Look, we all thought remote learning was going to be a 2020-2021 thing and then we'd move on with our lives. But here we are in 2026, and virtual connections between kids and teachers are just... part of the landscape now. Snow days have become "async learning days." Sick kids join class from the couch. And that's before we get into the daily digital homework portals, communication apps, and the seventeen different platforms teachers use to share announcements.
Remote learning tools aren't going anywhere. The question isn't whether your kid will use them—it's whether you understand what they're using and how to help them navigate it without losing your mind (or your WiFi password).
Here's the thing nobody warned us about: there is no standard stack. Your district might use Google Classroom while your neighbor's uses Canvas. Your kid's math teacher loves Zoom, but the English teacher is all about Microsoft Teams. Oh, and don't forget ClassDojo for behavior updates, Seesaw for kindergarten portfolios, Remind for text alerts, and whatever proprietary nightmare your school district built in 2015 that still requires Internet Explorer.
The most common platforms you'll encounter:
Google Classroom - The heavyweight champion. Assignments, announcements, grades, all in one place. If your kid says "I didn't know about the homework," they're lying—it's in Classroom.
Zoom / Microsoft Teams / Google Meet - Video conferencing tools that became makeshift classrooms. Teams is actually pretty solid for education with its assignment integration, but Zoom won the popularity contest during the pandemic.
Canvas / Schoology / Blackboard - Learning Management Systems (LMS) that handle everything from assignments to discussions to grades. Canvas is the most user-friendly; Blackboard is the one that makes you want to throw your laptop.
ClassDojo - Elementary school favorite for behavior tracking and parent communication. Your kid gets points for participation, loses them for talking. It's gamified classroom management, and kids are weirdly into it.
Seesaw - Digital portfolio app for younger kids (K-5). They upload photos of their work, record themselves reading, etc. It's actually pretty sweet for seeing what they're learning.
The pandemic forced everyone into emergency remote teaching mode, and frankly, a lot of it was terrible. But we learned some things. Done well, digital connections between teachers and students can:
- Provide flexibility for sick kids who can still participate without spreading germs
- Create documentation of learning that helps with IEPs and parent-teacher conversations
- Offer multiple ways to demonstrate understanding (video, audio, written, visual)
- Enable personalized pacing for kids who need more time or more challenge
- Keep communication channels open between home and school
Done poorly, it becomes one more thing to check, one more password to reset, and one more way for kids to fall through the cracks.
Elementary (K-5): These kids need heavy scaffolding. They're not logging into platforms independently—you're the IT department. Expect to sit with them for remote learning sessions, help navigate assignments, and troubleshoot tech issues. The good news: most elementary platforms are designed with this in mind. ClassDojo and Seesaw are actually parent-friendly.
Middle School (6-8): This is the transition zone. Kids should be able to manage their own logins and check assignments, but many won't without systems in place. This is when executive function skills (or lack thereof) become glaringly obvious. Expect to do weekly check-ins of their digital planners until they prove they can handle it.
High School (9-12): They should be independent, but that doesn't mean they are. Freshman year especially, kids struggle with the increased workload and multiple platforms. By junior year, most have it figured out. If your 17-year-old still needs you to check their grades daily, we might need to talk about executive function support
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The "I didn't see the assignment" excuse is usually bogus. Teachers are posting everything digitally now. If your kid says they didn't know, the first stop is the platform, not an email to the teacher. (Though yes, sometimes teachers genuinely forget to post things—they're human.)
Async learning is not a snow day. When school goes remote for weather, it's now "asynchronous learning day" where kids are expected to complete work independently. This is not a day off. This is not a fun surprise. This is you becoming a substitute teacher while also trying to work from home.
Screen time calculations just got complicated. If your kid has 4 hours of remote learning plus homework on a device, you're already at 5+ hours before any recreational screen time. The old "2 hours max" rule doesn't really apply anymore, and that's okay—but it means being more intentional about quality of screen time rather than just quantity.
Privacy matters, even in educational apps. Schools are supposed to vet these platforms for FERPA compliance (the education privacy law), but not all do their homework. If an app is asking for more than an email address and school ID, ask questions. ClassDojo's data practices have been criticized; Google Classroom collects more data than many parents realize.
Technical literacy is now part of literacy. Learning to format a Google Doc, attach a file, join a video call, and navigate an LMS are legitimate skills your kid needs. Yes, they're "digital natives," but that doesn't mean they know how to use productivity tools. They know TikTok; they don't know how to share a document with edit permissions.
Get all the logins in one place. Use a password manager or a shared document. Include platform names, URLs, usernames, and passwords. Update it when things change. This is not helicopter parenting; this is basic household management.
Set up a dedicated learning space. Even if it's just a corner of the kitchen table, having a consistent spot with decent lighting and minimal distractions helps. Bonus: it's easier to monitor what's happening on screen when they're not in their bedroom.
Learn the platforms yourself. Spend 20 minutes clicking around Google Classroom or whatever your school uses. Find where assignments are posted, where grades live, how to message teachers. You can't support your kid if you don't understand the tools.
Establish a routine for checking in. For younger kids, this might be daily. For older kids, weekly. "Show me your assignment list" becomes as normal as "how was school?"
Communicate with teachers, but be reasonable. Teachers are drowning in emails. If your kid missed an assignment, have them email first. If there's a technical issue, try basic troubleshooting before reaching out. Save parent emails for actual problems, not "can you tell me what the homework is because my kid didn't write it down."
Remote learning tools are here to stay, and honestly, that's not entirely bad. When used well, they create transparency and flexibility that didn't exist before. When used poorly, they're just another source of stress and disconnection.
The goal isn't to become an expert in every platform your kid's school uses—that's impossible and exhausting. The goal is to understand the basics well enough to support your kid, catch problems early, and know when to ask for help.
And if your kid's school is still using that one platform that requires Flash player and only works on Internet Explorer? You have my deepest sympathy. Maybe it's time for a PTA meeting about the technology budget.