7 Free Online Courses in August
Long summer evenings are so peaceful, aren’t they? By now you’re probably quite relaxed and thinking calmly about new school year…
Will we get back to classrooms? Are we going to switch online? Will we survive? No, seriously, will we survive 2020?
This, I don’t know. But I found some online courses that could help you prepare for the new reality of education. I mainly focused on finding short classes on working online – they can be particularly useful to those who want to be prepared for the possibility of working online, yet can’t be bothered by full-time courses. However, I also found some interesting courses that take more time but will help you get better insight.
Anxiety in Children and Young People during COVID-19 by the University of East Anglia
Start: August 2020
Duration: 2 weeks
Recommended for: teachers, supporters, guardians, and parents of children affected by the current COVID-19 situation
You will learn:
- how to identify what anxiety is and how does it affects us
- how to protect vulnerable youths suffering from anxiety
- the possible impact of COVID-19 on mental health generally for us all during lockdown
- further resources from mental health organisations for future support
How To Teach Online: Providing Continuity for Students by FutureLearn
Start: August 2020
Duration: 3 weeks
Recommended for: people who have to rapidly move from face-to-face to online teaching in response to the COVID-19 pandemic
You will learn:
- how to discuss the benefits and challenges of moving classes from face-to-face to online
- how to adapt your practice to the online context
- how to collect, review and evaluate student feedback on your new approaches
Creating Apps in the Classroom by Queensland University of Technology
Start: August 2020
Duration: 5 weeks
Recommended for: people who want to discover what apps are and how they might be used to support school activities
You will learn:
- how content, technology and pedagogy are related
- how an app works
- the process of creating an app
- how to design a simple app using a set of instructions
English in Early Childhood: Language Learning and Development by the British Council
Start: August 2020
Duration: 6 weeks
Recommended for: parents, educators and workers in early childhood education
You will learn:
- how children learn and how they acquire language
- the connection between learning and a child’s well-being
- the importance of play and look at language development opportunities
- how to support and challenge children, and measure their progress
Teaching English Online by Cambridge Assessment English
Start: August 2020
Duration: 4 weeks
Recommended for: people who want to transfer their teaching to a live online context
You will learn:
- how to plan and deliver lessons to develop receptive and productive skills
- the key skills and knowledge needed as an online English teacher
- how to plan and deliver online language lessons
- how to plan and deliver online skills lessons
The Online Educator: People and Pedagogy by the Open University
Start: August 2020
Duration: 4 weeks
Recommended for: people involved in online education or training
You will learn:
- how to apply accessibility guidelines to online teaching contexts
- the relationship between technology, content, people and pedagogy in online courses
- key accessibility issues related to online learning
- ways of shaping a digital identity as an online educator
How to Create Great Online Content by the University of Leeds
Start: August 2020
Duration: 2 weeks
Recommended for: people have digital skills but would like to build confidence in using digital technology in the workplace
You will learn:
- how various media formats are used to create compelling online content
- key considerations for creating online content in a variety of media
- how to identify suitable content format for a particular purpose
I hope you’ll find these courses useful and they will help you prepare for the worst – which in our case will be switching our schools online again.
Stay safe!
