During the pandemic of covid-19, almost all colleges or schools turned their studying method from face to face to online learning method, though there are some which have used the online school method. Since your school programs are fully online, you’re likely forced to have eligible devices to support your online school.
As well as Penn Foster students, they seem to must-have the kinds of eligible devices which qualify for taking online classes. Considering Penn Foster does not provide laptops or tablets, so having your own devices is required. However, there are some requirements that your laptop should meet before taking your online school. What are they?
Laptop’s Requirements to Take Penn Foster Online School
To take your Penn Foster online courses, do exams and track your learning progress, a laptop can be one of the eligible devices you can use. Unfortunately, not all kinds of laptops meet the requirements for online learning. It means that there are some certain specifications to allow your laptop to provide your online school.
Requirements your laptop should have:
- Operating System
The operating system on your laptop should work best with a more up-to-date system. Penn Foster recommends you to run a Microsoft® Windows® based computer running Windows 7 or later. If using Apple, an Apple® Mac® computer running macOS® or later is required.
- Internet Browser
Within your laptop, ensure that you already install the Internet Browser. Of course, there are plenty of Internet Browsers that you can install on. Downloading and installing your favorite one is highly recommended. Make sure the internet browser that you already installed on your laptop can work better for accessing your Student Portal and also lessons.
Many students prefer to use Google Chrome as it will take you to get your study guides and also exams for your online classes. The good news is, you can download it for free.
- Working Keyboard
Unlike a computer which has a keyboard paired separately, a laptop certainly features the already installed-keyboard. If you’re online learning on a computer and your keyboard has issues, you can replace it with a new one.
However, if you use a laptop and get an issue with your keyboard, it may be a bit complicated to replace the original keyboard or use an external keyboard. So, make sure that you already have a laptop featured with a good-condition keyboard. To keep your keyboard functioning properly for a longer time, what you should do is to take care of your keyboard from dust, dirt, water spills and anything which can potentially damage your keyboard.
Why should you pay attention a lot to your keyboard? That’s because without a keyboard, it’ll be a bit hard to complete your work. The point is, having a working keyboard on your laptop will save you frustration in the long run.
What Are the Tools You Must Have on a Laptop?
Okay, you might have already checked your laptop, your internet connection is fast and you’re ready with your email to tackle your first lesson. However, there are still a few more things you should make sure which are available to be 100% prepared. What are they?
Of course, they are the tools or apps that you should have on your laptop. In this case, we name it with ‘productivity tools’ that can give you access to writing tools including spreadsheets, Microsoft Word, and many more. Well, those tools will assist you to work your courses. We think you should have them, depending on the courses you take at Penn Foster.
You may have to consider getting access to Microsoft Office Suite for your coursework. If you do not already have it, make sure to install it on your laptop. Even though using open-source word processors or spreadsheet apps such as Google Sheets and Google Docs will work for some basic classes, of course, you will also need Microsoft Office programs.
Additionally, there are a bunch of options that will work for different needs and budgets. Alternatively, you can buy the program in a one-time purchase or if you need to open Powerpoint, Words and also Excel for a short time, you can only buy a monthly subscription.
Aside from spreadsheet tools and word processors, we think preparing time-management apps at the ready will assist you to organize your studying from the get-go. In fact, there are numerous apps and browser extensions for free which will help you to build out a study calendar and optimize your time online.
The good news, Penn Foster’s Student Portal really comes with some built-in goal-settings tool. Sure, you can select a goal date that you want to complete when you’re starting with your program and your exam due dates will update, so you can stay on track.
Is It Necessary to Keep Your Coursework?
Of course, you’re highly recommended to save and keep your online coursework because digital issues can occur at any time. It means that you should back-up your files if something goes wrong with your laptop or computer as your device is exactly your school. if you lose all the coursework, it can be extra frustrating, right?
You can back up to keep your coursework by using a flash drive. In other words, it can be a lifesaver which can keep your file saved independently from your laptop. Once finishing your coursework, you can save it to your drive which is easily transferred to a new laptop or used at a library if needed.
Then, if you are learning from a tablet, you can easily save your coursework on Google Drive. As you know, Google Drive is free that you can use anytime. We think it can be a reliable and helpful storage that you can access from anywhere. Aside from that, it will be easy to open as long as you can access your Google Account.
Moreover, if you want something a little more secure and safe which can offer more storage space, there are also subscriptions for cloud services that you can download on App Store, Google Plays and from site apps.
