Adapting Learning Materials for the Digital Age

Abstract

Pivoting to emergency remote learning (ERL) during the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the ingenuity and perseverance of teacher educators. As a hallmark of the shift to ERL, teacher educators provided authentic and meaningful science learning experiences for students and teachers despite facing incredible struggles. This chapter focuses on the affordances and challenges of developing, disseminating, and reimagining online classroom materials, resources, and experiential learning. The three sections of this chapter include creative solutions to utilize physical resources through repurposing household items and distributing science kits, adapting physical resources to the digital world, and capitalizing on existing online infrastructure such as live animal cameras and videos. The examples shared in this chapter are intended to provide teacher educators inspiration and pathways to implement engaging and high-quality virtual science learning experiences for in-service and pre-service teachers, with the intention that such practices be leveraged during ERL and beyond.