Best hardware and software for “virtual school”

This August, I started teaching a digital learning pod for Kindergarten-2nd grade students.

When I decided I was going to run an online learning pod, I started thinking about ways to create engaging educational opportunities for kids online. I knew that teaching on an online medium was going to be very different than teaching in a physical classroom.

Rather than grumble too much about how much better teaching in-person was, I decided to try to make the most out of my new virtual classroom. They say that the environment is the child’s third teacher. Much like Maria Montessori developed materials to make her classroom environment conducive to learning, I knew I needed to find the best tools possible (software and hardware) to support kids and teachers to optimize this online learning environment for learning.

Fortunately, many of the parents in my group work in tech, so they were happy to lend a hand and help me problem-solve to make sure their kids had a good experience in the group.

Teaching a group of Kindergarten-2nd grade students online presented some unique challenges. When we started, it was painfully noisy for all involved, and kids were constantly disappearing - slipping outside the frame of the camera. Some younger children are often difficult to understand as is, not to mention with the additional obstacle of having their voices travel through the internet to my computer speaker . The result was that kids were bored and I thought I might lose my mind from the noise.

We tested dozens of different conferencing platforms, tablets, headphones and other unique devices and software solutions to get our group communicating well online.

My original goal was to get to a point where we would be able to provide a nice social experience 2x/week for 45 minutes. I told my tech savvy parents I needed to find a way where I could hear the kids whispering across the room, see them lap down or do a jumping jack. It was an ambitious goal, but one month in, we’ve surpassed by expectations.

Now, by using the right tools, teaching zoom etiquette and choosing activities that translate well to an online environment, I’ve found 4 and 5 year old kids (and even children are young as 3) are begging to stay online 3 hours after class has started! They are moving and jumping around, actively participating in class discussions and making meaningful friendships with other children across the country.

This is what we’ve found works best to allow lots of movement, engagement and clear sound. (And also helps stop me from getting tired or worn out when I teach)

Here are the tools I recommend for group learning online:

• Zoom for conferencing. Zoom simply does sound and video for groups better than any other platform.

• *Gamma Ray Blue Light Blocking Glasses to prevent eye strain (for teachers)

• Our absolute favorite 3D camera (we tested so many) is the OSBOT because it really allows the kids to jump and bounce and dance and run around their room during class while being fully seen and heard. In some ways, with a camera like this, virtual school can be even more physical than in-person school because kids have the comfort of their home and can move as much as they like without getting in trouble as they might in a classroom with many children where they have to sit at a desk. It also makes it easy for the teacher and child to make eye contact (make sure to place it right on top of the computer) which is important for forming healthy attachments too. We like the Facebook portal too (and it’s better for eye contact and sound quality), but ultimately preferred the OSBOT due to the screen sharing capabilities. Just make sure you position the camera to ensure that the child is making eye contact with their teacher. If you can’t afford that, the Xenvo Pro Lens Kit can help the teacher a large area, kids don’t have to sit still and feel free to move around the room

• *Airpod Pro for the best headphones that won’t fall out of small ears when doing jumping jacks, have great sound

• Macbook for zoom and most apps. I prefer this slightly to an Ipad because it stays in one place. Otherwise, the teacher tends to just see the ceiling and not your child. Also, when children screen share on zoom their image doe snot disappear.

• Nulaxy Laptop Stand to make us look more glamorous when we record sessions (double-chin eliminated!) and also allows kids to stand and move about, not sit still.

• If you can also afford an ipad, please get one because this is best for IOS apps which are amazing to support your children's learning. It also functions similarly to a mac so the child’s image does not dissapear when then share their screen, which is helpful if the child is working on adaptive learning apps with the support of a teacher or tutor.The new Ipad pro is best for screen sharing.

• A lap desk. Sitting on the floor is great for kids. It’s unfortunate we as adults got used to sitting in chairs. Sitting on the floor is much more healthy. The Lap desk is mostly for writing and drawing. You can put the computer and 3D camera or prolens on a slightly more sturdy desk such as this one. That way, they just use their lap desk for writing, while all the other equipment stays in one place.

I’m privileged to be able to afford the tools to support my teaching. Many of the families in my group are privileged to be able to purchase tools to support their children’s learning. And we’ve been able to purchase devices for those who can’t. An estimated 22% of US students don’t have access to a single computer to help them learn remotely. This is a travesty and one we’re working around the clock to change through Schoolclosures.org and our Give Computers campaign.

While I’m excited to share these tools, I’m also outraged and downhearted by the growing divide between rich and poor students due to lack of access to technology.

If you are on a budget, I strongly recommend investing in an Ipad to cover all your key bases. Generally, your cell phone plan will let you pay for your Ipad on a payment plan. An Amazon kindle will also do.

Families looking for free hardware or software should apply to givecomputers.org

For families who are still struggling to find a device to support their teaching or child’s learning, please contact us so we can give you a hand. We want to help everyone we can to get the technology they need to learn.

For those looking to go the extra mile, here’s an intro to zoom video I made where I talk in more detail about the hardware I’ve chosen and some tips for beginner teachers on using zoom.