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The rapid move to virtual learning over the last two years has been quite a hassle for students with limited internet access. School closures forced teachers to post lectures and coursework online and required students to submit their work on these portals. However, students from low-income faced another barrier to education. According to the Pew Research Center, 44% of US households don’t have access to broadband services.

A broadband connection is not easily available in rural areas. This only makes it tougher for households to access high-speed internet and in turn, tougher for students to study from home. While the lockdowns may be a thing of the past, an internet connection is still an important utility in all households. Have a look at some of the tips to help students online.

Tips to Help Students with Limited Internet Access

There are a large number of students who don’t have access to high-speed internet connections. It is imperative that these students also be considered when educational institutions are readying themselves for new students. Some of the ways you can help bridge the digital divide for students from low-income households are discussed below.

Communicate With Everyone

An internet connection can make communication easy between teachers and students. However, constant outages can make the matter much more complicated for some students. Communicate clearly with your students to ensure that they grasped the points you were making. Additionally, you could also rethink how to communicate with kids who may have rural internet connections.

Bond with Your Students

When the school year begins, it is the perfect time to get to know all the students in your class. Learn as much as you can about them and ask them about the issues that they may be worried about dealing with. You can discuss common concerns with them, or even speak to them privately to help them express their concerns.

When you are aware of the issues your students face, it can help you understand what’s holding them back. By getting to know them better, you can gain insight into their personal lives and if they may be dealing with other issues too.

Don’t Blame Spotty Internet Connections on Students

While an internet connection is crucial for online learning, you need to accept that not all have access to high-speed and reliable internet connections.

Deal with spotty internet connections the way they should be, as something normal that occurs often. Try to offer solutions to these students to help them catch up on the material. You cannot help their concerns disappear, but you may be able to support them as they deal with the matter.

Check-In with Students

Larger class sizes can make it hard for teachers to get to know every student. But you can make it known that the students can reach out to you if necessary. Let them know how to schedule one-on-one meetings if they want to discuss any matter with you. Some students may think that a faulty internet connection in their household is not your concern. Try to make it clear to the student, by giving them examples of the reasons they can contact you for support.

Rethink How You Communicate

Many teachers may believe that communicating via email is suitable for everyone. But in some rural areas, even accessing emails can use up a lot of data if they need to download attachments and files.

The same goes for video lectures, which can tend to be hundreds of megabytes in size. Try to include a phone-in option for students who don’t have the internet speeds to connect and listen to the lectures.

Offer Tips to Deal with Online Learning

At the beginning of the term, offer your students tips and suggestions to deal with faulty internet connections. If possible, offer them the option to submit their work in a physical copy instead of submitting it online.

Affordable Government Programs

Some households can take advantage of government discounts when they sign up for an internet connection with specific ISPs. Try to research some of the ISPs in the nearby areas and offer the students this information at the beginning of their school year.

Alternatively, you could also inform them about nearby locations (public libraries, cafes, or restaurants) where they could access a free internet connection.

Download Resources

One of the easiest ways to access resources regularly is to download the file onto your device. Once the file is on your cellphone or laptop, you can access it without a connection to the internet. The same can be applied to presentations and lectures.

Have a Plan for Connection Issues

Some of your students will have a faulty connection at some point. To help them deal with this, have a plan ready. By giving your students a little more time, you can support them as they deal with unreliable networks.

Create Short Files with Small Sizes

When you are creating online resources, try to keep the files short. Larger files take longer to download and an interruption in the connection will require the download to begin from scratch. By keeping the file size short, the download process can become easier. Try to avoid including too many images in the files, as it increases the file size considerably.

While auto-save features on online portals can help students save their work, at times they risk losing all of it before they are finished. Such instances are bound to impact the morale of the kids and can become tiring.

Create Deadlines with Buffer

Avoid assigning tasks and assignments that have to be completed and submitted on the same day. Internet outages can last for hours at a time and some students will be unable to meet your deadlines. Try to offer them a few days to complete the work, whenever possible.

Have a Back-Up

Offer your students the option to bring in their USB drives to copy the information from the school and take it home. Instead of forcing them to spend hours waiting for the downloads to complete, this will help them have access to all the resources at any time they need them.

How Does the Internet Benefit Students?

The internet has helped redefine various aspects of our life, including education. Instead of simply relying on our teachers and books, students are required to use the internet for several reasons. Some of the ways AT&T internet plans can help students in their educational endeavors have been discussed below.

Economical and Cuts Costs

College education requires families to invest a significant amount of money to allow students to access all the resources the institutes have to offer. Generally, students have to pay for books, commutes, and access to the school’s resources. They would be required to follow a set of rules on a daily basis, every day. With the use of the internet, the costs of gaining access to that education can be dramatically reduced.

An internet connection reduces the cost of education and learning. With the increasing popularity of distance learning, parents can now opt to offer their children higher education at much more economical rates. With online learning, students don’t have to worry about visiting the campus, which reduces the cost of traveling to school. This also reduces the wastage of time that is caused by traveling long distances. They’re also able to submit their assignments online and don’t have to submit paper reports, which is a much more sustainable practice.

Communication among Teachers and Students

The internet has improved the way teachers and students interact with each other, all year round. Whether it’s during the term year or the summer break, an internet connection allows you to stay in touch with each other.

During the school year, teachers can create groups where they can discuss specific interests or subjects with their students. The teachers can also make use of the cloud to back up the work that students upload online. The cloud also offers students remote access, so that they can access the resources wherever they are.

With the aid of technology, schools and colleges have made use of all digital platforms to deal with the sudden changes brought about by the pandemic. These changes are here to stay. Several pieces of research and papers outline the various benefits of using the internet daily. Digital learning will be at the forefront of all educational institutions to help students take advantage of all these benefits.

Learning Tool

The internet may offer users access to a number of educational tools. However, the internet itself is the perfect tool to amplify the benefits of those online educational facilities. With the help of broadband, libraries can be made accessible to users all over the world who have internet connections. This open communication has also helped elevate the quality of education as curriculums are updated with international influences.

Research has been greatly improved as well, as the internet allows you to scour through various sites in search of what you want. You can browse through online journals, find videos on YouTube, and access newspapers and magazines. Students can find material like presentations, notes, and visual tutorials to help them gain access to more information.

Access Quality Education

Many students find it hard to take in large quantities of information every hour of every day. While they may have access to textbooks, they have to rely on the teacher to absorb the material. With the help of the internet, you can no longer just rely on your textbooks. With the internet, you can gain access to updated information and facts, by accessing books and papers, from authors in any part of the world.

Integrate Digital Media

With the internet, students and teachers can become well-versed with digital media over time. Because the students and teachers are required to use these tools constantly to interact with one another, they can develop basic skills. Today, IT professionals are not the only ones who need to have fundamental skills when it comes to using digital tools. Students and teachers require basic know-how to use the tools whenever they need them. These tools can help students who are focusing on painting, history, or music, to gain the necessary skills surrounding digital media.

Access to Updated Information

It is important for everyone to gain access to updated information. In our fast-paced world, we need access to the latest news and papers so that we remain updated with the latest news. With the internet, you can sign up for daily or weekly blasts that can help keep you informed. This has become much more important because of the rampant spread of false and incorrect information parading as authentic.

In Summary

A reliable high-speed internet connection is by far, one of the most important things necessary for students. The internet offers them a wide range of resources that they need, to keep up with the demands of all educational institutions today.

If you are looking for a new internet option in your area, call 1-855-349-9328, and speak to one of our experts to learn more about AT&T Paquetes. Allow us to help you figure out the offers available at your location and walk you through the subscription process.