Discovery Education Expands Coronavirus Response to Help Educators Transition to Virtual Learning

New Professional Learning Opportunities to Support School Systems’ and Educators’ Efforts to Maintain Continuity of Learning

Silver Spring, Md. (March 24, 2020) –Discovery Education has launched a new resource centre featuring professional learning assets and opportunities designed to support school systems and educators implementing virtual learning initiatives. Located online at www.DiscoveryEducation.com/Virtual-Learning, this unique collection of resources is designed to help teachers develop and deliver remote lessons to students homebound due to the Coronavirus pandemic. Discovery Education is the global leader in standards-aligned digital curriculum resources, engaging content, and professional learning for K-12 classrooms.

On March 5, 2020, Discovery Education announced it was making Discovery Education Experience—a comprehensive digital service supplementing instruction across all K–12 curricular areas—available to U.S. schools or school systems that are not currently using Discovery Education resources but experiencing closures due to the Coronavirus. To date, Discovery Education has provided approximately 26,000 schools access to Discovery Education Experience.

However, the abrupt nature of the transition to remote learning left many school systems and educators both in and outside the US seeking help in maintaining their students’ continuity of learning. To support all educators teaching homebound students, Discovery Education has expanded its response to the Coronavirus pandemic to include professional learning and instructional supports. Among the many resources available at www.DiscoveryEducation.com/Virtual-Learning are:

Professional Learning Events—On Thursday, March 26 and Friday, March 27, Discovery Education will host a special Virtual Conference dedicated to helping educators use digital content to engage homebound, remote students. In addition, Discovery Education has set up a series of online “Ask Me Anything” sessions with members of the Discovery Education team during which educators at all levels are encouraged to log on and ask questions about delivering remote instruction. Registration information for both of these opportunities can be found on Discovery Education’s Virtual Learning resource site.

Instructional Supports—Members of the Discovery Educator Community-a global community of education professionals-have created a variety of digital lesson activities in all subjects that teachers can easily assign to students. Through the Daily DE and Virtual Field Trips, parents are provided an array of new resources created in partnership with organizations dedicated to student learning, to engage homebound learners. In addition, a number of short articles and other resources have been created to support virtual learning.

Dedicated Help for Teaching With Digital Content—Discovery Education has created a variety of ways educators can reach out and receive support in using Discovery Education content or delivering digital lessons remotely.

In addition to providing www.DiscoveryEducation.com/Virtual-Learning, the Discovery Education Community will support all educators using Discovery Education’s resources as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic. A global community of education professionals, the Discovery Education Community connects members across school systems and around the world through social media, virtual conferences, and in-person events, fostering valuable networking, idea sharing, and inspiration.

“Since the beginning of the Coronavirus crisis, educators across the globe have approached the challenge of remote learning with a ‘Can Do!’ attitude that highlights their professionalism and commitment to student learning” said Kelli Campbell, Discovery Education’s President of International & Universities.

“The materials at www.DiscoveryEducation.com/Virtual-Learning were created to help save time and alleviate any anxiety teachers have about delivering high-quality digital lessons, and Discovery Education will continue to add resources to the website for the duration of this world-wide emergency. And for parents, we have introduced Daily DE which features meaningful and engaging learning activities for them to use with children at home to keep the learning going.

For more information about Discovery Education’s digital resources and professional learning services, visit www.DiscoveryEducation.com, and stay connected with Discovery Education on social media through Facebook, follow us on Twitter at @DiscoveryEd, or find us on Instagram and Pinterest.