OLRC is a collaboration between the Minnesota State Career and Technical Education office, the eight Minnesota State Centers of Excellence, and the Minnesota Department of Education.
Welcome to the Minnesota State Career and Technical Education Online Learning Resource Center (OLRC), a consolidated source of instructional materials to help secondary and post-secondary educators adapt to the need for ongoing remote or blended instruction. The resources in OLRC have been curated by educators and are free for educators to browse and use. Curation was performed using a selection criteria rubric, and content in OLRC is monitored and updated regularly to ensure its relevance and usefulness.
Neither Minnesota State nor the Minnesota Department of Education endorses or promotes any of the resources in OLRC.
Art of Hosting
Specific engagement strategies for educational settings.
Cultivating Powerful Participation
University of Minnesota Extension workshops for virtual facilitation models.
Liberating Structures
Menu of 33 online interaction activities.
Technology of Participation
Facilitation training.
Training for Change: Leading Groups Online
Download free e-book.
Accessible Presentations
Video Accessible Presentations, One Page Guide, Handout SCHED Upload
9 Ways Online Teaching Should be Different from Face-to-Face
A blog article by Jennifer Gonzalez from the Cult of Pedagogy website.
Distance Learning: A Gently Curated Collection of Resources for Teachers
A curated list of resources from the Cult of Pedagogy website.
Engaging Learners in Online Environments Utilizing Universal Design for Learning Principles
eLearn Magazine article about research by Aleksandra Hollingshead & Davin Carr-Chellman.
High-quality CTE: Planning for a COVID-19-impacted School Year
High-quality CTE: Planning for a COVID-19-impacted School Year is a guide for helping CTE stakeholders identify the key considerations, guiding questions and emerging best practices that should shape future planning.
Online Teaching and Design
From the Center for Educational Innovation at the University of Minnesota.
The Big List of Class Discussion Strategies
Podcast and blog post by Jennifer Gonzalez at the Cult of Pedagogy. Don't forget to check out additional resources in the chat.
Tips for Designing an Online Learning Experience Using the 5Es Instructional Model
Helpful advise from Dr. Catlin Tucker, an expert in the fields of blended and online learning.
Virtual Teaching Strategies
Numerous resources at AVID Open Access in the areas of Teaching in a Tech-Empowered Classroom, Strategies to Empower Students, Community & Connectedness, and Digital Tools & Templates.
Visible Thinking Routines
Harvard's Project Zero Thinking Routine Toolbox
Adobe Connect
Adobe Connect is a suite of software for remote training, web conferencing, presentation, and desktop sharing.
Canvas Conferencing
Conferences is a place within Canvas where users can conduct synchronous (real-time) virtual meetings with all the students and instructors in a course.
Google Meet
Google Meet is a video-communication service. It is one of two apps that constitute the replacement for Google Hangouts, the other being Google Chat.
How to use Zoom Breakout Rooms
Breakout rooms allow you to split your Zoom meeting in up to 50 separate sessions. The meeting host can choose to split the participants of the meeting into these separate sessions automatically or manually, or they can allow participants to select and enter breakout sessions as they please. The host can switch between sessions at any time.
Media Management
Microsoft Teams
Microsoft Teams is the hub for team collaboration in Microsoft 365 that integrates people, content, and tools.
Schoology Conferences
Conferencing in Schoology allows faculty to meet with their class anytime by using standard conferencing tools such as screenshare, webcam, chat, and interactive whiteboards.
WebEx
Webex Meetings lets you host online meetings with HD video, audio and screen sharing. Webex Teams keeps your teams connected through messaging, file sharing, whiteboarding and calling. Webex Events is a solution for hosting interactive webinars or large-scale virtual events.
CareerPrepped
CareerPrepped is a career success system that supports WBL programs with virtual activities centered around student skill development and authentic assessment processes involving CTE educators and industry professionals.
Edge Factor
Edge Factor equips K-12 and postsecondary schools, businesses, workforce development organizations, and families with e-learning tools to showcase industries and careers, teach soft skills, show how STEAM comes alive in the real world, and highlight local training and career opportunities.
SkillsCommons Soft Skills Resources
Free and open online library containing free and open learning materials and program support materials for job-driven workforce development.
Bloomz
Full-featured parent-teacher communication platform--available on Google Play and iTunes.
ClassDojo
Classroom portfolios, announcements for online classroom dates, and parent/student communications translatable into 30+ languages.
EdPuzzle
Create interactive video lessons for students to can integrate into a learning management system (LMS).
Flipgrid
Allows teachers to create "grids" to facilitate video discussions.
GoGuardian
Classroom management and video conferencing.
Nearpod
Engaging media and formative assessments to make every lesson interactive.
Netop
Provides solutions for remote management, desktop sharing and support of various computer systems.
Padlet
Create an online bulletin board that you can use to display information for any topic.
Peardeck
Interactive presentation tool used to actively engage students in individual and social learning.
Remind
Over 70 languages and options to share files and links.
Talking Points
Multilingual texting tool with automatic translation--available on Google Play and iTunes.
Searchable Database for Online Learning Tools & Resources
This web-enabled resource provides a searchable database for tools to support those involved in education and the workforce, at all levels, and from all communities as they scale up capabilities for online learning and continue teaching, learning, and working from home.
Follow these links to view listings of discipline-specific content for use in Online Learning classrooms.
Adobe Connect
Adobe Connect is a suite of software for remote training, web conferencing, presentation, and desktop sharing.
Canvas Conferencing
Conferences is a place within Canvas where users can conduct synchronous (real-time) virtual meetings with all the students and instructors in a course.
Google Meet
Google Meet is a video-communication service. It is one of two apps that constitute the replacement for Google Hangouts, the other being Google Chat.
How to use Zoom Breakout Rooms
Breakout rooms allow you to split your Zoom meeting in up to 50 separate sessions. The meeting host can choose to split the participants of the meeting into these separate sessions automatically or manually, or they can allow participants to select and enter breakout sessions as they please. The host can switch between sessions at any time.
Microsoft Teams
Microsoft Teams is the hub for team collaboration in Microsoft 365 that integrates people, content, and tools.
Schoology Conferences
Conferencing in Schoology allows faculty to meet with their class anytime by using standard conferencing tools such as screenshare, webcam, chat, and interactive whiteboards.
WebEx
Webex Meetings lets you host online meetings with HD video, audio and screen sharing. Webex Teams keeps your teams connected through messaging, file sharing, whiteboarding and calling. Webex Events is a solution for hosting interactive webinars or large-scale virtual events.
9 Ways Online Teaching Should be Different from Face-to-Face
A blog article by Jennifer Gonzalez from the Cult of Pedagogy website.
Distance Learning: A Gently Curated Collection of Resources for Teachers
A curated list of resources from the Cult of Pedagogy website.
Engaging Learners in Online Environments Utilizing Universal Design for Learning Principles
eLearn Magazine article about research by Aleksandra Hollingshead & Davin Carr-Chellman.
High-quality CTE: Planning for a COVID-19-impacted School Year
High-quality CTE: Planning for a COVID-19-impacted School Year is a guide for helping CTE stakeholders identify the key considerations, guiding questions and emerging best practices that should shape future planning.
Network for Educational Development Sharepoint Site
The Network for Educational Development is curated and maintained by the Minnesota State Educational Innovations unit of the Academic and Student Affairs division. STAR ID may be required for access to this site.
Online Instruction (Experiential Instruction)
From the Center for Educational Innovation at the University of Minnesota.
The Big List of Class Discussion Strategies
Podcast and blog post by Jennifer Gonzalez at the Cult of Pedagogy. Don't forget to check out additional resources in the chat.
Tips for Designing an Online Learning Experience Using the 5Es Instructional Model
Helpful advise from Dr. Catlin Tucker, an expert in the fields of blended and online learning.
Virtual Teaching Strategies
Numerous resources at AVID Open Access in the areas of Teaching in a Tech-Empowered Classroom, Strategies to Empower Students, Community & Connectedness, and Digital Tools & Templates.
Visible Thinking Routines
Harvard's Project Zero Thinking Routine Toolbox
CareerPrepped
CareerPrepped is a career success system that supports WBL programs with virtual activities centered around student skill development and authentic assessment processes involving CTE educators and industry professionals.
Edge Factor
Edge Factor equips K-12 and postsecondary schools, businesses, workforce development organizations, and families with e-learning tools to showcase industries and careers, teach soft skills, show how STEAM comes alive in the real world, and highlight local training and career opportunities.
SkillsCommons Soft Skills Resources
Free and open online library containing free and open learning materials and program support materials for job-driven workforce development.
Technology Resources for Minnesota State Students and Educators
A collection of resources gathered, created, and made available by Minnesota State's Department of Educational Innovations.
CareerPrepped
CareerPrepped is a career success system that supports WBL programs with virtual activities centered around student skill development and authentic assessment processes involving CTE educators and industry professionals.
Edge Factor
Edge Factor equips K-12 and postsecondary schools, businesses, workforce development organizations, and families with e-learning tools to showcase industries and careers, teach soft skills, show how STEAM comes alive in the real world, and highlight local training and career opportunities.
How to use Zoom Breakout Rooms
Breakout rooms allow you to split your Zoom meeting in up to 50 separate sessions. The meeting host can choose to split the participants of the meeting into these separate sessions automatically or manually, or they can allow participants to select and enter breakout sessions as they please. The host can switch between sessions at any time.
SkillsCommons Soft Skills Resources
Free and open online library containing free and open learning materials and program support materials for job-driven workforce development.
Follow these links to view listings of discipline-specific content for use in Online Learning classrooms.
To provide feedback on OLRC or suggest other resources to be added, please send an email to robb.lowe@minnstate.edu.