Creating online learning?  Need some resources to get started?  EdTA has compiled a guide to getting started along with a curated list of some of the best resources available to help build online learning experiences for your students to support you during the Coronavirus (COVID-19) emergency.   

• Getting Started   A step by step guide to creating online learning experiences.
• Tools to Use  Lists of tools that meet your needs for communicating with students, collecting student work, tracking student progress and more.
• Lesson Plan Nuggets  Ideas for lesson plans that come with a suggestion for how you might link that content to a standards based activity. 
• Teaching Theatre Online Resources focused on techniques for teaching tech theatre, acting and creative dramatics online or in the classroom, grades K-12. 
• Creating Virtual Performances Resources for creating virtual performances including informational webinars, links to tools and ten tips to get started.
• Click to Teach/Click to Learn  Specially designed lessons suitable for online teaching or student self paced learning; these include everything you need to teach standards based content and measure learning.
• Theatre in Our Schools K-12  Page published for Theatre in Our Schools Month includes sample lesson plans and curriculum for grades K-12 and valuable curriculum maps to jump start planning at all levels. 
• Tech Theatre Tooklkit  Series of PowerPoint based lessons by educator B.K. Goodman which make wonderful projects for online learning. 
• Community Forum  Participants share tips, curriculum and resources in this open community.  
• Virtual International Thespian Festival Workshops and interactive sessions for students and professional development institutes for teachers. 
• Dramatics.org  Student friendly resources in an interactive media format.  Check out these highlights sorted by Writing, Acting and Stage Management  

Top Tips from the Field:

• Keep sessions short and engaging, especially for younger learners.  Combine synchronous and asynchronous learning activities.
• Work with your district to allow more flexibility in grading and assignments.
• Lead with understanding, leverage the things theatre teachers do best:  flexibility, creativity, community building.  
• Mix it up in your time together: combine interactive portions, videos, live teaching, guided group movement exercises and chances to reflect.
• Combine short group sessions with independent assignments to further learning while minimizing screen time.
• Plan a way to reach out to individual students:  office hours, text messages, one on one sessions, etc.
• Accept that you may have to abandon planned curriculum; adjust your lessons to match both the challenges and the freedoms of online learning.
• Embrace this time as a chance for creativity and student choice.
• Protect student privacy.  Use tools and aps which offer student privacy agreements (check the National Database to be sure), avoid sharing student contact information, use web based programs which do not require a download to access.   Check with your district for additional advice about policies or protections.
• Protect meeting safety.  Be aware of and use privacy controls when hosting virtual sessions. 
• Follow copyright and licensing rules for recording or streaming performances. Check with your licensing agencies.   
• Check for the appropriate licensing rights for recording book readings.  Check Fair Use and You Tube guidelines when using YouTube.

For Zoom users:

• avoid posting the link to your Zoom gathering on social media
• use the waiting room function to be sure that only invited guests attend
• require a password to enter the meeting
• set screen sharing for "Host Only"

Brand new to online teaching? An excellent article entitled Going Online in a Hurry from the Chronicle of Higher Education summarizes the most important things to think about.  

Accessibility: Include efforts to make virtual content accessible to students of all abilities in planning your online teaching. The National Endowment for the Arts created this list of resources to help.