How to Help Your Student in an Online Environment

Remote learning, distance learning, homeschool, and independent learning are all words that convey distance and independent learning is defined as not depending on another. However, that is far from the goal and experience of Method Schools students and teachers. Here we share tips and advice from experienced teachers about navigating remote learning outside of the cookie-cutter traditional classroom. Throughout the week we will hear from Mr. Bentley, a High School counselor and teacher on motivating and goal setting for that mysterious high school student. Click here for advice on online high school students. Ms. Godshaw works exclusively with supporting families with students needing intervention and how best to provide that in an online environment. Ms. Sosnowski, former teacher and our curriculum director. She shares how to get the most from your child’s curriculum. Ms. Pinter, an elementary teacher and program coordinator, talks about technology skills in an online learning environment and how best to communicate with teachers.

Computer Skills For Online Learning

The current environment has many parents and students working and learning from home. Pivoting from a traditional work environment to work and education from home poses many challenges for students and parents alike. The foundation of online education is technology. Your child is as confused as you are with technology despite being “Digital Natives.” Our students are digital natives regarding social media and gaming. However, studies have shown that they are not as technology-literate as we might have believed. According to an International Computer and Information Literacy 2018 study, “19 percent of the 42,000 students assessed in 14 countries and educational systems could work independently with computers as information-gathering and management tools.” We learned that students are not as literate with computer management skills and we worked hard to create short clip videos for our students and integrated it into our SmartFox Online Prep Course.

Computer Skills Students Need to Know

• Can they send an email (much different from a text)?
• Do they know how to create a google document and upload it to a platform?
• Are they proficient in attaching documents to an email or taking pictures of an assignment and sending it as a pdf?
• Are they familiar with computer terminology?
• Can they take a screenshot?
• Do they know how to access Google Classroom?

Find some quick how-to videos and watch them with your child and practice them together. You would be surprised how much less stress is involved once your child learns how to do some basic computer management skills.