For those with countless hours of sun this time of year the idea of moving the clocks ahead an hour is a downer. The hour you lose is while you’re sleeping, unless you’re up finishing classwork. For those up north the hour less means an hour more of sunlight! Regardless of your geographic location, as an online student you shoudn’t have to blame the hour loss for your assignments getting turned in late.

[Setting Up Great (and Successful) Study Habits]

Don’t forget to set your clocks ahead early, or before you go to bed Saturday night. Get yourself mentally prepared for the time change. Use your time wisely working on assignments. While it may not feel like a big loss, you’ll definitely feel the pressure if you put off your discussion post to 11pm that night.

By J. Mason

The online student needs to make sure they have 5 areas of interest down in order to survive school. They need to know time management, how to take notes, refine their writing skills, how to conduct research effectively, and effective study habits. Here are 5 app types to facilitate the online learning process:

• Time management/Organization
  • GoTasks
  • Homework Tracker w/Reminders
• Note taking
  • Evernote
  • iAnnotate PDF
• Writing
  • Write 2 Lite
  • Papers
• Researching
  • Article Search by Foreminds
• Studying/Flashcards
  • Flashcards Pro
  • iCram Master

Check out my app picks in the podcast below!
By J. Mason
5 App Types for the Online Student by APUS

School isn’t for everyone, but how do you know if it’s not the place for you now? It may have been 4 years since you left high school, and for others as much as 20 or 30, but it’s never too late to re-consider your education options. For some of us that route could mean a community college to finish up a degree, but not all of us have that kind of time. An online education is becoming steadfastly a greater option for those people that had life come into play and had to put off their education.

[Do You Have What it Takes to Be a Successful Online Learner?]

If you’re considering going back to school, especially one online, you’ll need to ask yourself some questions, just to make sure you’re ready:

1. Are you comfortable using technology?
   Since the online education format is solely online, you will be reliant on your internet connection and laptop/desktop. You can’t use your car breaking down, or dog eating your homework as an excuse for missing assignments. Check out the school’s technology requirements first.

 

2. Can you manage your time efficiently?
   Since the format is virtual, you won’t have a professor coming up to your desk in class asking why you’ve been missing so many assignments. Online learning is at your own pace, but the only person reminding you to check assignments and discussion board posts will be yourself. You’ll need to develop some great time management skills quick in order to stay on top.

 

3. Are you OK with virtual interaction vs face-to-face?
   This is a big question for many looking at online schools. And even though you don’t have the daily interaction with peers in the physical sense, there is always interaction through social mediums like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and also inside the classroom. Online learning can, for some, be more productive and beneficial in terms of absorbing information because there isn’t the distraction of being in a physical classroom. It’s just about the relay of information from one source, your professor and peers, to another, you.

 

4. Is the school you’re interested in regionally or nationally accredited, or both? 
   Accreditation is an important factor in deciding on investing in higher education. While there are many different types of accrediting agencies, the important thing to know is that the accrediting agency is recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (www.chea.org) – which is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

 

5. Is education for you? What are your doubts about returning to school?
   This is a good place to stop and write down your concerns. For many who have a gap in time between now, and their last degree seeking experience it can be intimidating. And for many, a brick and mortar school isn’t  an option because of inconvenience; like having a job, children, or expense. Online learning gives you the option to return to school, and receive a great education, with a lot more flexibility from the more traditional format.

[Online University - Is it Right for Me?]

By J. Mason

Wonder where all your time has gone? If you find you don’t have the time to get all your classwork done then maybe you need to do a little detective work to see where it’s all being spent.

Rescue Time is a great time management tool that “spies” on your activity on the computer and will report it to you. By using this tool you can re-evaluate how you’re spending your time online and adjust to be more productive with schoolwork.

Think of this tool as a way of keeping yourself online. So if you know you spend too much time on social networks, which is great for communicating with peers and gathering new information, it can start eat away at productivity in school and at home. Be your own PI and read about the benefits of this great new tool that can completely change how you use your time.

By J. Mason

Just like typical college professors, online college professors are more than happy to help students who feel confused or are struggling with their schoolwork.  That’s their job!  Instructors are here to help you learn and have an optimal educational experience.  Online is just the format, so don’t let it lead you to believing you cannot interact with your instructor. 

Most professors, however, won’t go out of their way to ask you if you need help.  They are busy grading papers and preparing their lesson plans.  So, don’t be afraid to speak up, and do so as soon as you start feeling unsure about a concept or lesson. If you wait until the end of the semester, you won’t be prepared for tests and the confusion will only snowball until it’s unmanageable.  Additionally, a little virtual “face time” with your professor may go a long way in your understanding of the class.

Source: Best Online Universities

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Not sure where to start budgeting your time? In the latest installment of “Ask an Advisor“, you’ll find helpful tips on how to strike a balance between your school work and your daily life commitments.

Q:

What tips do you have for time management?

A:

Life would be so much easier if we could wave a magic wand and the project or paper we’ve been meaning to work on was flawlessly complete, our bills were written and in the mail, the dog was walked, the car fixed, and the house cleaned. Unfortunately, life, as we all know, is not that easy. And even though relying on a magic wand to get our work done isn’t an option, there are many are small things we can do to help us manage our time more effectively:

• Set SMART goals
  Setting goals is an important part of time management. The easiest way to ensure you will meet your goals is to keep your goals specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and timely, or, SMART! Instead of setting general goals try to set specific goals; for example, “I will go to the gym three days a week,” is much more specific and more likely to get accomplished than the general goal, “I will get in shape.” It is also wise to set goals that are measurable; using the previous example, is it easier to measure how in shape you are or if you made it to the gym three days a week? Attainable and realistic goals are goals that are important to you and that you believe you can achieve; the trick to setting attainable and realistic goals is asking yourself if you are willing and able to work towards the goal in order to achieve it. The most important part of goal-setting is goal accomplishment. One of the best ways to ensure goal accomplishment is to set your goals to timely deadlines and check in points in order to assess and reassess your progress and the relevance of the goal itself.

 

• Remain flexible
  Have you ever heard the old adage, “the only constant in life is change”? Well, it is true. In order to keep up with life’s changes try to stay as flexible as possible. A great tip for maintaining flexibility is to only actively plan 50-75% of your time; this leaves the remaining hours in your day to account for unplanned activities, interruptions, last minute projects, rescheduled meetings, and all of the other changes life throws at you.

 

• Make time for things you enjoy
  Remember to take time for yourself. Stress levels, sleep, and overall health have a huge impact on productivity and time management.

 

• Break larger tasks into smaller, more manageable tasks
  Standing face to face with a huge project in front of you can be very intimidating. Try breaking larger, more time consuming tasks in to smaller tasks that can be completed at different times. For example, if your goal is to plan a May trip to New York City, smaller tasks could include: booking your flight and hotel room, researching .

 

• Prioritize
  Determine which projects and/or events are the most important and have the shortest deadline and work on them first. Remember that ‘urgent’ and ‘priority’ do not mean the same thing. If something is deemed urgent it must be addressed immediately; priorities are tasks that, while often critical, do not necessarily require immediate attention.

 

• Plan around your best you
  Are you more energized in the morning, or at night? Do you feel the need for an afternoon nap or are you most productive after 2:00 PM? Most people know how their body and mind feel at various points of the day. Try to plan your day around the way you body and mind function. If you are an early bird, work on your most challenging projects in the morning; if you are a night owl, save your important work for late night; if you traditionally start to feel sluggish around 3 PM then save your less intense work for later in the afternoon.

- Contribution by the Student Advising Staff at American Public University

Hoarding image courtesy of the University of Michigan Health System

So we’ve all probably seen those shows documenting people with extremely obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) who end up hoarding everything possible, until it consumes their lives and everyone around them. Most of us are lucky not to suffer from this serious disorder.  However, how many times have you found yourself saving a magazine or newspaper because you tell yourself “sure, I’ll read this later, so I will hang onto it until then”? Come on, you know you’re out there.

[tech savvy learners are going online for their IT certificates]

However, with all the digitization of media, hoarding magazines and newspapers might be on the decline among the average (non-OCD) person. And unless you bookmark everything you come across, saving links is the only way to become a digital hoarder.  And links can be erased, or they can expire.

So, if you desire to become an organized digital hoarder, I have the tool for you!

It’s called “Instapaper” and you can get it here: http://www.instapaper.com.

It’s a plug-in for the Google Chrome web browser that let’s you mark articles and pages to “save for later”. This syncs the article so you can view it offline anytime (as well as some other nifty features like stripping out all the nav so it prints well, or enabling it to view properly on a mobile device).  This little widget keeps track of everything you are saving for later so you don’t have to worry about organizing bookmarks and articles before you know if they are worth saving.

This is great for someone like myself because I receive dozens of newsletters each day… I skim them quickly and click the articles that I want to read… then mark them to read later… and finally, when I have some peace and quite (almost never), I can read through the articles and keep only the ones worth saving.

Does this make me a digital hoarder? Neh. I can always hit delete.

Up Next: Start digitally hoarding your coursework research on your iPad

Sometimes folks forget that they can print their assignments.  They just assume that an online classroom means that you have to read everything electronically.  Especially in this day and age when we’re all worried about waste and the environment. 

However, too often, important information is missed when reading on the computer. Print off lectures and assignments and store them in a folder near your workstation so that the information is available any time you need to quickly reference it.  You can print on recycled paper, with recycled ink and then recycle your notes after your course is complete.  By having a well organized well documented set of syllabi and course materials, you’ll be able to reference things from previous weeks quickly and efficiently. 

Additionally, by printing your assignments, you’ll be able to easily take notes and highlight important passages in the materials.  Just because you’re taking a class online with an e-book, that doesn’t mean you cannot print.   Also, if you have computer or internet access issues down the road, you’ll buy your self some extra time by printing assignments out early.

(source: Online Education Database)

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If you’ve been putting off a huge end-of-semester assignment because you don’t know where you’ll find the time to fit it in your busy schedule, it helps to start small. Begin working for just ten minutes on the daunting task. Almost any task,  no matter how unpleasant, or anxiety provoking, can be tolerated for a short amount of time.

When you are having difficulty sitting down to work, set yourself the small but significant goal of working for just ten minutes on the project. After you’ve fulfilled that promise to yourself, you are free to either continue working or to stop.

Further Tips for the Tolerable Ten

1. If you haven’t been working at all, start by doing anything and stop after ten minutes. In other words, the less you’ve been doing the lower your expectations should be at first. If you put in your ten minutes, and you have succeeded. One of the main benefits of the tolerable ten is to start rebuilding your trust in yourself.
2. If you have been working fairly consistently, try using the tolerable ten for the hardest tasks, whether starting a section of rough draft writing, or contacting the advisor you’ve been avoiding.
3. Even on a day that is full of duties unrelated to your main academic goal, try to squeeze in a tolerable ten. Before you go to bed at night, check whether you’ve logged in ten, if not, do it then. A commitment to consistency will keep your conscious and unconscious mind connected with your project.
4. Reward yourself, at least mentally, for completing your daily ten. Focus on process rather than product. It is not whether the words you’ve just written were brilliant, it is that you sat down and did what you said you would do. Small, concrete rewards are ideal: ten minutes with the newspaper, a phone call to a friend, a relaxing bath, a scoop of ice cream, wearing your favorite shirt, a cup of cappuccino.
5. Precede time-sapping activities (such responding to email) with a tolerable ten.

(source: Successful Academic)

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If you’re dragging your feet to get assignments in when they’re due, then it’s probably time to try something new. The clock and calendar can be any one’s worse nightmare, especially when you throw a full-time job and a full class schedule into the mix. Nobody wants to get penalized for turning in a paper or assignment late, but sometimes it happens. Make the most of the time you have, and actually get things done.

This is easier than it seems. Waiting to the last minute is a choice, but with better time management and organization skills, you won’t have to dread due dates anymore.

• Have a goal in mind? Write it down.Listing is a great way to organize your thoughts and priorities. You can include class assignments, deadlines for projects, and anything you have going on at home. As long as you have it written down, you can physically see what you need to work on. Sometimes making a deadline tangible will give you the initiative to see it through to completion.
• Pick a date. This one is easy enough, but often overlooked. We book doctor appointments, hair appointments, and vacations, but why not school? Just as important, if not more so, than other more trivial ”dates”. Set a date to accomplish the task and then move on to the next thing on your list.
• Don’t get stuck, give yourself a break.Often times we find ourselves trapped in a bubble of deadlines, strict schedules, and no breathing room. When this happens loosen up the slack and re-prioritize everything you have going on.  Working in small intervals can be best here. Instead of applying a level of perfectionism to each task, assess each task’s importance and give it the appropriate amount of intensity.
• Ask for help. If you feel stuck, or like you can’t get started, don’t let that deter you from beginning altogether. Help can come from several angles. Try your professor, a classmate, a family member or a friend. Inspiration can come from the strangest places, don’t hold back on asking for help when in need.
• Finish your list. “Nothing is so fatiguing as the eternal hanging on of an uncompleted task” – William James As you approach your “due date” removing more trivial items from your list may help in motivating you to finish the things that really need to get done. Say a project worth a good portion of your grade, this should have priority over other items. Make sure to allot time to the bigger tasks, so you don’t get sidetracked with the smaller ones.

Teachers typically give extended due dates to projects that require more planning and time, keep that in mind and don’t save it for the last minute. As with most things in life, moderation and a steady pace will help keep your head above water. You’ll just need to decide whether you want to sink or swim to get there. It’s really all about balance in the end. Making the best use of your time can be the key to breaking out of a procrastination rut.