Best Apps and Websites for Distance Learning: All for Free

Decades-long, the influence of technology in education has been immense. Distance learning has become more popular and vital. And today it is practically a necessity especially online distance learning. The good thing about this kind of learning is that it is versatile. The process can be done on different website platforms and using various applications. While there are a lot of websites and applications available, choosing the right one can change the way we perceive the online teaching and learning process.

The following are websites and applications that will allow you to provide instruction even in the comforts of your home. The best thing about these? These are all free or have free versions. So Teachers, what are you waiting for? Let’s give all of these a try!

I will provide a brief overview of each. I am not going into details on how to use it. But each one of these websites or apps does have a website with more detailed instructions on how to get started and a lot of them even have tutorial videos so that if all of us fails just go on to YouTube and search the app or the website tutorial and you will find tons of videos to help you out.

1. Google Classroom

The first website that I am recommending is the Google Classroom. This is part of the G Suite for Education (Google for Education) that ties together G Suite tools such as Google Drive, Gmail, and Google Calendar just to name a few. This is an education-friendly platform that encourages digital collaboration between teachers and students by participating in discussion forums and via private or group chat. Teachers can create a class and streamline assignments and assessments in just a few clicks. They can also integrate other educational apps to make the process more engaging. Guardians can also be added to the classroom to keep track of their child’s performance and behavior. Anyone can use Google classroom for free. Yes! You read it right. Google classroom is a free service platform for anyone with a personal Google account and it is also free for organizations that use G Suite for Education or G Suite for Nonprofits. Indeed, Google Classroom is a great tool to use as your baseline to be able to incorporate other tools that will be discussed in this article.

2. Screencastify

Screencastify is a free screen recorder for Chrome. It allows you to record, edit, and share your videos in just a second. The great thing with screencastify is it can be added as an extension to your Chrome browser to easily access the tool whenever you want to start recording. Then it will give you three options: (1) to record your browser; (2) to record your desktop; or (3) to record your webcam. If you choose the browser tab, it will record only the tab that you are currently accessing. It will record only the tab that you have opened when you start recording. If you choose a desktop, you can choose between recording your entire screen or recording just a specific application window that you have opened. Now for both of these options you can choose whether you want to use your microphone to provide narration and you can even embed your webcam which will allow you to be on the screen while you are recording to add a bit more of personal touch to the video. The third option is to record only your webcam so your computer screen will not be recorded at all. It will just record a talking head. Once you end your recording, you can immediately post it to Google Classroom or get a shareable link that can be posted for students to access. You can publish it to YouTube or you can even download the mp4 file. Screencastify is a good option to record discussions, presentations, or even tutorials. However, the free version of screencastify will limit you to five minutes of recording at a time and it will not let you use their editor once the video is complete. But you can avail its premium feature which offers unlimited recording and editing. Still, the free version added with your creativity will do a lot!

3. Jamboard

Jamboard is a free interactive whiteboard app that allows you to create multiple frames or multiple boards all on the same screen. There are two different ways to access it. You can go to jamboard.google.com or you can actually access it through your applications on Google Drive. The great thing about Jamboard is that you can create as many boards as you want and they are all free. It allows you to draw and erase, you can add sticky notes, and you can even add images. Once you create a board it will save directly to your Google Drive. Since it is interactive, you can also invite others on your boards such as teachers or even students by sharing out the link or by inviting them personally through their email. If you are finished with your whiteboards, you can actually export it as an image or PDF. Jamboard can also work perfectly with screencastify. You can provide instruction using the board while recording it with screencastify. You can even record your voice while you’re doing it and then tadah! You have a video of you teaching just like what you would be in the face to face classroom.

4. Ziteboard

Ziteboard is another virtual whiteboard that is collaborative and interactive. It also allows you to draw, erase, add sticky notes and images just like a jamboard. But unlike jamboard, ziteboard can be as large as you want it to be and you can also add PDFs into the board. To use it, you just have t

o sign up for an account which is free but you’re limited to only saving three boards at a time. Once the board is created, it will be saved directly to Google Drive. This can also be shared through a shareable link or by inviting others via email. The created or finished board can be exported as an image or as a PDF. And it also works perfectly with screencastify. It is just the user’s personal preference on what board to be used, ziteboard or jamboard.

5. Google Meet

A free audio and video meeting application through Google. You can access it in several ways: you can either go directly to meet.google.com or you can access it through the applications on your Google drive, Gmail, and in Google Classroom. Google Meet is easy to use. You just have to sign in using a G Suite account, and click join or start meeting. If you are starting a meeting you would have to type in a nickname and then you will be able to go ahead and join the meeting. Once you are in the meeting, you have a variety of options. You can share it out with others through a link or you can invite them through email and facebook messenger. You can turn off your camera or microphone at any time. It has the caption option so while you are talking it will actually produce captions as you’re speaking on the screen. You also have the ability to record the meeting so that when you have students that can not attend, you can record it and send it to them afterwards or you can even join a meeting just by yourself and use it as a recording tool like screencastify. It also allows you to share your screen to present. You can use this with jamboard or ziteboard to provide instruction to your students in real time. You just have to explore because the opportunities are truly endless.

6. Zoom

Another audio and video meeting application. It is a bit more complicated than Google Meet but that means it has more features that you can use. Typically the free account has a time limit but now Zoom is lifting the time for educators to use this with their students for free.

The following are Zoom’s features that Google Meet does not have:

1. You can change background in zoom which could be a lot of fun for virtual instructions.

2. Zoom has built-in whiteboards so there is no need for jamboard and ziteboard.

3. Multiple users can share screens at one time.

4. It has the raise your hand feature where you can have all your students muted, avoiding distractions during instructions, and if they want to say something they can raise their hand, you can call them and then they can unmute themselves and talk.

7. Flipgrid

Flipgrid is a fun website that allows you to post questions, videos, or images where students should respond through short video clips. This is a free website. You just have to create an account then once created you have to create a what is called a “grid”. Here you can create topics where you can ask questions or post images, videos, or links. Students will respond through video clips. Flipgrid is highly engaging and boosts communication and creativity among students.

These are only some of the many apps and websites that can be used in distance online learning. You can integrate one to the other. You just have to be creative, resourceful, and continue exploring!