Free upgrades during the coronavirus period: which tools and how?

This post was inspired by Tim Evans. He shared a very useful tweet that listed tools that are offering free upgrades during this time. However, as the replies show, it’s not always obvious how to upgrade. This post is an expansion of Tim’s tweet and includes instructions and links so that you can easily make it happen.

As the coronavirus situation continues to develop, the information here could soon be out of date and more exciting upgrades could be announced that I haven’t mentioned. Most likely, the dates below will be extended. Still, I’d like to share what I know as of today. Please feel free to add updates to the comments section.

These 20 tools are offering free upgrades during the coronavirus closures. This blog post includes the links and everything you need to know. Click To Tweet

Screencastify

For individuals, Screencastify is offering a one-year subscription of Screencastify Unlimited. Click here and find the option to “Redeem coupon”. Enter the code CAST_COVID and click “Activate License”. No credit card is required and you should ignore the next billing date that will be incorrect. They have created a useful walkthrough of the steps:

Screencastify has also reduced the price of school plans (unlimited access for students and staff) and new plans have been extended to seventeen months. To get a quote for your school plan, contact sales@screencastify.com.

Zoom

Zoom is offering to temporarily remove the 40-minute time limit on Basic accounts. This is available for all schools that are affected by the coronavirus. To gain access for your school, click here.

Newsela

Newsela is offering free access to its full suite until the end of the school year. You can get instant access as an individual or request access as a district administrator. Both links can be found here.

Kahoot!

Kahoot! Premium is now available for all K-12 schools and higher education institutes during the outbreak. Click here to sign up.

Edpuzzle

Edpuzzle is offering temporary access to Edpuzzle Pro for affected schools. The steps to apply are outlined here. Only one person from your school needs to complete the form.

Book Creator

For schools affected by the coronavirus, Book Creator is offering the ability to collaborate on books for free (usually a premium feature) for ninety days. Start the collaboration trial and then complete the form. Click here for both links.

Pear Deck

Pear Deck is offering complimentary access to Pear Deck Premium, both individually and district-wide. Both links to request access can be found here.

Explain Everything

Affected schools can sign up for extended free access to Explain Everything Whiteboard. This page has more information and the link to upgrade.

Twinkl

Twinkl is offering a free month of Ultimate membership with access to all Twinkl resources. Follow this link to sign in or sign up and use the code CVDTWINKLHELPS.  You might have seen country-specific codes on social media and they work the same way, but this code will work globally. Twinkl also encourages schools to share this code with parents.

Mystery Science

Mystery Science has made some of their most popular video lessons available to all, with no login required. Just follow this link. For more content, sign up for a free account.

Classwork Zoom

Classwork Zoom (not to be confused with Zoom) is offering free access for schools that are closed. Just register using this Google Form.

BrainPOP

For impacted schools, BrainPOP is offering free access for the remainder of the school year. For more information and to request access, click here.

Nearpod

Nearpod is offering temporary access for affected schools and districts. Follow this link, click “Request Support” and complete the short form.

Parlay

Parlay is now free for everyone until 15th May 2020. Click here to create an upgraded account. For existing users, enter the code Online20. On that page, you can also book a demo training session.

Education Perfect

Education Perfect is offering complimentary access to schools that are impacted by the closures. Click here to register. You can also watch a short tutorial video.

Tynker

For closed schools, Tynker is offering complimentary access to their full coding/STEM curriculum and platform until May 2020. Register here.

WeVideo

WeVideo is offering free WeVideo for School accounts to schools that have closed due to the coronavirus. Simply complete the form here.

Discovery Education

Discovery Education has responded to the coronavirus situation by offering a number of useful features. Most notably, free access to Discovery Education Experience for the rest of the school year for schools that are experiencing closures. Follow this link to request access for a district or individual school.

Sutori

For schools that have closed, Sutori will provide Sutori Unlimited upon request. Simply email help@sutori.com and they will set you up.

CENTURY

CENTURY is offering free support for closed schools. This includes their English, maths and science learning resources and students will be supported by CENTURY’s AI engine. Sign up here.

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Which great tools have I missed? Please add them to the comments section below to continue the list. Include handy links if you can. You might also want to check out my other blog posts about the coronavirus and our contingency plans. Please reach out if you have any questions.

As I mentioned last week, The Interactive Class book has been invaluable during this time. It includes many of the above tools (and more) and offers great ideas on how to use them well. I’m sure that it will be a very useful resource for others during this time.

Finally, if this blog post was helpful (or if it saved you some money!), please consider making a small contribution to my Room to Read donation page to support children in Tanzania. Thank you.

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