At Home Learning: Best Tech for Grades K-12

In the last year especially, our society has learned of the fundamental importance of technology to education. Not only does the access to technological support literally expand the classroom, but it also does wonders to engage students in different ways.

When it comes to at-home learning, it’s crucial to that all devices and programs are age-appropriate. Whether it’s hybrid learning, completely remote, or supplementing education at home, selecting such devices and apps requires some specific considerations. 

Check out our guidelines for at-home tech that’s best suited for K-2 students.

Recommended Devices:

• HP Chromebook x360 14b is stylish and sleek, but durable. The magnetic docking station eliminates the chances of losing the stylus (perfect for little ones), and it has a versatile 360° screen. The touchscreen is easy and engaging, allowing for pinching, tapping, zooming, and swiping. 

• It’s hard to beat the intuitive nature of an iPad. The new iPad has tremendous capability and versatility in performance. Its easy-to-use home screen makes app selection effortless, and switching between programs is seamless, even for young kids. The new iPad has all of the old one’s capabilities at a surprisingly great price.

• Google’s Pixelbook Go a flexible, highly proficient device. It features a lightweight design with a textured bottom, which is perfect for little ones and drop-prevention. Its fast connection and high-resolution duo cam is an ideal must have for virtual learning. With 12 hours of battery, this small machine packs a big punch.

Educational Websites:

With all that exists on the Internet, sometimes it’s difficult to discern educational sites with entertainment. These sites are recommended by both parents and educators.

• Starfall is a site designed for pre-K through third grade, and is focused on phonics and aims to support reading skills.

• Fuel the Brain is perfect for age-appropriate and educational games. Its activities feature all subject areas.

• XtraMath is a great site for improving mathematical computation skills.

• Stories are a wonderful way to learn, and they provide a creative outlet for applying knowledge. Storybird is perfect for curious and eager second graders who want to create and share their own imaginations; with this program, they can produce a story and even “publish” it in the library. 

• ABCMouse is a fun and functional site designed for ages 2-8. Make math, reading, science, and art interesting and engaging with over 10,000 activities. The program creates a step-by-step learning plan designed for each student.

K-2 learners are inquisitive and imaginative, and they need their technology to reflect their interests and capture (and keep!) their attention. These devices and websites are age-appropriate and created to keep young brains engaged and learning. 

Tech Cleaning Tips From Your Grandmother

My grandmother fit every grandmother mold possible. Impeccable hair. Crisp aprons. Mouthwatering homemade bread on the counter. She ran a tight ship with even tighter hair. For Grandma, spring cleaning was as much a celebration as it was a chore (but then she always smiled most when she was working).

I have more than a little of her blood coursing though my veins, and now that the weather is shaking off winter’s chill, I have the urge to clean as she used to do. And I can apply her methods to my phones, laptop, and tablet just effectively as I do everything else in my home.

Get sorted. While my grandmother had an eye and a hand for organization, my grandfather had a different method. Every weekend, she would group the mail, his receipts, and his tools and put everything back where they should have gone in the first place. Take the time to organize your documents and files in a system that makes the most sense to you, and delete files that are no longer relevant. For every minute spent here, you’ll save twice. 

Put the right things into the right storage. It’s okay to hold onto things (I myself am pretty sentimental). The trick is figuring out where to put them so that they can be reached where you need them and out of the way when you don’t. Consider organizing your files in bulk by year, and clearly label each file and folder with its exact contents. This saves you stress and energy, whether you are looking for Aunt Lucy’s china or last year’s lesson on volcanoes. And no, “Science stuff” doesn’t count.

Clear your desktop. If Grandma could see my laptop screen, she would sigh, “Clutter, clutter, clutter, dear. How can you see what you mean?” It was an odd expression, but I understood it. If you save everything to the desktop, you’ll never find what you really need. This works just as well for your desk as well as your desktop. Save it only for items you need to find quickly or things you use every single day. Rely on your filing system for the others. Delete the rest.

Clean your Windows. Grandma loved a clean window (even if the birds didn’t). If you are running the digital version on your laptop, Windows 10 has a handy Disk Cleanup tool to clean up temporary and unnecessary system files that could be obstructing your computer performance. Use this handy guide for additional information.

Empty the trash. Now that you’ve gotten everything where you want it, it’s time to remove what you don’t need once and for all. My grandma always emptied the trash as the last part of her cleaning routine, grabbing a bag and hitting every bathroom and bin on her way out the door.

Grandma made the most of everything (I can still taste her creative leftovers), and I hope these above tips help you make the most of your time and managing your technology this spring. If you found any of these valuable, we’d love your feedback--follow us on Facebook for more!

Bridge The Gap: How To Keep Parents In The Loop When Everything Is Online

As schools move toward paperless communication and less homework for elementary school students, parents feel less overwhelmed by the minutia of the school year. They also feel a lot more out of the loop when it comes to knowing what’s going on in the classroom and how they can help.

The movement toward less homework is supported by a study done by CNN, when researchers found that first graders received almost three times the amount of homework recommended by the NEA and the National PTA. While it’s clear children could use the downtime, what isn’t clear is how to engage parents in the learning process so that lesson plans can be supported at home—without the need to sacrifice sanity or trees in the process.

Knowing the material, however, is only part of the equation. Today’s technology not only allows parents to view their children’s progress in real time, but they also can see where and how they excel and struggle with subjects, tests, and organization skills.

“Parental and family involvement in a child’s education is essential,” said Erica Eichmann, at Arey Jones Educational Solutions. “We’re fortunate to live in a time when there are several ways to engage parents both off and online. The key is to keep educating and reminding parents where the resources are, encourage consistent and clear dialogue throughout the school year, and help families create learning-friendly environments at home.”

Here are 5 ways parents can engage more fully in their children’s education.

Define study time.

Parents who designate a time and space for studying and learning show kids that education is a priority. This could be as simple as designating a place in the home for homework that is close enough for questions and support, but far enough away so they won’t be distracted from finding answers on their own. In addition to the space, setting a schedule and routine around studying makes it just as important as games and dance events.

Learn the tools.

Parents should feel knowledgeable about every tool the school uses in their curriculum. If kids are using platforms like Blackboard, ClassTag, Wixie, Google for Education, and Dreambox during the day, parents should feel reasonably equipped to help and promote the use of these tools at home. Resources like bealearninghero.org are a great place to get started. Set reminders in your calendar every week to check classroom resources; this may seem silly, but we all know how fast time can fly. This holds you accountable as well; if your children have set study parameters, it’s good that you have set support parameters, too.

Reach out.

If you don’t receive consistent communication from the teacher, take on the charge. Find out how best to reach the teacher for non-emergency concerns, and make a warm introduction. Create a monthly reminder in your calendar to reach out, even if it’s just to say how much your child enjoys the classroom (teachers never tire of hearing positive feedback). If you have questions, ask. If you have concerns, state them clearly, and be just as clear that you expect to hear back if the teacher also notices something you don’t. If you have issues at home that may effect your child’s ability to learn (new baby, divorce, moving, etc.), make sure the teacher is given just enough information to be aware of any changes.

You and the teacher are two of the most important parts of your child’s educational team; you should be familiar with each other and help the other fill in the gaps.

Encourage accountability.

It’s always important to talk about goals, dreams and setting expectations for effort. Break goals into manageable steps so that students have the freedom to course correct. Not meeting a goal is disappointing, but not the end of the journey; the purpose is to teach resilience and resourcefulness in the hunt for the next best thing. If something goes awry, help students determine how they could have it differently for a better result, and help give them the confidence to manage the consequences and try again.

Engaged parents make a huge difference in the success of their students, so the sooner and more specifically you can get involved in your child’s education, the better off your kids will be.

Do you have any experience in a reduced-homework school? What are your thoughts?