School Supply Must-Have: The Distance Learning Computer
When high school graduates across the country head off to their freshman year of college, they need some basic supplies - pencils, graphing calculators, and so on. Some supplies are more important than others. For the distance learning college student, the most important school supply is a computer.
The distance learning computer serves as a backpack, textbook, study group, library, registrar and classroom - all rolled into one piece of equipment. If you want to pursue a distance learning education, you should seriously consider purchasing a computer if you don't have one already. If you can't afford to buy your own computer, use the computers available at your local library.
A good distance learning computer needs to have these basic abilities:
Internet access. As technology has developed, internet service functions much like a utility in that you purchase the service from a provider and pay a monthly fee. Some internet services have a faster connection than others. Check with your distance learning program requirements to make sure your internet connection is fast enough to download your courses.
Email. While some programs will use a web portal for all communication between teacher and student, most require students to have an email address for more personalized correspondence. If you don't have an email account, you should set one up immediately.
Word processing program. Throughout your distance learning education you will need to download documents, write papers, and formulate reports of all kinds. The computer that you use for your coursework should have the latest version of Microsoft Word or an equivalent word processing program.
Portability (optional). If possible, consider using a laptop computer as your distance learning computer. The added portability will broaden your options for completing coursework and will help you take advantage of down-time in a waiting room, on a train, or at a coffee shop.