Education is quickly becoming an online-first experience. That trend was helped along by the pandemic. For grade school children, it was a bit of a shock to the system. Before the pandemic, very few K-12 institutions had any experience with teaching kids online.
When forced to adapt, they didn’t have the experience, know-how, or equipment to pull it off. They also didn’t have the support of their parents. School children became a political football tossed about by two losing teams. There were COVID deniers and COVID extremists pulling the strings with very little influence from the middle.
While grade school education online got off to a rough start, don’t be surprised to see it take off in the coming years. Like work from home, once people get a taste of what’s possible, it is hard to go back to the old and busted. College students have been having blended learning experiences for years.
Some universities are entirely online. It is easy to find a school with online programs for people of all ages. Whether you are going to college for the first time or going back to tackle unfinished business, here is the tech you need to get the most out of it.
A Better Laptop
Let’s start with the basics. You don’t just need a computer. You need a laptop. A desktop computer lives in one place. It is almost as constricting as going to class on campus. You need a laptop so that you can take advantage of those spare moments when you are not in the place where the desktop lives.
In some cases, you might want to go to specific locations to see what is being described. If you are studying architecture or going for your Masters in construction management online, you might have the opportunity and wish to visit construction sites to get a real-world feel for the job. You will want your computer to come with you.
In a field of study like computer aided graphics, you will be doing real work with real applications that require real computational power. This is no time for a $200 Chromebook. Put down the toys and invest in a better computer. A MacBook Pro is probably the most common tool for design work. On the PC side, cruise right past the budget laptops which are most of them, and look for the beasts starting at $1,500. You’re not a kid anymore. And your future hinges on the education you get from that computer, make it a good one.
Noise-Canceling Headphones
Right now, true wireless headphones are all the rage. Those will do for casual situations. But when it comes down to proper headphones for online education, you need something with active noise canceling. The reality is that you will not always be in a distraction-free environment when you have a few minutes for schoolwork. You might be on a commuter train or in a busy coffee shop.
Cheap headphones won’t cut it, especially if you have to consume media as part of the process. If you are conferencing with classmates, you will need to be able to hear them well wherever you happen to be. If you want to move to the head of the class, you need to move to headphones that can block out the distractions.
A Fast, Mobile Internet Connection
Who offers the fastest mobile internet connection in the US? That will always be a moving target and a hotly debated question. When it comes to the mobile internet, you need the fastest and most reliable access you can afford. There is no such thing as too fast when you are on the go. If you have a big project to upload, you don’t want to miss your window of opportunity because the upload is slow and you have to close your computer and get off the bus. Don’t be the one who has to declare that the internet ate your homework.
Getting an education is hard work, especially as you get older and busier with more responsibilities. Make your online education experience a little easier by getting a better computer, noise-canceling headphones, and the fastest mobile internet in your area.
