It’s that time of year again, when our students undoubtedly hope that they have misread the calendar and still have months to enjoy their summer break, only to discover that they have a deadline to prepare for the upcoming school year.
Compared to when I was in school, the world today has drastically changed. Since fentanyl was not widely available when I was in school, there are more serious safety concerns, more obvious and terrifying risks associated with substance abuse, and the possibility of making poor decisions that I have never had to.
Calculators, for instance, were unheard of when I was a child, and using one for math homework was frowned upon. The preferred method for avoiding doing schoolwork today is generative AI, like ChatGPT, which has replaced services that would sell papers you could plagiarize.
However, the difficulties that today’s students face go beyond issues with academic honesty. In a world that is becoming more complex and where pressures go well beyond the classroom, our children are growing up. Particularly, mental health has grown to be of utmost importance.
In light of this, it’s essential to make sure your child has a confidante they can talk to about any issues. Extreme acts of violence that seem to be related to poor mental health are on the rise, as is suicide. It’s worth reading the list of twelve steps parents can take to prevent suicide on the Healthy Children website. As a young child, I struggled with severe depression. The solution was exercise. It helped me focus early and gave me a sense of accomplishment, which saved my life.
It’s essential to provide our kids with cutting-edge tools for success as we tackle these issues. Let’s take a look at some tools and techniques to aid them in navigating the technological landscape of today as they go back to school.
ChatGPT
I said that using generative AI could be seen as cheating, but just like my old calculator, the skills required to use this tool will be crucial when young people enter the workforce. Even so, children might misuse this tool if they are not supervised by an adult.
While still requiring them to complete the work, you can assist them in understanding the tool’s productivity benefits. It will be important for them to learn how to reduce the amount of time it takes to conduct related research, but doing so should be discouraged because it will prevent them from learning. The use of the tool can be kept under review if you are paying for it. You won’t have any control at all if they use it behind your back.
Utilizing the tool will enable them to learn and study the material more quickly and to spot errors made by generative AI. It wouldn’t hurt for parents to start learning how to use this tool themselves. You’ll be able to raise your child more effectively and enjoy the related productivity gains this tool advertises. Depending on the task and competence, current estimates place the productivity increase between 30 and 80 percent.
Computer
Your child’s school should be your first consideration when selecting a PC for them. To see if the school will provide the PC for your child, inquire with them. Ask about the operating systems (Windows, ChromeOS, macOS) and the manufacturer of the school’s main PCs if they don’t already know what they are.
For instance, if the majority of the computers at the school are Dell models, a Dell PC would probably cause your child the least stress and provide them with the best access to help if they run into issues. Staff members at schools are likely familiar with Dell computers and have access to a support line through their affiliation with the company.
Students will typically want laptops. Because desks are more common than electrical outlets, the basic clamshell design will function best with a screen size of at least 14 inches and a battery life of six hours.
The Lenovo LOQ 16″ laptop with AMD Ryzen processors and Nvidia RTX graphics (in case they want to play a game) is one of the better offers available right now and costs a very reasonable $835.99 as of this writing. That is a sizable laptop for a reasonable price.
Because workstations are expensive and quickly become outdated, engineering students in particular should be aware of what will be provided by the school. In some cases, using what the school provides could be more advantageous than purchasing your own.
A traditional desktop or all-in-one desktop PC (which is simpler to transport in and out of dorms) might be a better option if the child is studying remotely. They are more durable and offer better performance for the same price.
Trackers
Although children do lose things, you don’t want them to lose a laptop, tablet, smartphone, or anything else of value. The Pebblebee is the best tracker I’ve yet discovered. It is superior to most of its competitors because it is rechargeable, lasts 12 months on a single charge, and supports Android natively.
To help ensure that an expensive item you give your child can be found if it is lost or stolen, you can attach a tracker to it.
In order to increase your chances of finding your child in the event that they become lost or suffer a bad outcome, you could also have them wear a tracker. Although it’s unlikely you’ll need it, knowing you can track them down in case they go missing could give you a lot of peace of mind throughout the academic year or at any other time.
Bulletproof Backpack by Atomic Defense
Ballistic-grade backpacks are widely available. The fact that many of them resemble military gear may be too much for your children to handle. However, with the number of school shootings increasing, having a backpack that will stop a bullet and be something your child actually uses is important. It won’t do them any good if it collects dust in the closet, especially now that school shootings are on the rise.
The bulletproof backpack from Atomic Defense is available from JanSport, and it has a similar appearance to other high-quality backpacks. It is not a cheap date; it costs $300 to $350. However, I would argue that because it is saving your child’s life, the money was well spent because it will give you greater peace of mind.
Although just having the backpack on should keep your child safe when evading an armed attacker, I do advise you to make sure they know how to use it.
It might be a good idea to show your children some FBI videos on what to do in the event of a mass shooting. Your child will learn how to best assist others in obtaining safety and what to do in an emergency.
Headset
Your child may learn remotely or view online content for at least some of the time.
A good headset is essential for ensuring a fruitful online engagement because using a laptop speaker is annoying to everyone else in the room.
I advise using a wired headset rather than a wireless one because it is less expensive and simpler to maintain.
Due to the lack of a tether, Bluetooth requires pairing, which increases the risk of it being unintentionally left behind.
The problem with earbuds is that they frequently get lost, unless you want to buy them in bulk.
In the $150 to $180 price range, the Poly Blackwire 8225 is a reliable USB-A or USB-C tethered headset. It can be used for gaming, but since it is not a gaming headset, it is less likely to be stolen.
We’re done now.
Use these gift suggestions to help establish a baseline for what you can get for a given price and keep in mind that you might be able to get better prices than I’ve listed as back-to-school specials at sales events because, like any list of recommendations, this one doesn’t take into account discount sales or the particular needs of your child.
Thoughts of my time living in a dorm where I was constantly too hot or cold and had trouble sleeping caused me to think of one other product as I was finishing this.
No matter how hot or cold the room is, I can get a good night’s sleep using my expensive Ooler Sleep System. It could mean the difference because going away to school can make it difficult to get enough sleep, and this specifically addresses that issue. Although it is not cheap, the money was well spent.
Good luck with your search, and let’s hope you and your child have a secure and fruitful upcoming school year.