Welcome, Queens and Kings. Today we will be diving into technological aides to better improve our online learning, general productivity and focus. Any human using technology can make use of these apps to better improve their lives. There will be at least one application that will be mentioned below that you might not have heard of.
Truthfully speaking I am an oldie, I generally prefer pen & paper to take notes and anything else, physical textbooks and of course in-person tutoring and the community from fellow classmates. Not only is this move to an online university a little daunting, but it is also one that requires a shift in my preferences and my very centre. Luckily for me and those that might have the same feeling; thanks to the generation we live in we have the chance to navigate it better with tools that were made to make life easier. Individuals have been schooling online for a while and technology being technology has found ways to make online schooling easier through applications and software. It might take some getting use to, trial and error but I might sure you will be able to find the right apps that would work best for you.
-The first one is more of a collection; some of you might already be using one or more of the collection of Google Apps.
I love Google and especially love how easy it is to navigate between different forms of documents, plan tasks, note to-do list and set reminders. Google Docs, Google Slides & Google Sheets can be used for notes, essays, projects and you can share them with others who get to also work on the same document. Google Drive stores everything you need and you can easily share it or email it to anyone. Google calendar is great for scheduling and setting reminders. Google Keeps is great for any important detail you need to keep track of, any note you need can be set into different boards and kept safe for future use. It can also be used to create a to-do list but Google being a darling made a more specific app for that; Google Tasks. There is Google Hangout which can be used to communicate with other people who have Google accounts(great for group work). Recently Google came out with Google Meets, which I haven't used yet but it is great for video calls and meetings. Yeah, Google is great, take some time to navigate through most of the features and see the best for you.
-Momentum - a Chrome Extension
The first time I came across this was by seeing it on a friends' laptop, what caught my eyes was the 'Good Morning HER NAME' I thought it was really cool and so when I got my laptop, I kept asked her to tell me how she got it but she could not recall. Being the FBI agent I sometimes am I got searching on google and I found out that it is a google chrome extension that you download and set it as a default home screen. Every day you get a beautiful new background picture, a personalised greeting and an inspirational quote. You can create to-do lists(lower right corner), add links to your favourite web pages and click for google search (top left corner).
-Trello, Asana, Notion or Things 3
These four apps are best for used for making to-do lists, delegating tasks in group works (hence everyone can visibly see each other's progress, who is or is not doing their part), creating & planning for projects. You can create sections for different parts of your like: school, social, blog or gym. The lists can be presented in boards, list format or with checklists.
-Microsoft One Note, Notion, Google Docs,
These are really good note-taking applications or extensions that you can use to take notes whilst reading a textbook, listening to lectures and reviewing. You can easily add images and save the trees. Personally, I am not so sure about taking notes using these apps but I will try it out and see if it suites me. Microsoft One Note allows you to organize your notes however you want, add images(well all of the apps do) and it offers a professional look. You can voice type in googling docs; find this in the tools section of google docs, click on the feature and it will type whatever audio in the surrounding. With Notion, you have the opportunity to have visible sub-section and toggles where you can add a lot of information.
PROTIP: whichever app you use or even if you use handwriting ensure that you are not just copying and pasting the information. However make use of active learning, understanding first then not down the main points of what you understand.
HERE ARE SOME VIDEOS THAT CAN HELP WITH ONLINE NOTE TAKING:
-Anki/Quizlet/Study Blue
These apps or websites allow you to make flashcards to use for studying later or to make use of cards made by other users on a topic you want to study on. Your classmates and you could have a shared deck of cards. These are online spaces that can be used for information retention and memorisation. To be better at making cards watch this VIDEO.
-My Homework Student Planner
This is a great app to keep track of assignments, any instructions about the assignments, set reminders and add the due dates. This would for sure help to keep on track with your assignments if you use this app.
- Taskade, Asana
You might be assigned a presentation or project to complete or you might just want to create a study plan for each week and track your progress. Whatever it might be Taskade and Asana both have great features to meet these needs. In Taskade you can be able to create mind-maps for notes (great for visual learners) or planning or brainstorming. It has a progress bar, features that allow you to add tasks, organize them, decide on different layouts and even interact with friends on there also. Asana is more curated you can decide on the layouts of your tasks and drag and drop them in columns with titles of: 'To Do', 'In Progress' and 'Done'.
- Goconqr, X Mind, Simple mind
GoConqr is a dashboard system that connects you with other learners and resources in your niche. You get access to and can create quizzes, cards, mind maps, slides, notes and you have suggested items that are most relevant to your learning. You can also use it to prepare for exams and manage resources for different courses in one place. X mind is specific for mind map and brainstorm creation online.
- Grammarly, Correct me OR not
These can be added to your browser extension and to correct any information you type. Be careful when using these for essays because some universities restrict these features, they claim that it can be too restriction Find out if your institution permits this to be used or not.
- Chegg Study, Symbolab
This can be used as help resources when you get stuck on assignment questions. Use Chegg Study for worded questions for subjected that don't include numerical values. Symbolab is perfect for subjects with mathematical associations.
- One Tab
This great for when you are working on assignments and you have a million and one tabs open that you need to get back to at a later date. One tab can keep all your tabs related to a specific subject in one tab (get it?). After adding it to your Chrome extension, you can click on it and either drag or copy & paste links unto it. It can be arranged for varying tasks.
- Keeper, 1Password
This simply saves and keeps tracks of all of your passwords from different online spaces.
- Boomerang
This is an email enhancer, you can sync your email to it, type emails any time (2 am in the morning) & schedule them for later dates (9 am the next day). You can also pause your inbox from notifying you of new emails during certain periods of time.
-Good Sync
Stores all your files in a cloud-like system and they can be accessed offline.
-Dropbox
This stores and sends large files easily.
When working, at times we come across some pages showing information we might need but at the moment if we indulge they would be distractions. Pocket allows you to saves these enticing pages for you to look at, at a later period.
- Forest(browser extension is free), Flora, Befocused
These apps and extensions can be used to help you with focus. Some include the Pomodoro technique which included you working judiciously on one task for 25 minutes or more and taking a 5-minute break ( two or four sets of these can be used). This makes you focus better and get started on tasks you least like. Forest makes you set work time and a tree grows during this period, if you go off working the application can track this and your tree will die! No one wants that so you'll end up tricking your mind to complete the time you planned out. Some apps can allow you to restrict some web pages like youtube and permit others like research sites.
-Focus@will
This application combines neuroscience and music to provide users with a focus boost.
- Flipd
Flipd is like social media for study or any work. This is also a for studying. It offers a timer for study and you can actually join live sessions with other users studying at the same time you are.
- Goodwall
Now, this is an actual social media app for students. You create your profile page with your achievements and stuff and connect with other students but much more than that you can get opportunities for scholarships or internship opportunities. You can get the motivation to study and connect with others in your program.
- TurboScan, Office Viewer
This is an easy option for scanning physical documents and assignments that need to be submitted directly from your phone. The app will allow you to take a picture of the document, which then be transferred into PDF form. You can even scan sections of your physical textbooks and add them as images to your online notes.
- Duolingo
This is for students who might be learning other languages, this app is a great practice for whatever language you will be learning.
- Peaks, Trivia Crack
These brain sharpening games you could play when you are taking a break or just for fun. It will aide your brain to function at its best.
- Habitica
This is an app for transforming tasks into habits. If there are activities you want to make a habit in your life like a morning routine, this app can keep track and it has s progress bar system with a mini avatar. If you miss a day the avatar then dies. This prompts you to keep up with the tasks until it eventually becomes a part of you.
- Venmo, Mint, Splitwise, Moneyloser
These are all finance-related apps. They offer budgeting systems, saving plans and bill splitting options.
If you need help navigating any of these apps, type in"How to use. NAME OF APP" on youtube and a video guide is sure to appear.
I hope you can integrate at least one of these apps into your school life. Reply below if you want to see the list of apps I will be making use of when online university starts. I would be more than happy to share, only if you want though(Lol).
Thanks for stopping by.
Never Stop Curating your best life
Y.E.N
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