New Open Access Resources For K-12 Schools

SAN DIEGO, May 5, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Many educators are struggling with the unique demands of online teaching during COVID-19 and school closures. Teachers need trusted resources now, more than ever before, that can be immediately used for online teaching as well as back in the classroom.  AVID, a national education non-profit that works with more than 7,500 schools, announced the launch of AVID Open Access, an open educational resource for free, high-quality digital teaching and learning and STEM tips and tools. 

Just launched, AVID Open Access provides practical, bite-size tips and grab-and-go lesson plans and teaching resources.  It also offers easy-to-use, standalone STEM activities for various grade levels as well as subject-specific and grade-level appropriate examples that illustrate how teachers can meaningfully embed digital tools in lessons to meet their learning objectives. These resources show teachers how to engage with both technology and people, so that students get more out of instruction.  These collaboration tools, videos, and class activities can immediately be accessed by educators anywhere, free of charge.  They work with whatever curriculum, devices and platforms schools may use. Teachers do not need prior knowledge of AVID strategies.

AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) – a national non-profit that has a 40-year track record of improving teaching strategies for K-12 educators that result in more effective relational capacity with students – assembled a team with more than 130 years of experience in digital content creation and design for students and educators to view and vet the best digital resources. The vetting process prioritizes socio-emotional supports to help learners engage in self-paced learning, with special considerations for English Language Learners and students without internet.

AVID partnered with MIT, Club for the Future from Blue Origin, Wonder Workshop, Engineering is Elementary (EiE), and Code.org to make their trusted teaching tools available along with AVID's own proven digital teaching and learning and STEM resources. AVID Open Access is supported by Amazon Future Engineers. 

These digestible resources show teachers how to effectively integrate educational technology, digital pedagogy, and STEM into the classroom while providing the socio-emotional supports students need so they get more out of instruction. The resources include question stems for keeping students engaged in live or self-paced learning, ways to adapt for English Language Learners and students without internet, activities such as sending postcards to space, tips for Google Classroom, Microsoft Whiteboard, Zoom, Flipgrid and Padlet. 

"We are thrilled to team up with AVID because of its outstanding work engaging educators and elevating teaching," said Kellie Wilks, Chief Technology Officer, Ector County Independent School Districts. "AVID has demonstrated how to combine the best of technology and the best of instruction in ways that are easy and effective for teachers. AVID Open Access is a valuable open educational resource (OER) that will benefit schools immediately to make digital teaching and learning more accessible to all educators and students."

"During these challenging times, we want to help the entire teaching profession. We are collaborating with MIT, EiE, Club For the Future founded by Blue Origin to share some of the best STEM content alongside AVID's vast knowledge base and teaching know-how, to make sure teachers have access to the best digital teaching strategies and resources as they go virtual," said Thuan Nguyen, AVID Chief Operating Officer, who conceived this initiative.

"There has never been a time when educators have more digital resources available to them," added Nguyen. "It's overwhelming. Deciding what to use and determining what will be most beneficial is daunting for teachers and administrators. We have invested the time to look at the tremendous digital resources that are available, culled them down, and highlighted the very best of the best to make it digestible for teachers. That's where the greatest need is. The last thing we want to do for teachers right now is to 'infowhelm' them."

"We're here to provide a public service to educators everywhere during this time of need," AVID CEO Sandy Husk said. "It's now more important than ever to take teachers by the hand, give them practical, step by step tips and share best practices so they are comfortable and confident using digital teaching and learning resources.  Teachers are remarkable and they can do this."

"Digital teaching and learning, ed tech and STEM are here to stay and proficiency with them will only become increasingly important," Nguyen said. "It won't be enough simply to have the technology. What matters is how well schools integrate the technology and digital pedagogy so that students benefit, even after teachers return to their physical classrooms."

In addition to the resources available May 4, AVID Open Access will add more partner content, live events and instructional videos for educators throughout this summer as they continue to apply these resources.  

About AVID Open Access   
AVID Open Access is an open educational resource that provides quick, practical, easy-to-use tips, lessons and classroom activities for educators to effectively integrate educational technology, digital pedagogy, and STEM into the classroom while providing the social-emotional supports students need. Completely free and carefully curated, AVID Open Access makes it easier for teachers to adapt to critically important new ways of teaching and build their proficiency, whether their classroom is online or back on campus. To learn more, visit www.AVIDOpenAccess.org.   

About AVID  
AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) changes lives by helping schools shift to a more equitable, student-centered approach. Founded in 1980, AVID celebrates 40 years as a community of resilience for educators. 

Best known for its acclaimed Summer Institutes, AVID is a national non-profit that delivers professional learning to more than 85,000 educators each year so they can close the opportunity gap and prepare all students for college, career, and life. Educators in more than 7,500 schools across 47 states rely on AVID for professional development in leadership, instructional best practices, digital teaching and learning, social and emotional learning, culturally relevant teaching, STEM, and more. In turn, these educators help to close the opportunity gap for more than 2 million students each year.  To learn more, visit avid.org.

SOURCE AVID

Related Links

http://www.AVIDOpenAccess.org