Chapters
1. Headphones2. Tablet or laptop
3. Printer
4. Education apps
Every year when a new school year approaches, parents know it’s soon time to think about school supplies. While many of us remember this as a fun time to buy funky coloured pencils, this was a different story for parents. The detailed lists, the overcrowded shops filled with busy families. This year, many of these rituals, or supplies themselves are growing obsolete with the rise of distance learning. Some schools are even implementing hybrid learning, which means some time will be spent with e-learning at home and some at school. E-learning and hybrid schooling are the new reality, sometimes even a challenge. If you are asking what the best school supplies for this digital age of schooling is, I have some tips for you!
🎧 Headphones
If your kids are learning from home, undoubtedly, the most important school supply necessary is a good, comfortable pair of noise-cancelling headphones. With the workplace also leaning hybrid and home-office, this means that parents will be home a lot with their kids as well. It is important to emulate a quiet, focused environment for your child while they are in their calls and learning. Having good, clear audio where they properly hear their teacher and do not pick up too much noise from the outside will make all the difference. 👂🏽
Comfort is important as well, especially if they will be wearing these for multiple hours a day. Here is a list of our favorite headphones you can consider:
A side tip: make sure to emphasise the importance of proper wear and care to keep them working right and lasting!
💻 Tablet or Laptop
In the era of e-learning and hybrid schooling, kids need a base from where they can get all of their work and studying done. For a short term, many I know often shared their computers or devices with their kids as a temporary solution. But as online learning becomes more permanent, students need a home base for their schooling that is only theirs. 💡
A tablet or a laptop are great options as they are portable and light. Bringing them to school in the case of hybrid learning, or if they want to study from somewhere else, becomes much easier!
For the younger students, we understand that having a personal device might be concerning or worrying for parents, which is also why we emphasise the importance of teaching online safety. Along with that, you can have all the control and visibility with some awesome parental monitoring apps that let you know what your child is doing online. You can also set timers to shut off the device after school hours, if you don’t want your child on it after school.
Here are my picks for great parental monitoring apps:
🖨️ Printer
While this might seem like a no-brainer, especially for the parents working from home often, printers are one of the most necessary supplies. A printer’s importance was never understated for the parents, but they are now even more necessary for students. 🧠
During online learning sessions, one way to keep kids motivated and feeling more connected to their work, is having worksheets and physical work to complete. Teachers will often send in a PDF or Doc for immediate printing that can be worked on together. Fast access to this is crucial to have your kids ready to participate.
A printer we recommend: Canon PIXMA TR4520 Wireless
📲 Education apps
Back in the day, the go-to study tools were things like flashcards, post-it notes and flashy markers. I know it myself, even as a millennial, that a study session was incomplete without these. ✏️
Times became different long before e-learning and hybrid schooling arose. With innovation in the tech sphere, many education apps and learning helpers popped up. In order to get the most out of learning online, it’s important to utilise the vast pool of apps!
Learning apps are great because there are many that have different emphasis for whatever you might need. Some are digital flashcards, some are organisers to get all work in order, others are interactive with multiple students. Take a look to find which fit your needs best!
Many teachers at your child’s school will most likely already be implementing and recommending some. There are many online learning tools that teachers incorporate and use in their everyday teaching. But for some extra help and extra learning, we have a list of some we think are great:
- Epic!, for kids books and reading.
- Quizlet, for efficient flashcard learning and quiz creation.
- Google Classroom, an all-rounder, that is interactive and a great way to study in groups.
There you have it! Some top tips for the back to school season to help with hybrid and distance learning. We know that the online ways of education can pose its challenges, but we are equally sure that with some help, you can master it! Speaking of digital learning, why not book a trial lesson with one of our experienced tutors at GoStudent? They are here for you, from wherever to help.
