6 Tips for Distance Learning That Will Help Parents

Ready or not, it’s back to school time. In years past, the flurry of educators buzzing in August showed their hard work in the classroom. Sadly, efforts must now show on a screen.

That’s right; we’re preparing for Distance Learning or a Hybrid approach to learning thanks to COVID.

Teachers and administrators quickly realized that preparing lessons online differs significantly from traditional teaching in the classroom.

It does not end there.

Parents must also be in the digital loop.

Recognizing that parents play a dual role in distance learning, they must handle their affairs from work while balancing it to keeping their children on point.

No easy feat.

One notion that I quickly realized came to me because I was hearing about parents not being so tech-savvy.

Some of the typical tasks, such as clearing the web’s cache, are not familiar to them.

Hence, the opportunity arose to develop a checklist that entails six crucial Tips for distance learning.

It may not solve all of their computer issues, but it might resolve an excessive amount that will make the school year a little easier.

Let’s briefly discuss each tip.

Internet

Getting online remains the linchpin to distance learning, and having critical aspects covered will substantially maintain the provider’s speed, which will decrease any child’s frustration level.

Laptop/Desktop

Having the most frequently used software updated and running efficiently signals an environment ready to learn. Conduct your updates as needed.

Passwords

It seems as if we have hundreds of user ids and passwords. To children, they share the same opinion. Having the school-related ids and passwords in the same location quickens a child’s start to the lesson.

Google

Google has become the elephant in the room when it comes to online learning. Understand what students will frequently access in Google and print off some tips they don’t know. It would also benefit you to acquire Google Drive, where you can download and upload documents.

School Information

Knowing who to contact when their accounts are locked out to having the latest school calendar helps to relay clear and consistent communication. This information contains troves of data, which will decrease the level of anxiety one can form if not informed.

Other Important Information

How often have we had issues with our Wi-Fi or Router? Keeping this information stored in a convenient location helps to get assistance quickly should the need arise.

Now you are probably wondering to yourself this week’s blog appears smaller.

It is.

Because I wanted you to download a checklist that contains the tips we just discussed.  Please share it with your families.

If you have an idea to add to the checklist, let me know.  I will be updating this, so check back and see what has changed since the original checklist was made.

Last, I wanted to leave you with something for new parents or those who need a refresher on setting parent expectations. I encourage you to read 6 Ways To Manage Your Sky-High Parent Expectations of Yourself where it helps you to consider some self-care tips that we often overlook.

Do you have any tips for us to consider when it comes to distance learning?  Let us know.  We’d love to hear them.

Get your checklist here!