The switch to small classes is a significant change. With no formal structure to your day, millions of you will rely on apps and devices to study, teach, and collaborate.
While technology has luckily supported us during the lockdown, it’s a good idea to protect your online privacy and security using a VPN because student scams are skyrocketing during the pandemic. (So that you know, educators can get NordVPN for free).
Security pep talks aside, we thought we’d share some of the best studying tips for students, especially those currently in lockdown.
Enter Study Mode
Now that your home is also your workplace start modifying your device to prep your mind and environment for a stress-free, focused session.
Blackout background browser tabs and notifications, mute your Gmail with Inbox Pause and create separate folders on your desktop or mailbox for your work materials, so you’re not distracted by other messages.
Use a VPN when you go online.
Are you using your dorm room’s Wi-Fi? Are you studying in coffee shops? If you are, you’re in massive danger. Free Wi-Fi is not encrypted.
The only way to secure yourself online is by connecting with a VPN. Without a VPN, your payment details could be exposed to hackers, while ISPs could track you and sell your data.
The NordVPN app makes you untraceable online and can also help you bypass tough geo-blocks, giving you unrestricted access to tonnes of fresh content, like foreign research articles, websites, movies, games, and more. You can get NordVPN here.
Supplement your studies with online courses.
Websites like Coursera and Udemy offer hundreds of free courses from 200+ leading universities like Stanford and companies like Google.
Build your skills with courses, certificates, and job-ready skills ranging from machine learning to improvised jazz and solar energy basics. Your future is at your fingertips.
Use time management apps.
You’ll burn out fast when your work and home lives become entangled. Time management apps like Engross, Toggl, and Todoist keep you productive and healthy.
Based on the Pomodoro self-timing technique, you do a task for 25 minutes, then take a 5-minute break, and repeat until the thing you need to do is done. The belief is that you’re more productive in short bursts, especially when you have regular breaks to look forward to.
Use flashcard apps for revision.
Don’t go around shuffling tangled decks of flashcards, squinting at scrawls of handwriting. There’s an app for that, and they’re pretty good too.
Anki and Cram make flashcards with text, sound, and images and use unique algorithms to sort out what you need to work more on. Use them on mobile, too, to brush up on your knowledge.
Use tablets
iPads and tablets are great for note-taking, recording lectures, and using revision apps simultaneously. They’re light enough to carry around all day, can store digital versions of heavy textbooks, and have keyboard and stylus support.
They’reWith A12 Bionic chips, most tablets nowadays are stiff competition for even the most powerful laptops. They’re also great for your daily video calls. It’s also worth noting that Apple offers a student discount via its Education Stores.
Until the lockdowns are over and we get a better grip on our current global crisis, technology will continue to bridge student and teacher and the window to the broader world.
Apps and devices can improve and enhance your life by freeing up plenty of time to focus on essential things. So, let technology take some of the load — after all, that’s what it was created for.
