If you’re an online learner who uses a tablet for classes, make sure to tune into this podcast. It’s a great list of intuitive ways of getting the most out of your tablet. Our expert, Matt See, chats about many useful applications relevant for researching, note-taking, and why it’s a good idea to download your eBooks.

Check in with one of our tech experts below to make sure you’re getting the most out of your tablet.

It’s been said that the virtual platform allows the introverts to come out of their shell. Without the face to face interaction of a brick and mortar school, you rely more heavily on your social communication skills through text and content.

In the online learning environment the class clown isn’t favored, it’s the student that has the most value and information to offer the rest of the class. So, if you’re looking to fit in online, or at least network with students in your program, you’ll need to learn about the overall attitude of the student body. What’s the best way to do this? Get involved the school’s social networking groups. If you frequent a blog, or forum you’ll know that the more you particpate the more feedback and support you’ll receive. The same goes for social groups in an online school. Throw yourself into the mix by answering a question posted by one of the admins, or ask a question yourself. Depending on the response, helpful/not helpful, you can start to get a better sense on where other students are at.

[related: Go Public After Completing a Goal]

Don’t be afraid to use the chat feature, or engage other students within the classroom as well. Check with your advisor on if there’s a virtual student lounge you can visit to get in touch with other students. Online education still has the same end goal as any other brick and mortart institution, to educate and inspire innovation. Everyone interprets their education differently, but for the most part you’re in school because you want to be.

Just remember, you’re not alone in the learning process. There are thousands of other online students just like you working on their degree. One way to keep your motivation levels up while in school? Get social with your peers. I’ve seen friendships develop on our school pages on Facebook from students having continued and supportive interactions with one another. Take a second today to get connected with your peers online, you may find a new study buddy!

[related: Friending Your Classmates and Professors on Facebook]

By: J. Mason

A lot of first-time online students have a bit of anxiety and nervousness surrounding their first online classroom experience.  I wanted to compile some do’s and don’ts for those of you who may be new to this!

I did a bit of crowdsourcing for this post… thanks to the awesome folks from the AMU Facebook page for their awesome insight!

Without keeping you waiting any longer, here’s my top 10 list of online classroom fails (as shared with me by real, live online students!):

1. Cursing or ranting in a discussion post.
2. Improper use of grammar.
3. Failure to use spell check.
4. THE USE OF ALL CAPS.
5. Not citing your work, “borrowing” from classmates’ posts.
6. Failing to proof-read your post before submitting.
7. Attacking classmates and/or their opinions or beliefs.
8. Improperly using the copy/paste function from Word (resulting in a bunch of code mumbo jumbo before your actual post).
9. Scrutinizing classmates’ work instead of constructively contributing to discussion.
10. Being boisterous and presumptuous.

Want to read more? Check out the thread here!

By N. Cooper

Being a friend to the environment is becoming more important with every season change. There are lots of ways to be green as an online student, and saving on gas and paper are just a couple ways to start. If you’re interested in learning about the impact online education is having on climate change, check out the post below from one of our sister blogs.

Post originated from the Sustainability Committee Blog at American Public University System.

by Angie Crone

As this year’s 17th conference of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Durban, South Africa, resulted in yet another stand-off among today’s leading nations, there are plenty of reasons to share in the embitterment and despair shadowing the climate change community. And while the Durban discussions did lead to a few positive outcomes –the Green Climate Fund and a sustained forum for discussing the issue, for example—the conference, unsurprisingly, was another failure of the global community to come to an agreement of how to slow the heating of the planet. The conference did, however, heed a rather constructive lesson: the climate change issue exceeds the realms of the climate community. This isn’t necessarily a newsflash, of course, but it brings into focus a new question: who is equipped to handle the climate crisis?

In a recent New York Times article, Mary D. Nichols, chairwoman for California’s Air Resources Board, poignantly stated, “Progress is going to come from the bottom up, not the top down.” The proactivity of regional climate commitments such as the Midwest Greenhouse Gas Reduction Accord and the Northeast’s Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative which incorporate public stakeholders, private business, non-governmental organizations, and individuals have shown that bottom-up strategies are well-positioned to make meaningful contributions in combatting climate change. Additionally, industry specific agreements have been instrumental in identifying and mitigating their own contributions to the increasingly unpredictable climate. 

Let’s consider the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment (ACUPCC).  The ACUPCC has emphasized the importance of higher education taking a new lead by preparing for and responding to impacts and implications of climate change that include unprecedented effects on infrastructure, ecosystems, energy and water supplies, food production, national security, and people’s livelihoods.  With the US Census Bureau reporting that there are 4,495 higher education institutions in the United States and with college enrollment having increased 38% between 1999 and 2009, the ACUPCC has a unique opportunity to develop cutting edge solutions and best-practices in the fight against climate change.

The opportunities of the ACUPCC also stem from its immense market (which is partly the beauty of being in the higher education sector). The ACUPCC currently has 674 signatories, representing some 5.8 million students. This means that 5.8 million individuals are being exposed to and are, willingly or unknowingly, participating in climate change fighting strategies in the form of physical projects, collaboration, or simply, attendance. These educated individuals will then (hopefully) take these practices into their workplaces and everyday lives. This is what I call serious bottom-up climate change fighting.

Real significance also lies in the reconciliatory nature of commitments and initiatives like the ACUPCC. These types of agreements are the so called “middle-men and women” between the bottom and the top. So while the annual climate talks are productive in their own right, they’re not the end-all, be-all in climate change. And as we ring in 2012, let’s not take with us the baggage of another unsuccessful international agreement, and instead recognize that those of us in higher education are equipped to make a significant impact in combatting climate change.