Teachers are scrambling to prepare for a new school year, and local author Paul Richards has just published a book entitled Technology Tools for Online Education that might just help.

Whether classes meet in a totally virtual model, or a mix of virtual and physical space, there’s probably no better time for educators to make use of the book and included online course.

Richards, a father of two preschool children in West Chester, is familiar with the battle for attention.

“I have sat and tried to get my children to pay attention to their teachers during Zoom calls,” he said. “I’ve watched my wife roll her eyes, and I have seen the national outcries in the news. I have experience creating engaging videos, and I know first-hand that this is a skill that takes time to harness. Today, it’s clear that teachers need to reinvent their teaching style, and there’s going to be a learning curve.”

The Technology Tools for Online Education mini book and online course are designed to help K-12 educators navigate the upcoming school year. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, teachers didn’t have an adequate chance to rework their lesson plans, assignments, presentations, quizzes, and tests. They were thrown into the deep end without support.

Now, the new book and course will help teachers become better prepared.

For example, the book explains technologies and tools that will help create engaging online classroom environments. The book represents the blended learning context it describes in that it can be paired with a four-hour, on-demand Udemy course. Both the book and the course reinforce one another with easily learned tips and strategies for making learning in the new model immersive and fun.

Following the COVID-19 pandemic and disruption of in-person learning environments, Richards, the author of multiple technology books and Chief Streaming Officer for the StreamGeeks, noticed the education sector could benefit from his experience in live streaming and video production.

“As a live-streaming instructor and technology adopter, I wanted to share my experience and skills with other teachers,” he said. “Technology Tips for Online Education makes it easy for anyone new to teaching online to learn some winning strategies for creating fun and memorable classes.”

Richards designed the sort of book and course that he would want as a go-to resource if he was a teacher.

“The online course is a reflection of what teachers can aspire to creating,” he said, adding that he knows that teaching online will require that teachers reimagine assignments and activities.

“While Zoom sessions are great, K-12 teachers specifically need to think about the video materials they create to support students learning at their own pace online,” said Richards. “In this way, students can come to live Zoom classes better prepared to engage.”

Richards’s latest book and course aim to reduce the learning curve for teachers and help them successfully transition to an online teaching environment with the right skills and tools.

Technology Tips for Online Education is available on Kindle, Amazon, and free digitally here. The accompanying Udemy course can be accessed here for free with coupon code AUGUST15 (which expires Aug. 15).

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