Now with the start of the school season and all the high-tech devices out there, it is easier than ever before to stay in touch with a child, even from a distance.

If you cannot be there in person – either because of business demands or for other reasons – there are numerous devices that help to bridge the gap.

The internet, for instance, provides options for free or inexpensive conferencing, including video conferencing. Skype (News - Alert) seems to be the most talked-about service, with some judges involved with parent visitation cases getting into the act by ordering Skype access. Video conferencing allows the parent and child to see each other and make face-to-face contact.

“I have one client who lives in the U.K. and her son lives in Texas. They use Skype to keep in touch weekly,” says Michelle May O’Neil, a Dallas-based divorce lawyer.

Another product, Bradon Technologies’ SAVii™Desk, offers even more video conferencing options for a parent, or even a group of relatives, or other adults, to stay in touch with their young student – no matter where the child or young adult is attending school or university, and how busy a parent may be with business demands.

Even though SAViiDesk is principally designed for businesses, a side benefit for parents with access to SAViiDesk, is that participants have the option to join a conferencing event conveniently via VoIP, telephone or mobile phone. Every SAViiDesk event invitation also includes a toll free number for participants – making it easier for a child on a tight school-year budget.

In addition, if there is a memorable conversation, the archives can be replayed in their entirety online or the audio portion can be accessed via telephone.

Here are some other devices for parents and students to remain in touch:

The Telephone. Agree or disagree, most kids these days have cell phones. This can be a benefit in staying in touch over a distance because it gives the parent and child the flexibility to make contact directly.

Text messaging. A parent can get in on this act by communicating with the child via text message and sharing short ideas back and forth even over great distances.

 E-mail. E-mail remains the number one method of communicating over the internet. In parenting, it allows the child and parent to exchange private conversations. One benefit of using e-mail is that the e-mail can be created and sent when the parent is available and read by the child when the child is available, allowing for flexibility in scheduling.

Instant messaging. Many instant messaging programs exists that allow people to exchange messages in real time over the internet without picking up the phone.

Facebook (News - Alert). Teenagers and others use Facebook to keep in touch with friends, but parents can also stay up on the activities of the child by reading the posts and responding.

Twitter. Like a combination of texting and Facebook, Twitter is a forum that allows users to post very short status updates about their thoughts and activities. A parent can subscribe to the child’s posts and read or comment on what is going through the child’s mind at the moment.

You Tube. Parents can use this in keeping involved in the child’s life by, for example, posting a video to share with the child of some event going on while the child is away.

Flickr. Much like You Tube, a parent or child can use Flickr to post photos of events and share them.

Whiteboard. Whiteboarding is similar to instant messaging in that the communication occurs in real time. But, whiteboarding stands apart in the ability to draw, use shapes, collaborate over images, and use voice chat while doing it. A parent can use whiteboarding to help a child with homework.

Time and effort, says O’Neil, are the important factors in maintaining a relationship over a long-distance between a parent and child.

The internet provides many tools that can help a parent and child creatively stay in touch.