Homework Help in a Digital Age
With the kids getting older and technology becoming more of an integral part of classroom learning, I find that there are fewer paper assignments as it relates to homework. Doing your homework now means hopping onto some tech device, signing into an account and completing the work – which essentially means, mom and dad have no choice but to become technological wizards themselves.
As if trying to remember how to solve math formulas that you haven’t seen in years wasn’t hard enough, now you’ve got to be able to keep up with the changes in technology. I’ll admit, it was a bit of an adjustment for our household, but with a few pointers, we have been able to assist our kids when necessary while also providing them with the tools they need to succeed academically in this digital age. Here’s some suggestions below:
1. Protect Your Devices and Data
This is a step we learned the hard way. While all of our home computers were equipped with the latest antivirus software, we did not think about things like protecting the data stored on the computers. That is until the day that our daughter typed and saved a 5-page report on American history and couldn’t find it the next day! Imagine her anxieties and our surprise when we found that the entire file had been deleted. Luckily, her teacher was willing to give her an extra 2 days to retype the assignment, but there were likely preventative measures we could’ve taken.
Companies like Secure Data Recovery offer one-stop security solutions for residential consumers. From services like antivirus protection to data recovery and other technical support, your data and devices are secure should something go wrong.
2. Set Parental Controls
The internet can be beneficial for research and locating necessary data, but you must be careful. As your children are surfing the web for key information, you have no way of knowing what search results will pop up. To ensure that they aren’t accessing information that is inappropriate it is important to set parental controls on all of your technological devices. This will prevent them from coming across suspicious sites that could either expose them to something inappropriate or release a virus on your computer.
3. Know All Passwords
Every time your child is provided with a new login and password for an educational resource it is a good idea for you to have a copy of those passwords. You don’t know how much time we’ve wasted trying to remember a login (or how many accounts we’ve been locked out of due to failed attempts). There are plenty of password managers that you could consider that will make it easy for you to store all of the account information.
4. Have an Email for All Teachers
Your child’s teachers are going to be your partners in helping you to educate your child throughout the school year. With many school systems moving to technological platforms for students, parents, and teachers, you should have no issue with getting an email contact for each one of your child’s teachers. This way, should your child (or you) have questions about the homework, you can reach out to them easily. This eliminates the need to contact them during office hours, send a note, or schedule a visit which can save time and help your child to get the work done more efficiently.
5. Don’t be Afraid to Ask for Help
Just because your kids think you know everything doesn’t mean you have to somehow know all the answers to their schoolwork. If there is a technological platform you just don’t understand (or homework question), the best thing to do is ask for help. You can email the teacher, talk with a librarian, or even do a quick internet search for how to guides so that you can learn how to utilize it appropriately.
Technology continues to change the modern day classroom and the way our children learn. This will most certainly change the way we as parents help them to learn from home. Hopefully, these tips have given you some ideas on how to make homework time a lot easier with technology. Remember, if you’re really having a hard time with it, talk to someone so that your kids can get the best educational experience possible.
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