We know many districts are asking teachers to prepare for remote teaching with very little notice, and teachers are scrambling for activities that are going to engage students remotely and provide good experiences for stressed-out students.

We can help as a product with an active, hands-on pedagogy that can be used fully digitally. Also, most of our supplemental activities will translate easily with Google Drive documents instead of printing. We'll be getting another blog post up in the next couple of days with advice on the best ways to use Tyto Online when you're remote.

We're extending Tyto Online for free for the rest of the school year for teachers and parents (through June 5), so teachers and families needing an engaging remote/online learning activity to use can get started quickly and easily.

How to Get Started

Sign up for your teacher or parent account first.

Head here to sign up for your account: https://account.tytoonline.com/register
It will cover at least 60 days automatically, no code needed.

If you've signed up before but have not used the trial with students, use live chat on the website and let us know, and we will renew your trial for a fresh 60 days.

How do I get started with my students?

We can get you going quickly! Follow these steps:

1. Ask IT to get Tyto Online approved or installed on student devices. See the guides here.
2. Import students from Google Classroom or have them register with class codes from your Teacher Dashboard. See the guides here.
3. Assign content to students from the Teacher Dashboard, and see their assessment data. See the guides here.
   

If you're a parent, you will add child accounts when you register. Get the game installed, and then they can log in and begin playing! You do not need to assign content, it will unlock automatically for them.

What devices and other requirements do students need to use Tyto Online at home?

We support most Chromebooks within the last 3-4 years, as long as they can use Android applications (here's a list to check) and have 4 GB of RAM. We also support Windows/Mac computers. Students also need access to an internet connection.

If your students do not have internet at home and your district does not already have a plan in action for them, we've seen many telecom providers offering solutions:

• AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon are removing data caps for customers; so if their parents have mobile devices as hotspots, these can be used without as much concern;
• Comcast is offering free internet for 60-days to low-income households. Read more & apply here.
• Xfinity Hotspots are also free for everyone right now. Read more and see the map here.
• Charter is offering Spectrum broadband and WiFi for 60 days for new K-12 and college student households that need it. No installation fees. Read more. The number to call to enroll is 1-844-488-8395. 
• Charter/Spectrum will also open all its WiFi hotspots for public use. See the map here.
  
  

Is there professional development available?

Yes! We have a page on our website with all of our training resources: access it here!

We have another page as a quick guide for Teaching Remotely with Tyto Online: access it here!

This includes information about the Google Classroom ongoing PD course we're working to launch on MONDAY to start supporting more teachers and our Facebook Group for Educators.

What are the learning benefits of using Tyto vs. other things?

We power three-dimensional NGSS-style learning: have students actually directly engage in figuring out science phenomena in pre-designed storylines. This type of learning would be very difficult to do remotely in most contexts. Learn more about how it works and see our content here.https://www.tytoonline.com/teachers/