To get started, check your address.
Your internet makes a difference for online learning, but make sure you’ve got solid upload speeds as well as fast downloads. Upload speed is what lets your learner get that large file in on time or give a video presentation to the class without freezing or dropping out. You can check your download and upload speeds with a speed test.
You can set up parental controls to keep your kids safe while they’re learning from home.
But keeping up good habits online is good practice for your whole family, school days or weekends. Family Link has a variety of resources, including screen time limits, activity monitoring applications, and tools that can help you and your family stay on task while online.
With tools like Google Classroom and Google Educator Groups, you can do everything from creating classes to setting up grading systems. Going virtual for the first time? You can also get the tools to create streaming live and online classes and get help from peers with your lesson plans without meeting in person.
For teachers and leaders, the Google Teacher Center and Google Teach from Home toolkit are a couple other options for getting tailored-to-subject ideas for lesson plans—and making them work for everybody.
Virtual learning doesn’t mean learning without support. There are a lot of different resources online that can help students of all ages with their schoolwork, like this guide to find the right resources for students with disabilities that are learning from home.
For families with kids or teens, resources like Learn from Home with YouTube let you watch educational livestreams and even get STEM education. Like Craft City’s online STEM workshops, too.
High school and college students can also get tailored-to-subject help with programs like Socratic. And if you need to video-chat for a review with your professor or meet with your group on a big project, there’s Google Meet.
The truth is: Even if you have gigabit internet, everyone in the family deserves an enjoyable workspace. And there are some great options out there that can make home your favorite classroom yet. Like a headset for smoother webinar audio, a drop-proof tablet cover for online kindergarten, or a monitor for a clearer picture of your virtual improv classmates.
Making sure you’re set up with a good distance education space can mean getting more done, maintaining better focus, and feeling more physically comfortable during your school day, too.
