Parent’s Guide to Digital Learning: How to Assist Your Children In Navigating Their Online Education

After the last three years, there are probably a lot fewer parents who need help navigating their children’s online education than previously. The pandemic made instant digital warriors out of even the most firmly analog among us, because the longing to stay in touch is such a basic human need.

This is where a company such as Age of Learning is leading the charge to make digital education accessible and fun. Internet entrepreneur Sky Dayton, director of Age of Learning, works closely with the company’s management team to guide its growth.

Age of Learning uses a framework known as Personalized Mastery Learning Ecosystem™ (PMLE™) that blends learning with technology to help teachers, administrators, and parents focus on each child’s unique learning needs. This takes shape as My Math Academy and My Reading Academy, which ignite a love of numbers and language in students through their adaptive technology and individualized learning structure.

The Digital Classroom: What Parents Need to Know and Do

So how do parents direct their children’s digital education now that remote learning is no longer required, yet very much the new wave? It takes a complete reorientation from the days of books and the 3Rs, much as Covid caused the complete reorientation of societal functioning overall. The core issues for parents revolve around self-regulation.

Self-regulation means the ability to master one’s behavior and act appropriately in the classroom. If Sally is always gazing out the window or Billy keeps tossing spitballs across the room at Eddie, these unacceptable behaviors need to be addressed. The challenge is, it’s always been hard for children filled with energy to sit still and pay attention—and technology, unfortunately, only exacerbates this challenge.

To make it easier for kids to learn to better self-regulate in the digital (or analog) classroom, parents can take the following measures:

•     Minimize multitasking. The idea that multitasking makes us more productive is mostly myth. What it usually means is that more gets done, but haphazardly, which might be less critical if a busy parent is trying to text, make dinner and attend to the dog while tidying up the home office, than for a child’s academic performance. Discuss with your child how multitasking affects their focus, and remind them to put cell phones on silent while studying. You might also provide your child with a focus timer to help them concentrate, especially if mental self-regulation is an issue. With such oversight, you’re also helping your child develop good tech boundaries and discipline, which will serve them well throughout their life.
•     Establish a routine. Routines are particularly helpful for children who may find it difficult to emotionally or physically self-regulate. Daily routines help relieve stress and make it easier to manage tasks, because the child knows what to expect at each time of day. This is also a lifelong learning tool. Sit down with your child and plan how they’ll spend each portion of their day, and how they will use technology in each time period. For instance, you can suggest (or strongly recommend, depending on the child’s age) that all devices be turned off between 9 pm and 7 am, which will establish good habits and ensure quality sleep.
•     Learn together. At the start of the school year, ask teachers what digital tools they’ll be using so you can familiarize yourself with the platforms. If gamification or actual game playing is involved, you might continue the learning opportunity at home. Intriguingly, research reveals that playing video games as a family brings parents and kids closer.

Support for Parents in the Age of Digital Learning

Just as social relationships are crucial to your child’s development as a human being, emotional and social support is vital for parents who are navigating this brave new digital learning landscape. In a national survey conducted early in the Covid-19 pandemic, parents reported that loss of social interaction was one of their top concerns for their offspring.

If your child is learning remotely via digital technology, here are some ways to support this endeavor:

•     Share photos of projects with classmates via video calls.
•     Arrange video progress reports with your child’s teachers.
•     Set up video chats with grandparents and other family members where your child can proudly display their work and discuss it with supportive adults.
•     Set up virtual play dates. Social interaction reduces stress and helps children learn to communicate, solve problems, and develop empathy—even when it takes place through a screen.