google Classroom. I have created over 50 resources that you can send you students through Google Classroom, Microsoft OneDrive, or just through email or link. 

If you have any other suggestions what has worked for you during these #distancelearning days, please feel free to post below! This post contains affiliate links that I make a small commission from when you choose to click the link and purchase the products, thank you~