With its education users having increased by four times during the pandemic, Google has announced upcoming changes to its education apps that will debut over the course of 2021 to better meet the needs of both students and educators.

Culturally relevant pedagogy can give students the skills, knowledge and dispositions to change systemic inequities. So teachers should examine and encourage ways to imbue their students with a sense of their own identities.

Here are surprising takeaways teachers can use to make remote instruction more effective: digital  games can be incorporated into learning in small doses; students may be “digital natives” but they may need to learn how to use digital tools; digital tools may work best when they replicate familiar experiences; and remote rewards are still rewarding.

Much of what happens during remote learning is beyond our control. What is not beyond our control is our ability to think critically about what meaningful lessons look like in this landscape, what content students need at this unique moment and what philosophy shifts we can take with us to be more responsive educators when we all return to school buildings. 

Among the many engaging online resources to help increase student engagement are three tools that are easy to use, good for any grade level and work well alongside and within Google Classroom. FlipGrid, Pear Deck and EdPuzzle can help teachers bring a jolt of excitement to their virtual classrooms.

Enabling private chats with students,  Zoom breakout rooms and modeling classwork for students are a few of the strategies teachers can use to improve learning during this challenging time.