Tick off our back to school tech checklist

There’s so much for parents to think about at the beginning of the school year. Buying school shoes, the uniform, the stationery lists. Then there’s the technology and apps they’ll need to stay ahead.

Here’s a quick guide to help your child to be tech savvy and school ready.

Every child is different and it’s up to every family to decide when their child is ready for the responsibility of owning or accessing their first phone.  

See tips on the right age for your child to have their first phone.

Having said that, there’s no shortage of phone options to choose from ranging from basic prepaid phones to smartphones. Here’s something to consider:

Optus X Lite 4G
If you’re after a phone without the frills, perhaps a first phone for your child, the Optus X lite 4G hits all the right notes. It's a great value 4G Feature phone that - won’t hit you in the hip pocket.

It features 4G connectivity, giving them everything they need to call and text. Plus, some nice extras like a generous 2.4" colour screen, camera, calculator, organiser, converter, and radio.

See our full range of prepaid phones

iPhone 11
Got a teenager at home who’s going back to high school soon? Are you getting nagged to buy a smartphone? You may want to consider the iPhone 11. As Apple puts it has “just the right amount of everything” including a 6.1-inch all-screen Liquid Retina LCD and is water resistant up to 2 metres for 30 minutes.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S7
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S7  features a crisp and sharp 11-inch display and delivers the powerful performance required for productivity, streaming and gaming. Featuring a 120Hz refresh rate and next generation performance. Plus, your child can take notes and sync them across their Galaxy devices with the Samsung Notes app. 

For a limited time, you can save $500 off the RRP when you purchase the Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 on a Data Plan and stay connected for 12, 24 or 36 months. Offer ends 31/01/22.  T&Cs apply.

Samsung Galaxy Tab A7
The Samsung Galaxy Tab A7 is a great alternative to heavy laptops as it’s light and portable. Plus, it can sync with a Galaxy smartphone so they won’t miss calls or messages. It’s compatible with a stylus so they can write notes in it like traditional paper notebooks in the analogue world. It also comes with Samsung Kids to help them start their digital journey in a safe way, with the ability to set restrictions on playtimes, apps and contracts and give you usage reports so you can see their activity.

iPad (9th gen)
The iPad (9th gen) Featuring up to 256GB of storage and the A13 bionic chip. The ultra-wide camera with Centre Stage and the 12MP Ultra Wide front camera. The iPad (9^th gen) is powerful and easy to use, at a great price.

See our full range of tablets and ipads.

Apple Watch Series 7
Why give a student an Apple Watch Series 7? Here’s a couple of reasons. One, a lot of students get distracted by their phone, mainly social media on their phone in class. If your child isn’t quite ready for their own phone, but you still want to keep in touch with them, a smart watch could be the right answer.  With a smart watch the only notifications they see are important ones, so they have fewer distractions. Plus, they’re harder to lose as they’re strapped to their wrist and not being left on the bus. The Apple Watch Series 7 has a larger display, is more durable and is fast charging.

Check out our full range of smartwatches for your student.

It’s important to remember that school isn’t the only source of your child’s learning. Parents have a very import role to play in their child’s education. You can help boost their literacy with everyday activities like reading recipes or road signs and playing ‘I Spy with My Little Eye’ on car trips. Look for learning moments – they’re everywhere. Let’s keep that flame of curiosity alive and burning bright. And of course, there’s lots of ways to feed those enquiring minds in this digital age. In fact, we’re spoilt for choice.

Here are a few options to consider for your child’s ongoing education.

Kindle Unlimited
Literacy skills are built from an early age, right through school and into adulthood.

To help feed curious minds, there’s Kindle Unlimited, a service that allows your child to read as much as they want from thousands of titles and audiobooks, on any device.

With a huge range of children’s books for various age groups such as 4-8 or 9-12, including all sorts of fiction, reference, sports, computers, graphic novels, humour and science.

Your child might even be able to read their set English novel without the need to lug the book to and from school.

Extending their learning

You can help enrich your child’s understanding of what’s taught in schools with selected programmes on streaming services like BritBox. Just ensure your child has their own profile so you can help ensure they view age-appropriate content.

School English curriculums may include a range of texts drawn from prose fiction, drama, nonfiction, film and online. The broader your child’s understanding of the world the better they’ll be able to analyse and compare different works to give depth to the essays they write. They’ll also understand how the narrative of films is developed so they can write a meaningful critique.

Imagine the possibilities of broadening their appreciation of literature through film adaptations of classic works such as Jane Austen’s Emma, Persuasion, Pride and Prejudice or Sense and Sensibility.

These period dramas can also help with their understanding of history for example, Charles Dickens’ Little Dorrit gives kids an appreciation of the effects of the Industrial Revolution. You could combine that with a documentary like Locomotion: Dan Snow's History of Railways, to better understand why the steam engine became the symbol of this era.

Then, there’s wonderful documentaries to help with their understanding of the natural world and science like David Attenborough’s Tasmania or Brian Cox: Life of a Universe.

Building general knowledge

When kids keep up with current events it helps to develop both their literacy and general knowledge which helps across all their subjects. News services like inkl news can give your child a well-rounded view of world events from multiple trusted, vetted and recognised sources. Plus, in these uncertain times, inkl news gives your kids a reliable source of positive news stories via the “Good News” section that curates a collection of uplifting stories.

Appropriate apps

Kids have inquisitive minds. The key is how to keep that curiosity alive and engaged. Now in the digital age there are so many windows to learning. The opportunities are endless and can help your child develop skills that you didn’t even suspect they had.

Let’s have a look at some of the apps your child could have on their phone to support their learning:

• Coding - look at Lightbot: Code Hour
• Languages - try Duolingo
• Reading – see Epic or LiteracyPlanet
• Maths – try Prodigy Math Game
• Art - see Procreate

Schooling life can be stressful especially for senior students. You can help your child to take a break from being connected with Optus Pause that allows you to pause both your mobile and home connectivity across your devices, all from My Optus app. How about a digital pause at dinnertime?  You can also check out our Digital Thumbprint vlog for signs of too much time online and what to do to support your child.

These are just a few suggestions to help the students in your life readjust to scholarly life. Get school ready with Optus and check out our awesome school devices and family plans.