EDTech: Online Learning Tools
Sara Terrell
Maximizing learning time is essential for helping your students gain the most value from their education, and online learning tools and platforms can be extremely helpful in this area. As a teacher, understanding how these resources work gives you the opportunity to share this knowledge with your students. When they know how to use these tools, they can strategically manage their time, stay focused, absorb information more efficiently, and retain it over the long term.
Whether you’re teaching in a classroom or supporting independent learners online, sharing these valuable tips will make a real difference to the learning process.
1. Organize Your Learning Material for Maximum Productivity
Keeping your learning materials organized and accessible is vital for staying ahead of projects, assignments, and exams. There are many digital tools available to help you organize your studies.
Platforms like Asana automate project management processes, making it easy for you to keep all of your notes, study materials, and deadlines in one place. You can use project management platforms to divide your semesters into to-do lists and goal lists, set your own deadlines for projects and exams, and track your academic progress over time.
Note-taking apps like Microsoft To Do, Evernote, and Todoist can also go a long way in boosting your productivity. Using a digital app to take notes during learning time keeps them in a secure, accessible place and allows you to refer back to your notes with just a few clicks. Some apps enable you to save notes in video formats and to organize them using a tagging system so that you can locate them with ease.
If you’re interested in using AI to enhance your learning sessions, consider trying platforms like Notebook LM. Google’s Notebook LM allows you to upload your study notes and materials and use them to create comprehensive digital notes, quizzes, and personalized podcasts. You can also use the built-in AI algorithms to ask specific questions about your course material and receive instant, concise answers based on your notes and inputs.
2. Aid Your Learning with Time Management Apps
Managing time effectively is one of the largest challenges students face today. Using a time tracking app to guide your studies can help you to improve your time management skills while allowing you to focus fully on the subject at hand.
Tools like Toggl can track how much time you spend on each task or subject as you work. You can then review this data later to identify in which areas of your studies you could improve your time expenditure.
RescueTime is another helpful online tool that can help you track and optimize your time spent online. The app will categorize your actions and tasks to show you where you are most productive and where you may need to spend more time and energy. You can use it to set goals for your online time usage as well, making it simple to focus during your learning time.
3. Study with Digital Flashcards
Flashcards are a powerful study tool. That said, they can be time-consuming to make, and are not always practical to carry around when you need to revise. Online tools like Quizlet and Anki allow you to create digital, personalized flashcards for all of your subjects.
You can use a variety of media types to customize your layouts and flashcard content, and translate different languages into audio files in real time. Once you’ve created your cards, you can synchronize them across all of your devices and adjust the review times according to your unique learning style.
4. Use Extensions to Simplify Your Studies
Browser extensions can be a boon for students looking to gain more value from their learning time. Extensions like Pocket allow you to save websites, videos, articles, and other types of content in a single click. You can create specific categories for your study modules to keep your bookmarks organized and access them offline so that you can study on the go.
StayFocusd is another must-have extension for learners. This handy tool helps to increase your productivity by limiting how much time you spend on specific websites. By restricting your access to distracting sites during certain times, you can maintain a consistent study schedule and achieve the grades you’re aiming for.
5. Make Learning Fun with Gamification Tools
Staying focused and motivated can be challenging, but the use of gamification can turn even the most demanding of subjects into an engaging experience. Productivity apps like Forest allow you to enhance your focus by planting digital trees that grow as you learn. When you leave the Forest app, the tree will begin to wilt, encouraging you to maintain your concentration for as long as possible.
Forest and similar apps, like GoalQuest and Habitica, allow you to customize your settings and track your progress, too. This means that you can tailor their settings to meet your study goals and keep you motivated, no matter the subject you’re tackling.
6. Turn Your Notes into a Personalized Workspace
Taking comprehensive notes is essential for every learner. If you’ve already built strong note-taking habits but want to improve your studying skills even further, consider using an online tool to turn your learning materials into a personalized virtual workspace.
Apps like Notion have expanded the functionality of traditional note-taking apps considerably. Notion allows you to add calendar entries, Wiki pages, reminders, notes, and databases to its dashboard. It then collates this data into a fully customizable, complete digital workspace tailored to your study requirements. Best of all, everything is saved securely in the cloud, so your notes are always accessible, backed up, and synced across devices.
7. Create a Quiet, Distraction-Free Learning Environment
Studying in a quiet, uncluttered space is important for maintaining your concentration. There are many tools like Noisli and Tide available to help you create a tranquil environment ideal for learning.
Tide uses Pomodoro time management principles, enabling you to create study sessions and play soothing white noise that softens external noise and minimizes disruptions. Many online tools, including Tide, offer relaxation, meditation, and sleep-promoting features that manage your stress levels and make it easier to concentrate.
Use Digital Tools for Effective Learning
There are online tools designed to address nearly every challenge your students may encounter during their studies, from organizing notes and managing time to staying motivated and creating a focused learning environment.
As a teacher, sharing these tools and strategies with your students can empower them to take control of their learning and build essential study skills for life.
Sara Terrell is a versatile writer covering topics from education to business.