The UK education system allows parents to choose the structure of education their children receive, including homeschool and online school.
The rise of online education was during the pandemic but despite lifting such restrictions many have opted to continue learning online or blended e-learning.
In this article, I will share some online shopping advice on what digital education tools every student needs to start studying online.
- Computer
The first item on your list should be a computer.
The minimum requirements for a good computer to begin your online classes are;
- Enough storage preferably at least 250 GB
- RAM of at least 4GB
- Webcam access
- Good computer microphone and speakers
- Fast enough Wi-Fi connection
- A processor of at least 3.5-4 GHz
Desktop or laptop?
The choice between a laptop or a desktop is on you. Desktops have longer life spans than laptops but laptops are convenient because of their portability.
If your online studies are completely remote then you don’t need to have a laptop however if you intend to take part of your studies online and part of it from school, then preferably a laptop will do you good.
- Learning software
Secondly, you will need access to learning software.
The learning institution will provide some of the softwares requirements such as virtual classroom software.
Besides that, you will need student communication softwares, interaction tools, exam and testing tools, etc.
If you have to buy learning softwares, do so with a lot of precaution. Take into account what you truly need and what you don’t.
Compare prices and reviews before deciding what learning software works best for you. This is especially so for computer students who in many cases have a variety of software choices to work with.
- Printer, scanner and print papers
For the lovers of traditional note-taking systems, like me, having a printer is necessary.
You may have to print notes or important tests and questions to remind yourself throughout the term.
Printing your notes will make the organisation better such that you will have different files for different subjects making it easier to retrieve notes.
- Textbooks/ebooks
Depending on your learning institution you will be required to have access to online books or online libraries.
Textbooks can be an extra purchase to aid you in revising for your exams or to research further readings.
- Organisation tools
Staying organised during your online classes is just as important as the studies itself.
It doesn’t take long for assignments to pile up, emails to respond to, classes to attend, group discussions to join, notes to write, work to read, exams to revise for, and so forth.
It, therefore, becomes fundamental that our student is digitally organised to keep up with the pressures of school.
There are many available organisation tools online that can help us to don’t keep track of their school progress.
Maintaining a to-do list or a project task manager is a good step to take. Have a calendar with academic dates so you don’t end up missing important deadlines.
Schedule time not just with school work but time for yourself. Your mental health is important when studying.
- Productivity tools
It is quite hard to focus when studying at home because of the many distractions.
One minute you have to take out the trash, next time your friend is knocking on the door for a video game afternoon, after that, you have 7 emails and 16 notifications.
With so many distractions, it is wary that anybody intending to study online be equipped with productivity tools.
These include focus tools, time trackers, time manager apps, among others.
To make the best out of productivity tools try to be minimal as possible because having a lot going on tends to become overwhelming at some point in time.
Have one note-taking app or software, a one-time tracking app and one focus tool. It is even a better option to find one that encompasses all of the key features in productivity tools.
For the least, try to have your phone on silent.
- Other tech gears
Some other supplies that you may need include; headphones, a functional keyboard, mouse, blue light glasses, laptop covers, laptop stands,
The school supplies are adjustable depending on your preferences and what you can afford.
You can do without some of them and you, therefore, don’t have to financially strain yourself to get exorbitantly priced headphones.
- Traditional school supplies
Finally, as much as you’re studying digitally, you will need to have some other school items to complement your studies.
Highlighters, notebooks, backpack (for when you have to switch study location), pens, pencil case, folders, binders, etc.