Right, back to it. Tomorrow a new kind of class reopens. A virtual classroom. Many schools will be teaching students remotely. This means lots of parents are probably looking online for the right software for their kids to join class. Google Classroom is one of the most popular but what do you do if the only laptop in the house is your work laptop? Well, in what is somewhat ironic, you can actually load Google Classroom on Xbox and PlayStation. I say ironic because this means your kids will be learning by staring at their Xbox all day.
I Only Have One Laptop How To I Home School?
I’ve definitely been guilty of wondering why homeschooling hasn’t been an idea tabled a long long time ago during this pandemic. I say guilty because while it’s a great example of what tech can do, it assumes everyone has the technology at home. Of course, some families don’t have laptops or maybe those that do online have the one and that’s needed for work.
One great alternative is to look at what else you have that can access Google Classroom, or indeed Microsoft Teams if that’s the choice of your kid’s school. Games consoles usually have internet browsers and that’s what the bulk of this article is about. You’re not installing an app but instead loading the web-version of these platforms in a browser.
If you don’t have a games console lying around check what phone you have. If you have something like a Huawei P40 Pro, you can connect this to a TV with the right cables. Lots of phones like the P40 Pro or the Samsung Galaxy S range support desktop mode which comes in really handy for things like this!
Using Google Classroom on Xbox
If you’ve got an Xbox in the house, here’s what you need to do to run Google Classroom. This will work for Xbox One, Xbox Series S and Xbox Series X.
<li>Turn the Xbox on</li>
<li>Select My Games and Apps</li>
<li>Scroll to Apps</li>
<li>Open Microsoft Edge Browser</li>
<li>When this opens, type Google Classroom into the search box</li>
<li>Next, select Join Classroom</li>
<li>Log in using the student email address and password</li>To make life easier, if you have them lying around, I’d recommend a wired USB controller and mouse to plug into the Xbox as well. Just like that, you’ve free’d up your work laptop and your kids can attend school on “the big telly”.
Using Google Classroom on PlayStation
If you’ve followed our Alex and gone into the world of PlayStation, you can use Google Classroom on PlayStation too. This will work with PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5.
<li>Turn the PlayStation on</li>
<li>Scroll to the right and select Library</li>
<li>Here, search for Internet</li>
<li>Open Internet Browser</li>
<li>When this loads, press the triangle button to search</li>
<li>Type in Google Classroom</li>
<li>Next, select Join Classroom</li>
<li>Log in using the student email address and password</li>Again, USB keyboard and mouse would be nice here.
If you’re struggling to find Google Classroom, here’s the URL you’re after: https://classroom.google.com/
