The 9 Best Remote Learning Tools For High School Students

As The Coronavirus Outbreak Continues, Transitioning To Remote Work Is In Many Students’ Futures...

This transition from a normal school experience to working from home is a big change for anyone, especially high school juniors and seniors. Whether you’re preparing for college in the fall, curious about the college application process, or simply trying to keep your GPA up for your upcoming applications, there are plenty of ways to stay on track with your goals while you’re experiencing unexpected school closures.

Online high school classes aren’t that different from going to school; all it takes is a little bit of motivation and the right resources! If your school has recently closed due to the coronavirus outbreak and you’ll be finishing your semester from home, keep reading to discover the online tools that can help you stay on track.

Why Are High Schools Shifting To Online Classes?

In the midst of the 2020 coronavirus outbreak, remote learning has become the best option for schools and colleges worldwide. Not only does continuing your education from home help you build self-starter skills, it also has a very high chance of stopping the pandemic in its tracks.

The unique and dangerous nature of COVID-19 is due to the one to two week gap between people being exposed to the virus and showing noticeable symptoms. Even if you’re not experiencing the common coronavirus symptoms like a fever, cough, and muscle aches, you could still carry and spread the virus without even knowing it.

Since human interaction is unavoidable in schools, administrators believe that by transitioning to remote learning, they’ll be significantly reducing the possibility of the coronavirus spreading to thousands of more households.

The most recent developments and suggestions by the Center for Disease Control involve staying home, washing your hands, and limiting human contact as much as possible.

While you’re shifting to a remote learning environment, keep educating yourself on the proper ways to maintain a hygienic and healthy environment while practicing self isolation. Reference credible sources like the World Health Organization and the Center for Disease Control for more information, or to fact-check other sources you see online.

By eliminating the environments where this virus thrives, we’ll be keeping our communities safe from possibly fatal outcomes, hopefully without disturbing our normal lives too much in the process!

The 9 Best Remote Learning Tools For Students Stuck At Home

Remote learning is a big adjustment; you go from having your normal, dependable school resources and social interaction to becoming a pro self-starter. Motivating yourself to keep up with your coursework feels like half the battle. Luckily, thanks to the Internet and countless online resources, there has never been a better time for high school students to give remote learning a try.

Your school will most likely already have a plan in place for anyone who will now be completing their work from home. Whether you have a big group project, an essay, a research assignment, or a capstone presentation, there’s an online program or software resource for every school-related project you can think of.

GOOGLE DOCS

Google Docs is a program owned by Google that allows multiple students and their teachers to edit, contribute, or review documents all at the same time. Under the Google umbrella of resources, there’s also Google Sheets, Google Drive, and Google Calendar: vital resources for staying on track with deadlines.

Whether you need to collaborate with other students on an essay or creative project, Google has developed some of the most innovative and convenient resources for high school students. In order to have the full range of access to your Google Docs, you need to have an account with Google, like Gmail or Google+, but these accounts are free to set up.

ADOBE CREATIVE CLOUD

The Adobe Creative Cloud is an essential resource for any student pursuing a career in the arts; in fact, any student can try it right now, completely free. Within Adobe’s program, you have access to 20+ creative apps for photography, illustration, graphic design, and more! They even have business tools for students who want to turn their art into an income.

If you’re planning on pursuing an art major in college, the Adobe Creative Cloud is a great resource for you!

ZOOM

Zoom is a video conferencing service for remote meetings and group projects. While your school may choose different conferencing platforms to conduct classes, Zoom is probably the most widely used resource for remote work.

You can use it on your own, for things such as study sessions, especially if you have final exams coming up. Since they’re experts on working remotely, Zoom has dozens of resources for students who are new to working from home.

GOOGLE HANGOUTS

Google Hangouts functions the same way as Zoom; however, this Google Software is free to anyone with a Google Suites account. If you’re not at a place where you can financially invest in a Zoom account, then Google Hangouts may be the way to go.

BRAINPOP

In the event of a school closure, you may be missing out on certain elective classes. BrainPOP is an education resource specifically designed to help students keep material fresh in their minds during school year breaks.

Right now, BrainPOP is offering free access to anyone who is working remotely due to a school closure related to the coronavirus.

THE NYT DAILY WRITING PROMPT

Without a doubt, the New York Times Daily Writing Prompt is one of the most fun and inspiring online resources for writers. Every day, the NYT publishes a new topic for writers everywhere, whether they have writer’s block or simply need a little push in the right direction.

Using the daily prompt could help you keep your essay-writing skills sharp and prepare you for any college essays you may have in the fall.

GOOGLE ARTS AND CULTURE

Schools aren’t the only institutions that are closed to the public; most buildings where large gatherings occur like museums and theaters are also closed. Luckily, Google Arts and Culture has stepped in and now offers free virtual tours of popular institutions like art and history museums, monuments, and even wonders of the world like the Taj Mahal.

KHAN ACADEMY

Over the past decade, Khan Academy has been the go-to resource for all kinds of students and their needs. Whether they go to public school or are homeschooled, or they need tutoring and simple brush-up lessons, Khan Academy’s tutorial videos have helped thousands of students master difficult subjects.

Khan offers tutoring and free practice assignments for over 80 subjects, all the way from math to reading, and electrical engineering to Pre-Med. They also have practice tests for any kind of standardized test, including the LSAT and NCLEX.

MAGOOSH

Magoosh is a test prep platform specifically designed to help students feel as prepared as possible for test day. Free practice tests, counseling sessions, and even career advice are available to students 24/7.

Whether you’re preparing for the SAT, ACT, NCLEX, LSAT or any other kind of test that qualifies you for the next step in your career, Magoosh has you covered.

Adjusting To Remote Work

The transition to remote work may feel a little rough at first; your normal resources aren’t as readily available to you, you're not with your classmates, and you have to muster up some serious willpower to get your work done.

Fortunately, no matter what classes you’re taking this semester, today’s online resources provide more than enough ways for you to keep up with your class assignments and projects.

If you’re preparing for college in the fall, you can focus on refining your essay-writing skills and brushing up on subjects you can’t finish this semester. If you’re getting ready to dive into college applications soon, keeping up your GPA and getting ready for the SATs and ACTs should be at the top of your to-do list.

Realistically, no one could have expected school closures this late in the school year. While this transition may be viewed by some as inconvenient, here at WeAdmit, we encourage you to make the best of it! Whether you need help preparing applications or keeping up with your new online classes, WeAdmit’s professional counselors, articles, and college guides can help you with whatever goals you’ve set for yourself this semester. If you need more help than these nine remote learning resources can provide, sign up for one of our free consultations to meet with our team of counselors!

There’s A World Of Resources Out There; All You Have To Do Is Use Them!