17 Tips for Online School and My Personal Experiences

School was already hard enough, now many students have made the transition to online. Everyone has their different reasons for going in-person or online. For me, I am doing a program called “Volusia Live”, which is similar to in-person school, because we watch the teachers we would have in real life, live. We cannot see or hear the students in traditional school, but we do have the option to switch back at any time as it stands (although the county is now trying take that away from us).

The first day was a complete disaster. We originally signed up to go in-person, but we had told our guidance counselor that we changed our minds. He was supposed to put us into Live, but he did not! So, we were at home trying to get into our classes, but we could not get into most of them. There was only one teacher I was able to attend, and he told me I was supposed to be in-person. Let us just say, I was not happy that my guidance counselor made this HUGE mistake. I understand that everyone makes mistakes, but I was devastated. Usually, when something bad happens, I put the blame on myself, even if it is not my fault. So, I had keep reminding myself that it was not my error. He quickly fixed it, when we notified him again, but at the time I was still furious.

We are in our second quarter of school now. Everything has been going well. It took a while for us to get back into the groove of things, but we finally have. I really did want to go in-person this year because it is my last year of high school; however, I am growing to like live. The teachers do seem meaner this year, though. I feel like I will not form the connections I usually do with my teachers because of being on live. One of my teacher’s I probably won’t ever meet in person, because we’re planning on going back after the semester. However, we do save the hours wasted in carline and traffic, which used to take up so much of our time. We may go back sooner or later, depending on how everything looks, but I have learned how to be a better online student. So, I am going to share some of my tips and tricks:

1. Put away any distractions

Now, I know this hard for many. I struggle with this one a lot. Every time I go on my phone, I usually end up getting sidetracked and make my way on to Instagram. So, I started setting a timer on Instagram. It helped a lot, because I did not realize how much of my day I was wasting. I spent over 20 minutes a day and I have cut back a ton since then. Although it will still let me on after the timer, so sometimes I accidentally go over my limit, it has made me more aware of how I am using my time. However, if you don’t have the control, you need to put it away. I’ll put my phone somewhere hard to reach, but in the same room, so if it rings or anything I can look at it. It is also okay to use your phone for academics, like taking pictures of the screen, but if you catch yourself scrolling onto other things, try to reel yourself back in. If you find that none of these methods work, you can always look into getting a phone locker (preferably with a timer) or giving your phone to a family member.

2. Take breaks

I cannot reiterate this enough, TAKE BREAKS! It is probably one of the most common things you will see, but it is so important. I have two classes back-to-back and there is very little time to get up and take a break. However, I notice the days that I do get up, even for a second, I feel so much better. Your mind needs to take a break. If you were in-person, you would have transitions to get up and walk. It is also bad to stare at a computer screen for 6-7 hours straight. If you do not feel like you will stop yourself when working, then set a timer. I always try to get a task done in one sitting, but sometimes you have to get up and regather your thoughts and energy.

3. Dedicate a workspace (and not your bed!)

Now, this is another common suggestion. Dedicate a special workplace. I have a desk in my bedroom. Although it is ideal to have a place outside of your bedroom, I feel much more comfortable in my room because it is less noisy and cooler. But you should not sit in your bed. Why? Because your subconscious will start associate work with bed, which may make it harder to sleep.

4. Create a Schedule & Budget Your Time

It is important to stick to a schedule. For me, I say the latest I will work is 8pm. This is drastic for many people, but I have a ton of work at the beginning of the year, and it starts to slow down in the end. Budgeting your time can be a goal finish time or how long you think an assignment should take you. Creating a schedule can be easy if your school has a set schedule; however, if they don’t then make one. Say that you will work from 8am – 3pm, or whatever works best for you. You will feel better tackling all the assignments on time, instead of waiting until the last minute.

5. Plan out what assignments you have to do

This goes hand and hand with creating a schedule and budgeting your time. You should create a list of what assignments you have to do. Above is a picture of a To-Do list on my phone and on paper. It feels better if you do it on paper because there is something about crossing off your tasks. However, in the world of technology, I get that having it on your phone may be easier.

6. Study Buddy / Accountability Partner (Your teaching reminding you what to do does not count!)

Now this tip is very good if you have a friend or sibling also doing online. You can each hold one another accountable. You can ask if they did their work and they can check in on you. I have my little sister and parents, who help hold me accountable. Whenever I am getting distracted, I quickly get back to work because of them.

7. Be Organized Online

It is hard enough to be organized in real life and now online?! Yes, it is not as hard as it sounds. Once you set up the initial folder, it is just a matter of a few clicks. I have a folder for each of classes, even if I put little into those folders. It is way easier than digging through hundreds of files or waiting for the search (which takes forever) to find it. Also, it is best to name your assignment the second you download it. I will sometimes work in the original file, then I forget to save it under the proper name, and it takes longer to fix it.

8. Don’t be afraid to reach out to your teachers

Your teachers are there to help you. It is their job to answer questions. They will not be mad at you for asking a question, in fact others might have the same question. Just the other day, I told my teacher I could not hear a word she was saying, and she understood that it wasn’t my fault. Learning is about asking questions and growing from mistakes. Don’t be afraid of your teachers.

9. Listen

Now this one is easier said than done. You need to listen to your teachers. Number 9 does not apply if you don’t at least try to pay attention the first time. I know sometimes it is easy to get lost in what teacher’s say, but you have to try and focus, especially in this new way of learning.

10. Speak Up

If you are doing a program where you can talk to your teachers every day, speak up! If they ask a question and you know the answer, speak up! If they greet the class or say bye, say something back. This year, it is harder to form relationships with teachers, but you can still try.

11. Stay involved

Just because you are not going in person, does not mean you cannot be involved. Reach out the club sponsor’s and ask how you can be a part of it. I’m sure that they will let you join. Most clubs offer virtual meetings, because live students still deserve to get a chance to be involved.

12. Take time away without feeling guilty

It is so easy to feel overworked, but still keep pushing yourself because you feel that it is demaded of you. But you have to take some time away from schoolwork, or you could experience burnout. I know that I have experienced burnout quite a bit. I tell myself that it is normal, but it is not. You have to take care of yourself. There are times I know that I am just going to do worse, because I don’t feel like doing the assignment.

13. Try to actively learn

I know that at least once all of us have read without comprehending a single word. I do this too much. So, I recommend trying to actively learn. Fake that you are interested in the topic, so you will get it done faster and comprehend it better. I also recommend reading the text aloud, there is no one around to hear you, so why not? By actively learning, not only will you finish faster, but you will also comprehend the content easier, which will lead to better grades (more than likely).

14. Don’t wait until the last minute (or the end of the quarter/semester)

You probably hear this constantly from teachers, but you should not wait until the last minute to turn in work. It makes the teachers less forgiving. They also might look at your work and tell you where you went wrong, if you turn it in early. There are also some teacher’s who will simply not accept it or take points off, which hurts your grade substantially.

15. Use study music

If you are anything like me, then you hate silence. So, I recommend using study music. I listen to café music because I find too many study music videos make me tired. The link is displayed above for the video I usually watch. I was listening to a podcast by Wattpad and they recommended café music for studying, so I tried it, and it is great.

16. Enjoy your life

Sometimes it feels like there is no end in sight. I know that for me, I have worked harder than any other year prior, but it is important to remind yourself that there is more to life than school. Although you may not be going out, you can still enjoy your life. Do things that you have always wanted to but have not got the time. For me, I have started to read again. At the beginning of school, I felt my schedule was overwhelming, but I budget my time wisely, and end up getting to enjoy my life outside of school.

17. Keep in mind this is actually a good thing

Although it is difficult at times, learning online can bring new opportunities. We don’t know how the future looks, so this may become a more prominent form of education. Furthermore, even in a more normal future, you may even have to take a few online courses. For me, it is a graduation requirement to take at least one online class. Look at the positives, rather than dwelling on the negatives.