There’s been a lot on social media and in the news about distance learning, many companies and organisations are rallying round to make sure learning doesn’t stop despite a lockdown that the majority of us are facing right now. Planning for distance learning takes time and demands a high level of attention to detail, what’s normal has changed for all of us. Here’s our round up of some the GESS exhibitors who are offering free or discounted solutions for educators.

2Simple want to ensure pupil’s learning can continue so they are offering free access to both Purple Mash and Serial Mash free of charge for 60 days. An online reading and writing platform that can be accessed by any device that has internet access. Sign up here - you can also find blogs, resources and guides for free.

Acer Academy is a teacher training programme designed to give educators in Acer Innovative schools a boost of confidence in their EdTech skills and support in daily activities now that remote learning is a key part of education. A series of training webinars to help you learn about the field of remote learning and EdTech in general, find out more

#LearningDoesNotStop with Alef Education, who are providing free access to its three digital platforms - Alef, Curio & Abjadiyat for all students of the UAE and the world, who are looking to continue their education during the current schools shut down. These products will be available through the website, with access to both core and supplemental content for students, teachers, parents, and school leaders. In our world, learning does not stop; why should it in yours? Join Alef today for free online education.

Alpha Publishing is a leading educational publisher that specialises in producing high quality programs and resources for US K-12 education and English Language Teaching and Learning. Continuous learning is the best means of improving the lives of individuals and enhancing the standards and quality of our communities. So they are offering FREE ACCESS across the MENA region to all their programs on eAlpha, our online learning platform, until the end of 2019/2020 academic year. To register your interest for free access to eAlpha please get in touch with them, simply send your full contact details to askme@alphapublishing.com and they’ll contact you!

Bedrock Learning are supporting student’s online learning from home by offering a free 30-day subscriptions for all schools. There’s no limit on subscription numbers so you can enrol your whole school. Learners will benefit from access to all Bedrock’s broad, rich vocabulary and reading programmes, focusing on crucial Tier 2 academic vocabulary that can be applied right across the curriculum. Find out more now

BeEd are extending support and services to those schools affected by Covid-19 by offering a complimentary 6 month subscription to their mobile learning platform, allowing educators to conduct lessons remotely through their own mobile devices. Teachers will be able to grading and personalise interaction from the comfort and safety of their own homes. The BeEd team will provide ongoing support from training to uploading of content. To find out more visit their website

Follett is providing free access to eBooks from Lightbox and AV2 World Languages through June 30, 2020. Lightbox offers over 1,000 PreK-12 titles in science, social studies, language arts, math and more. AV2 World Languages features high-interest titles in 10 different languages (including Arabic) with full audio support. They are also providing free access to Classroom Ready Collections for existing Destiny Library Manager users. Parents and students will find these resources interactive, easy to use and a great way for students to independently explore a new topic. Contacts can register for free access here. For additional information on Follett eLearning resources, please visit Follett Community.

Innova8 Tech are in the process of launching online coding using free resources along with hands on options. Offering economical educational technology that allows students to get through these difficult times whilst keeping up to date with advancements in technology. If you’d like to find out more please contact: marketing@innov8tech.me

NetSupport are providing their multi-platform remote control solution #NetSupportManager free for 3 months to support those working from home. Get access on your work PC, receive remote support and much more. Visit their website for more information.

Schoolvoice is offering its app for free until the end of the academic year to help schools and nurseries in the UAE stay connected with students, parents and teachers. This fully equipped application will help enhance the school communication bridge, by providing tools such as actionable messages, direct conversations that allow teachers to share and exchange documents and a “Teacher Drive” to upload files to be shared with students. To start using Schoolvoice please contact Ahmed Hassan

Seppo is an easy to use gamification platform for teaching training, start teaching remotely with the Seppo platform which is free for 30 days. You can also find tips, videos and online resources to activate your lessons! Find out more

Join Teacherly on their free daily live webinars, learn best practices for remote teaching, video-rich lessons and use their templates to help you get jump started with your online classes. Register now you can also find resources and information on their website about remove learning.

Yardstick, an experiential learning resource company are offering free curriculum which focuses on hands-on experience at home with common house materials. As well as this they’re providing access to their eLearning portal for free for schools and students. To register for these initiatives email depaul@yardstickedu.com and they’ll get back to you within 24 hours.