Free Digital Solutions to Support Remote Education During School Closures Due to COVID-19
• Following the closure of schools, digital and remote learning is very important. Below you can find a compilation of open and free platforms, applications, and digital content. UNICEF provides this list as a resource for teachers, parents, caregivers, and children interested in additional tools beyond those offered by schools and educators.
• Inclusion in this list does not constitute UNICEF approval; however, these are widely recognized and used digital tools. While there is a free basic product, some tools have paid options for additional content/features.
• This list is by no means exhaustive—there are many government-owned platforms dealing with students from public education systems, as well as numerous local and regional tools.
• This list will be updated as the situation evolves.
• Parents and caregivers should:
o Be actively involved in their children's education process. Use technology as part of a learning experience that includes human interaction, recognizing that technology cannot replace teachers or the presence and guidance of parents. This is especially true for younger children.
o Protect children's data. Parents and caregivers should check the digital resources their children access and avoid those that do not seem safe or require detailed personal information.
Platform | Description | Language | Country | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| African Storybook | Open access to picture books in 189 languages spoken in African content. | Multiple | Multiple: Africa | https://www.africanstorybook.org/ |
| Akelius | Language learning platform focused on students with limited literacy skills who need to learn a second language (e.g. refugees, migrants). | Greek, English, French, Swedish | Multiple |
|
| Alison | Free online courses. | English, Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese | Multiple: USA, Spain, France, Italy, Brazil. | https://alison.com/ |
| Bolo | App supporting literacy development. | Multiple. | India | https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.apps.seekh&hl=en_US |
| Coursera | Online courses taught by instructors from recognized universities and companies. | English | Multiple | https://www.coursera.org/ |
| Duolingo | Foreign language learning app. | Multiple | Multiple | https://www.duolingo.com/ |
| Edpuzzle | Platform for engaging students using videos with simple editing tools. | Multiple | USA | https://edpuzzle.com/ |
| EdX | Free online courses. | English | Multiple | https://www.edx.org/ |
| EkStep | An open learning platform with a collection of learning resources in literacy & numeracy. | English | Multiple | https://ekstep.in/ |
| Funzi | Mobile learning service that supports teaching and training for large groups. | Multiple, including: English, Russian, Swedish | Multiple | https://www.funzi.fi/ |
| Global Digital Library | Promotes early education by providing access to digital books and other reading materials available in multiple languages. | Multiple | Multiple | https://www.digitallibrary.io/ |
| Gooru | Uses technology to assess students' basic knowledge and skills, then creates individualized learning paths, offering learning materials and iterative assessments. | Engleză | USA, India | http://gooru.org/about/mission.html |
| Kaltura | Aims to make education more interactive, engaging, and accessible. Teachers and students can easily create, upload, edit, manage, publish, discover, and deliver videos on any device. | Multiple | Multiple | https://corp.kaltura.com/solutions/education/ |
| Khan Academy | Free online courses. | Multiple | Multiple | https://www.khanacademy.org/ |
| Kolibri | Open-source digital learning platform designed for resource-limited communities that can operate offline. | Multiple | Multiple | https://learningequality.org/kolibri/ |
| Let’s Read | Digital repository of multilingual stories for children. | Multiple | Cambodia and Mongolia | https://asiafoundation.org/what-we-do/books-for-asia/lets-read/ |
| Moodle | Learning platform designed to provide educators, administrators, and learners with an integrated system to create personalized learning environments. | Multiple | Multiple | https://moodle.org/ |
| Rumie | Free digital education tool and content that enables lifelong learning for communities worldwide. | English | Multiple | https://rumie.org/ |
| University of the People | Non-profit, accredited American online university dedicated to opening access to higher education globally. | English | Multiple | https://www.uopeople.edu/ |
| Ustad Mobile | Access and share educational content offline. | English | Multiple | https://www.ustadmobile.com/lms/ |
| Worldreader | Provides free access to a large library of digital books and stories that can be accessed via mobile devices. | Multiple | Multiple | https://www.worldreader.org/ |
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For more information about UNICEF and its work for children, visit www.unicef.org
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