Students

Three Productivity Secrets for College Students

Studying for that big exam and you just can’t focus? Need a better way to organize your class materials? Looking for ways to increase your academic productivity so you’ll have more time to party? Whatever your reasons, here are some useful productivity tips and tricks to improve your academic life.

Evernote.
Evernote is a handy app for your smartphone or computer that easily organizes your notes. Clip a website as reference for a paper. Take a picture of your handwritten notes. Evernote’s picture-searching technology allows you to search writing in images, so you can easily search and find your notes on Macbeth or the Battle of Trafalgar. Take vocal memos (perfect if you’re an audio learner).
The Pomodoro Technique.
Time to study or work on a paper? Set a timer for 25 minutes. When it dings, take a five minute break. After your fourth 25-minute block, take a 15 minute break. Welcome to the Pomodoro Technique, a productivity tool invented by Francesco Cirillo. The human brain can’t focus effectively for long chunks of time, so taking breaks help break up longer projects. Plus, that five minute break acts like a reward to look forward to while you’re typing away on your paper. Hold off on checking Twitter or Facebook until the timer dings and you’ll notice a major increase in productivity.
Do Flash Cards While You Wait.
Turn your down time into productive study time. Make up flash cards and run through them on your commute or in the doctor office waiting room. This is especially helpful for vocabulary terms on an upcoming exam or foreign language classes.

Three Tips for Online Learning Beginners

Image by D’Arcy Norman via Flickr

Are you starting your very first online learning class? Congratulations– you’re taking full control of your higher education. Be forewarned that online learning classes put you in the pilot seat. You’ll need a higher discipline and self-motivation than you would in a traditional online learning class. Here are some tips for beginner students.

Research Your Professor.
Although there isn’t as much face-to-face interaction with your professor as you would find in a traditional class, your professor can make or break your class. Ask any classmates who they’d recommend for a particular class. Don’t know anyone? Get the insider scoop at review sites like RateMyProfessor.
Know Your Syllabus Like the Back of Your Hand.
The syllabus is your contract with the professor. You won’t have a professor to stand in front of the class and go over it. Know your syllabus. It will often contain day-by-day instructions or assignments as well as classroom policies and rules. Those due dates are much more likely to creep up on you in an online class. Set reminders for one week ahead for minor projects, two or three weeks ahead for major projects. If there’s anything you’re unclear about in the syllabus, email the professor right away.
Never Procrastinate.
Online courses don’t allow for it. If you’re not keeping up with the workload, you’ll drown. Cramfests and last-minute work sessions do not work for online courses. You’re the only one responsible for understanding the material and a large part of your online course will be spent teaching yourself. You can’t learn an entire semester in one night, so make sure you’re keeping up with the syllabus.

Online Learning is Here to Stay

Online learning includes all types of teaching and learning. There are communication and information systems that serve as the media needed in order to implement this type of learning. The term “online learning” basically refers to classroom education that is acquired through the use of technology.

This type of learning where the network-enabled and computer transfer of knowledge and skills is utilized, processes and applications include digital collaboration, opportunities of virtual classroom, computer-based learning and Web-based learning. The content of the materials to be learned is sent through the Internet, satellite TV, video or audio tape, and extranet/intranet. This type of learning can be customized at the students own pace or it can be instructor led with media elements to include audio, animation, text, video streaming, and image.

By the year 2006 in the U.S., there were around 3.5 million students taking some type of online-learning within an institute of higher education. The Slogan Foundation reports state that the rise of participation in online learning was an average of 12 to 14% between the years of 2004 to 2009. By 2008, there were more that 25% of all post-secondary education students taking some type of online courses which increased in 2009 to 44%. The number of students taking online courses is expected to rise as much as 81 percent by the year 2014. There are many for-profit institutes of higher education that now offer online classes and the general consensus is that students are just as satisfied with this form of education as with the traditional classroom style.

Understanding Your Options for Student Loans

After four years of higher education, many graduates are lucky if their student loans are under $20,000, especially if they attended a private university. While you must know how you will afford your monthly payments, you should also consider the options that you have as a debt holder. Understanding what “debt consolidation” means, as well as “forbearance” and “deferment” will enable you to make an educated decision.

Debt Consolidation: Using a debt consolidation service can be a great option for students who have several loans from different lenders, as many students will if they took out a loan for more than one year of school. This can be a good option because it can cut your monthly payments in half, as well as make repayment easier by having all of your loans payable in one monthly payment. This option is much easier than juggling all your loans and remembering when to pay them during the month.

Deferment: A deferment means that your loan payments are suspended for a specified length of time. You may be granted a deferment if you are re-enrolling in school or have an economic hardship. For certain loans, you do not gain interest while the loan is deferred. If your loan is unsubsidized, you will still be responsible for the interest that accumulates during this time, and if this interest is not paid off, it can significantly increase the amount you owe.

Forbearance: Forbearance is similar to a deferment. It can suspend or reduce your loan payments for a length of time. A forbearance is available for those in financial difficulty who are not eligible for a deferment. There are more restrictions on this, however. A forbearance can only be given for a maximum of three years, and there is always interest accumulating, regardless of what kind of loan you have.

Understanding your options for repayment is a key way to becoming a responsible and successful graduate.

Responsible Students? LOL

Online classes have created a new world of responsibility for students many of whom are not prepared to handle it. Online classes are available for just about every age group including elementary students who are home schooled, high school students taking advanced classes and college students. Each one of these age groups often struggles with responsibility in their own way. In order for online classes to be effective students must develop a responsible attitude towards their learning objectives.

Let’s be honest here, until a student learns responsibility they have none. In fact I think it is safe to say that most students rely heavily on the constant presence of teachers or professors to remind them of assignments, deadlines and upcoming exams. Think about your typical college freshman. Many have a difficult time keeping track of their schedule to let alone assignments, due dates and reading materials. Online courses can make this problem more difficult.

This difficulty stems from two different areas. The first is the self-paced nature of most online classes. Students are expected to complete assignments by deadlines but are not guided through the process. Instead a student might be told to finish a paper by a certain date and that in order to do this they must read several books, complete several studies and finish a lab. The student is not told when or how to finish these. The second problem is the way in which students learn. All students learn differently and each must learn to use technology effectively in order to assimilate new concepts, ideas and information.

The point is well the teacher may present the student with all the information and data they need it is the student’s responsibility to develop a plan which will allow them to effectively use these resources in order to learn.

It Might Not Be Perfect

Online learning has become a popular education model over the past 15 years. As technology has evolved, so has the way that our students learn. Online education is now being pushed by almost every learning institution in the country. The benefits seem obvious, but many people do not stop to think of the downside of online learning before signing up. It is important to take some time to understand what the drawbacks of online learning are.

One of the biggest disadvantages of online learning is a lack of interaction. Part of the traditional learning experience is interaction between peers and your instructor. Because online learning also means learning alone, students who opt to take online classes miss out on this interaction.

Other students feel that learning online limits the amount of time they have with their instructor. While most college level online classes have professors with office hours, students are often left feeling like a number instead of a student.

Students who are hoping to further their career goals through further education forget one important thing they get from a traditional classroom – networking contacts. Taking an online class often means missing out on these all important contacts. The peers you meet in a traditional classroom may very well be your lead to a new or better job. It is really hard to have this interaction online.

Finally, students who take online classes are missing out on facilities such as libraries, study areas, research labs, computer labs, student stores and gyms. While many online learning programs are working hard to foster a feeling of community among their students, they do not always hit the mark.

Online classes do have some disadvantages. Understanding these potential faults can help you determine if learning online is a good fit for you. That starts with taking an honest look at the institutions.

Online High Schools

More and more students today are deciding to go a non traditional route with their schooling. Instead of going to school in a traditional high school, many are making the choice to take their high school classes online. In fact, it has become such a popular option that there are now many online high schools that allow students from virtually anywhere to attend.

You may be wondering how these online high schools function. A student will log into a class, sometime at a specific time, others when they have the opportunity. They can listen to, watch, or read a lecture, and get their homework. Many times, the homework will be completed and turned in online. Sometimes this is through a content management system that the school has set up, other times it may be through emailing the assignment to the teacher. Rarely, you may need to actually mail in your assignment.

Many classes still need text books. Some of these are available online now, and you are able to access them through the online high school. Other times, they may be mailed to you, and then at the end of the class, you need to mail the text book back to the school.

There are many reasons that families choose online schooling for their children. Many feel that it is the next step in home schooling. Others just feel that it is the next step in schooling in general. Some students feel that they are easier able to do their work, if they are able to work at their own pace, which is generally a big part of attending an online high school. Other times, it can be a religious preference or family preference not to send a child to a public high school. No matter what the reasoning is, the popularity of online high schools is growing significantly each year.

Starting Kids Early with Online Lessons

Many parents today want to help give their child a leg up when it comes to their schooling and education. There are many ways to do this, and many parents are choosing to head to the Internet to help their children with their education.

There are many classes, courses, and educational options for children today. You can help your child learn to read and spell through online classes and games. In most cases, these “classes” consist of videos and games, at least until the child is older. For younger children, though, these videos and games can be a big help.

Many parents find that if they allow their children to play these educational games and watch these movies, it will help instill in them a fondness for education. Many children love to play games, so in a lot of cases, they do not even realize that they are learning something new. Once they do learn it, though, it is likely to stick with them.

Other times, parents feel that putting their children in front of a computer screen at a young age instills bad habits in the child. They do not think that these games, even if they are educational, will benefit their children any more than putting the child in front of a book. In fact, those that feel this way feel that their child will be much better served by being put in front of a book.

No matter what side of the debate you are on, it is easy to see that using the Internet for education is a growing trend. There are many options for those that choose to move their child ahead through the Internet. Between games, movies, and more, many children are using the computer at a younger age than ever before to start learning.