Makematic today announced the launch of TOM, in collaboration with Adobe, ClickView, iCivics, and Participate, offering a free teaching online masterclass course for educators grappling with the transition to online teaching.

With as many as a billion young people spent the end of the 2019-2020 school year on lockdown around the world, millions of educators are having to quickly get to grips with teaching online. And with the new school year already here, the ‘new normal’ will likely include a more blended approach to teaching and learning at all levels. 

With a focus on pedagogy over technology, TOM contains 50+ professional development videos that share advice from K-12 online teaching experts and authentic experiences from real teachers in the field about online pedagogy, designing online classes and curriculum, building communities of practice and digital well-being.

“TOM is a series that has been created with K-12 educators in mind. It focuses on online pedagogy over technology and really takes into account what the research tells us works in this space. The contributors were carefully chosen because of their expertise in the K-12 education, as practitioners or professionals who really know what it takes to be a super online educator. More than ever educators are crying out for resources such as this, and that’s why it’s such an exciting project to be involved in,” said Makematics’ Director of Engagement and Innovation. 

"iCivics works with tens of thousands of incredible teachers who are facing so much uncertainty in their work. That makes it extra important for one thing to remain certain – that teachers are talented professionals who know what effective instruction looks like. With the right guidance, there's no reason they can't transfer that effective instruction to online spaces. TOM is that guidance. It meets teachers where they are and provides targeted and convenient coaching to elevate their online practice,” iCivics’ Chief Education Officer, Emma Humphries, said.

Educators can now access the full TOM series at tom.makematic.com for free. Preview one of the videos below, featuring iCivics' Chief Education Officer, Emma Humphries, sharing ways in which educators can adapt what they already do in face-to- face instruction to the online teaching environment.

About Makematic Ltd.
Makematic creates better educational media for students, educators and families. Bite-sized, impactful animated and live-action videos, developed in collaboration with brands like Crayola, Adobe, Microsoft and the UN. All content is focused around 21st-century skills for tomorrow’s global citizens. For more information and to view the content visit makematic.com. 

About iCivics 
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor founded iCivics in 2009 to transform the field through innovative, free educational video games and lessons that teach students to be knowledgeable, curious, and engaged in civic life. Today, iCivics is the nation’s largest provider of civic education curriculum, with its resources used by over 113,000 educators and more than 7.1 million students each year nationwide. Visit icivics.org to learn more.