From shopping to education, everything has become digital and “socially distant.” Physical gatherings of any kind have become a rarity ever since the pandemic has hit us. However, one thing that does not stop and should not stop is education.
Universities, colleges and schools of all levels are adapting to the situation and going virtual. Needless to say, virtual education can be fun and experimental, but it does get frustrating at a point. To make it a little easier on you, your students and kids, here is a bunch of advanced tech that can ease it down for you a little.
Challenges in online education
Even though we are all adapting to the new ways of life, let’s not downplay the effects on going virtual in education. Both teachers and students are bearing their own fair share of losses and facing struggles with online education. The scenario is worse for younger kids as their parents are struggling to adapt to this new form of education as well.
One thing that keeps people going is cheap internet service, which makes learning from a distance much more comfortable. People don’t have to spend extra bucks on their internet connections, and can rely on fast speed fiber internet, and now even 5G connections for seamless digital classes.
Some common challenges students, teachers and parents are facing in online education include:
- Taking exams is difficult as teachers can not entirely rely on how safe and fairly online examinations can be held.
- Parents are concerned about screen time and exposure to gadgets their young kids are getting during online education.
- Taking classes on tablets or laptops is difficult for students due to several other distractions. They can be present digitally in class but not really attend the sessions.
- Some teachers are not tech-savvy. A lot of their time goes to waste in setting up their system and fixing issues. This makes learning inconsistent and difficult for students too, which makes digital illiteracy a huge issue.
- For parents of younger kids in primary school, the burden is extra. They have to take care of their homework, and also ensure that their kids are doing classwork on time and monitor their kid’s activity on gadgets too.
All of these issues still need a lot of fixing. However, to overcome challenges like digital illiteracy and connectivity or set up issues, there are several gadgets and advanced apps/software that are a one-time investment and can go a long way.
Here are some of the best, must-have gadgets reviewed for you:
Best tech to make online education easier
- Duolingo – For app for learning foreign language
If your kid is learning a foreign language in school, you must be struggling a lot finding the right resources online. You need an interactive platform where you get a bunch of resources to learn a foreign language. The Duolingo app and website is a freemium platform that allows you to learn 30+ languages. It has a free as well as a premium version that requires a paid subscription. The platform is best known for its Spanish language. It also has an assessment exam, so you can use this platform for home-based learning as well as to assist a foreign language class at school.
- Razor – Kiyo Webcam – Best for video calls
Whether it you want to make a class more interactive or control possible cheating during exams, a good quality webcam is a must for students as well as teachers. Many laptops do not have best quality cameras, and even if they do, your surrounding’s lighting makes it worse. To overcome this issue, you can buy the Razor Kiyo Webcam. The biggest highlight of this camera is its built-in ring light that will illuminate your face really well, and ensure higher resolution image to appear for your classmates and students.
Some key features of the webcam include ring light, HD 1080p resolution, 4 MP sensor, efficient color balancing that does not make your face look unnatural. It is a multi-use webcam that is also good for students and teachers who are part-time content creators or want to explore this field too. Teachers can also use this webcam to record lectures for their YouTube channels to aid other students get through these difficult times.
- Rocketbook smart notebook – Best for note taking
One of the many concerns people have with online education is loss of hand written notes as kids rely on digital means only. There are many teachers as well who wish to take down hand written notes or make handwritten material for their students, but fail to do it in virtual learning. For this, you can invest in the Rocketbook smart notebook that syncs with your system’s cloud.
The notebook comes in 3 sizes, including letter, executive and mini. It is also available in a variety of colors for you to choose from. You can take notes and write on the 36 pages of this notebook with any Pilot Frixion pen, and then sync it with cloud services such as Google drive and iCloud. The notebook also lets you search for your notes.
- IPEVO V4K Document camera – Best document camera
Since most of us were relying on paperback books and notes, it became a struggle to find free PDF versions or any digital versions of resourceful books. Teachers find it difficult to show demos of certain concepts online, such as in subjects like Mathematics and Accounting. For this purpose, teachers can go for a document camera, the IPEVO 4K that looks almost like a study lamp. It has an adjustable stand that folds down easily when not in use, making it space-efficient and highly portable too.
It connects via wire with any laptop and operating software including iOS and Windows. Once connected, you can use it to record or live stream yourself solving equations or reading through a paperback book. The best part about this camera is its built-in microphone and higher resolution capability.
Conclusion
Learning becomes difficult when you are not face-to-face with the rest of your classmates. Physical existence in a classroom is essential to ensure effective learning. However, due to the pandemic, physical classrooms sound like distant future. So, let tech take over and face challenges in online education with the aforementioned tech devices and platforms.
Baldwin Jackson is a successful digital marketer with expertise in search engine optimization and content marketing. The perfect balance of his analytical ability and creative thinking is what sets him apart from other practitioners in the digital marketing realm. He has helped a lot of small and medium-sized businesses in crafting their digital marketing strategies that are not only cost-effective but delivers results as well.
Baldwin is also a proud father of two kids and a Sports enthusiast. When he is not working, you will find him watching ESPN and NFL network. He has been able to get an amazing package on his favorite channels from Buytvinternetphone.com.
