A community of educators comprised of companies, parents and teachers are sharing online educational resources during the unprecedented closure of schools nationwide due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Nick Hoover, an instructional coach at Anne Frank Elementary School in the Dallas Independent School District, started the project before the pandemic hit. “It started as a Facebook page I started in January,” Hoover told DC Business Daily in a March 23 article. “Then I made a Google doc/website. And then it just sort of took off.”
Hoover’s Facebook-page-turned-Google-Doc has morphed into an online database called Amazing Educational Resources.
The Facebook page has seen energetic discussions. When someone asked how high school students could access audiobooks, for example, others flooded the thread with resources.
Teachers also offer their services and answer questions from parents who do not know what they should do or how long a student should study. When asked for help, the teachers and other parents come together to offer a wealth of ideas, links and tips.
Hoover has 14 years of teaching experience but says remote learning is new to him and his fellow teachers as well. “We have no background in this."
“All of the list has come from people sharing it with me,” he said. “The teachers have really stepped up. The parents have stepped up. And the companies have really stepped up, too. And they are doing it for free, which is amazing.”
Hoover predicts the free online services will end at some point, but the Facebook page and website will continue as he forms a nonprofit to manage the American Educational Resources program.
“Now we can see all the many resources out there,” he said. “It’s nice to have them in one place."
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