Getting your learner online

This is a guide to some of the main tasks you may want to do to support your learner during the early stages of your support relationship.

The introductory call

Connecting Scotland will let your organisation know when the devices it’s applied for will arrive.

This will give you an idea of when your organisation will be able to get the device to your learner, and which device they’re going to get.

It also means you can have an introductory call with your learner before they get their device.

You can use this call to:

introduce yourself and start to build rapport
explore interests and the ‘hook’. Use this to open up a conversation around how they might want to use the internet
check their confidence levels. You may want to go through the Foundation Digital Skills checklist
check if they have any fears about going online. You do not need to specifically address these fears right now, but acknowledge them and make a note. You can come back to these when you get into support
check if they have any accessibility needs, such as audio, visual or dexterity
explain which device they’re getting – Chromebook or iPad. The Chromebook is similar to a laptop and has a keyboard. The iPad is a tablet with a touchscreen
let your learner know that their device is theirs to keep, and that they’ll get a disclaimer with the terms and conditions of receiving the device. They’ll be asked to read this and accept the terms and conditions as part of accepting the device
explain that they will also receive a Mobile Wi-Fi hotspot. This is a device that they plug in. It gives them a signal to connect to the internet. It’s just like a home broadband router, but it uses a sim card instead of a phoneline or cable. There’s a separate guide to help you set this up
book in your next call for when they receive their device

Your first call once your learner has their device

What happens on your first call with your learner when they have their device will depend on their starting point.

Everyone’s starting point will be different, and you should have worked this out from your introduction call.

Along with this guide, you’ll also get Chromebook and iPad device set-up guides for, and for the mobile Wi-Fi device. You can use these to talk your learner through device set-up.

You should start with setting up the mobile wi-fi device as they’ll need an internet connection to get started.

Explaining data

Connecting Scotland provides 24 months of unlimited data, so learners shouldn't need to worry about monitoring their data usage.

However, if you are supporting someone that has alternative data arrangements, for example, a smart phone with a data allowance, you can talk to them about data usage.

Different things use different amounts of data. This link to Faster Broadband provides a really helpful tool to calculate data usage, as well as explaining how much data some services use e.g. Netflix.

You may want to book a slightly longer time for this call. The device set-up is pretty straightforward for both devices, but may still take some time if your learner has never used them before.

Ideally, during this call, you will start to show them some of the basic navigation features which are covered in the Foundation Digital Skills.

Arrange a time for your next call and check what your learner wants to do next.

Setting up your learner’s device

You have been given 2 guides setting up the Chromebook and iPad.

There’s also a manufacturer guide from HP for the Chromebook. This guide includes some visual descriptions of the device and where the power button is.

Here’s some more information about how to navigate each device:

It’s helpful to remind learners that their devices need to be charged regularly.

It’s also helpful to show them the battery display on their device so that they know how to check how much power is left.