TeachGeek Rolls Out Tech Tips for Kids Just in Time for Back to School

DELRAY BEACH, Fla. - Aug. 16, 2016 - PRLog -- South Florida students are heading back to school this month and will be faced with the usual responsibilities and challenges that come with a new school year. Those including: academic struggles, social pressures, extracurricular responsibilities, time constraints, and the most popular – dreaded technology!

That's why Falon Velez, founder and president of TeachGeek in Delray Beach, has put together a list of her favorite "Get Tech Ready for Back to School" tips. TeachGeek is a tech support and teaching company that strives to make technology, IT and computer devices understandable, relatable, and dare we say fun! During the summer of 2016, TeachGeek rolled out its first Tech Camps for kids focused on building websites, 3D printing and much more.

"Going back to school can be stressful for everyone," said Velez. "By making sure your child keeps these five tips in mind as the new year gets started, there will be less stress, all-nighters and panic for student and parent!"

Velez's top five tips for getting your student ready for back to school this year are:

1.    Updates! Be sure to update your operating system and apps, security software and browser applications. Make sure your computer is up to date with the newest systems. You don't want to hit a road block where a missing update leaves you unable to complete assignments in a timely manner. Make sure your browser along with video and audio plugin updates are also completed. It's almost a guarantee, this school year, you will need to play videos and if your Flash or Java is out of date, you'll be wasting hours of time trying to figure it out, just to conclude your system is not up to speed. Get rid of the wasted time and headaches and get those updates in beforehand!

2.    Cleanup! Clutter can be more stressful than anything when you're writing papers, working on presentations or projects, and doing homework assignments. Go through your computer's filing cabinet folders such as downloads, documents, and pictures, and delete those files you no longer need. Organize the files you need and want into newly labeled folders and subfolders (perhaps even dated) so that when you need to find something, it's easy to do so. Also, be sure to remove any unused and/or outdated software and apps. By cleaning up and organizing your computers files and folders, you're also making room for new files which will need that extra space!

3.    Tune up and Optimize! Make sure your computer's hard drive is in good condition by running your S.M.A.R.T. (Self-Monitoring, Analysis and Reporting Technology) program, which will indicate any possible failures or errors with your hard drive. You'll also want to make sure you have ample hard drive space and RAM (the energy that feeds the brain of your computer for more power) so you can run several programs simultaneously and efficiently. It's a good idea to do this before the school year starts and before those "big" assignments start rolling in.

4.    Do Your Tech Homework! Get a head start on familiarizing yourself with your school's platforms, such as Blackboard and Pearson, which are widely used for class assignments, group projects, class updates, and even grading. Don't wait till school starts to figure out your way around these learning systems. Most teachers post syllabi and assignments that may be due by the first day of class. Not to mention there are some free, amazing tools and features to help you get through the upcoming semesters, like free online tutoring and expensive programs at no cost to you!

5.    Backup...Backup...Backup!! This is crucial for everyone, but especially for students. How many times have we heard the story of how someone's computer "died" right in the middle of finishing their 20-page paper or final project? And even worse... You take it in to get fixed and those tragic words come out of the tech's mouth saying, "I'm sorry, but your hard drive has failed and there's nothing we can do to get your stuff back." Don't fall victim to this misfortune! Get an external drive, plug it in, and keep it on auto backup so that every file on your computer is safe. If you want to take it a step further, back up to your cloud services. Being a student gives you many perks and one of them is getting loads of free cloud storage space. Microsoft Office provides most schools and their students with not only a free updated version of its compete Office Suite, but a whooping 1TB of storage on the One Drive cloud account! Get on it today!

About TeachGeek

TeachGeek, a South Florida-based tech support and teaching company, makes technology, IT and computer devices understandable, relatable, and dare we say fun! Founded in 2015, this woman-owned business has helped more than 500 satisfied customers and completed nearly 1,500 jobs in cities stretching from Palm Beach County to Broward and Miami-Dade. While TeachGeek offers a range of services including Training, Setup & Install, IT Help, Optimization & Repair, and In-home tech support, it is TeachGeek's commitment to be kind, empathetic, empowering and clear in its communication to its customers and students that makes it truly unique. Learn more at www.teachgeek.co, www.facebook.com/teachgeek or by calling 561-336-0368.