CYBER LEARNING GURUS
Your distance learning helpmates.
Module 6:
making the most of your online class
Author: Cyber Learning Gurus Contributors, Cyber Learning Guru Contributor.
Date: August 11, 2020
In this module, we will be focusing on the less academic aspects and will shift the focus on YOU. Each contributor will be having their fair share of tips and reminders which all aim to help every learner make the most of their distance learning journey.
Section 6.1: On Motivating Oneself
Section 6.1: On Motivating Oneself
In conventional learning, Motivation is an essential quality and prerequisite. Motivation serves as a guide in order for you to study your course readings without being forced, complete your coursework on time, and make your online learning journey a stress-free environment. Since students are not born with the skill of self-motivation, It demands more effort on the part of the learner. There are certain strategies to stay motivated in online learning. Having a strategy will improve your odds of achievement, and help you accomplish your objectives. Watch the video below:
Written and Edited by Abigail Colline Parungao
A Change of Heart
By Mickey Angel Cortez
Learning on your own as the world fiercely confronts a faceless enemy of a pandemic is surely a daunting and demotivating task. Gone are the fun moments inside the classroom and all you have are readings and course works. If you’re given a rant sheet, it would surely only take a few seconds before no more spaces on the page is available. But perhaps, it merely takes a change of perspective for you to not only accept but to also learn how to embrace this new mode of education.
​ Think about the energy and time you’ll conserve by not traveling to your university/school every single day, back and forth. The hassle of commuting is crossed out on your list of stressors. Besides, if you have a dorm, then that’s one less problem – no more dorm fees for months! Imagine that.
Think about
the perks!
In the classroom, you have your friends and your phone. All of which might cause some distraction to you, especially when your seatmate is chatty and both of you share the same vibes. Learning in the distance mode, however, self-focus and self-determination are necessary for learning. You would be able to cultivate these traits by spending more time on your own. In other words, since nobody else is doing the job of teaching to you, this situation will compel you to become more responsible. In the future, as you look for a job, you can actually sell yourself better because you are personally aware about the extent of your abilities and the confidence you have in performing tasks even without supervision.
Take this as an opportunity to focus on you and your studies more.
Without sugarcoating, yes, distance learning is actually more difficult than its traditional counterpart, albeit convenient. It gets draining and exhausting to be a teacher, secretary, project manager, and learner simultaneously. There might be times when the sudden barrage of course works will force you to pull out an “all-nighter/all-dayer” and thus will lead to a burnout or disruption of your normal circadian rhythm. In times of these, don’t forget that aside from being a learner, you’re a human too. Therefore, taking breaks or taking time to recharge is a must. Take care of yourself too! The importance of these tasks/lessons is nothing compared to that of your mental/physical health, and a humane professor will understand that. Thus, never ever neglect these aspects of your being at the expense of academic accomplishments.
Take
breaks
Go the Distance
By Jamyla Pasion
College is an exciting time filled with transitions, challenges, and personal growth. This is a transformative period where students like us are emerging into early adulthood and forming their identities. However, with the added pressures of society, it can be overwhelmingly stressful. That is why self-care can be critical for a student's mental health. It ensures that students are taking time to focus on their needs. Here are some of the self-care tips that I personally make use of:
Stay hydrated and eat regularly. Remember to stick to a healthy diet and allow yourself some treats once in a while. You can also use a recyclable water bottle to constantly remind you to drink water.
Create a sleep routine. Sleep deprivation can impair cognitive functioning that is why to try to get a decent amount of sleep each night.
PHYSICAL
SELF-CARE
Manage your time. Keep track of your class schedule, assignments, social events and how you are using your free time. An app Notion is a great tool for organizing your workload.
Make a playlist with your favorite songs. Listening to some of your favorite tracks can help you feel good and can give you a little extra push when you need a boost.
​
Take a deep breath. Deep, intentional breaths allow you to take a pause and be present in your body. This breathing gif can guide you in taking deep breaths.
​
MENTAL
SELF-CARE
Identify a support system. Reach out to your family and friends and let them know how much they mean to you and ask if it's okay for you to call them in times of need. You deserve to have people in your life who bring you up!
social
SELF-CARE
As someone who also came from a traditional school, I know what it feels like to miss the things that are absent in online learning, the classmates around you, the campus, the canteen food, the teachers/professors, and of course, the classroom. It’s quite hard at first to adjust to this new environment, especially for some of you who did not expect this sudden transition to online learning due to the pandemic we are facing.
However, I want to share some of what I discovered about online learning that made me enjoy it.
Online learning is challenging at the beginning if we are used to asking for immediate help from our seatmates or our teachers/professors. Without any physical classmates around, there are times you will need to figure things out on your own. But don’t get scared by this! Figuring things out independently helps with your personal growth and prepares you for the bigger challenges you will face personally in the future.
Nevertheless, college is not just about finding yourself; college is about creating yourself. Throughout college, there will be times when self-care is pivotal in helping us get through tough times, reach goals or push ourselves to be better versions of ourselves.
The Treasure of Online Learning
By Catherine Aves
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying we should not ask for help in the course of online learning. Learning independence does not mean avoiding help, it just means you are capable of doing things on your own. Asking for help is actually important in online learning, may it be from your classmates (yes, you will have classmates online), your teachers/professors, your friends, or your family. Their set of knowledge and skills may complement yours and be useful to your learning as well. So don’t hesitate to ask questions or help.
Lastly, you will be able to practice self-care better. In a traditional school, spending most of your day on campus is exhausting, and reaching our house doesn’t automatically mean we get to rest because we might need to complete our assignments, so we don’t get much time to actually take care of ourselves. However, with online learning, we can manage our time and allot some for our self-care.
​
It also develops your self-discipline and self-control. Having many distractions around us, including our TV sets, phones, and even our beds, makes it challenging to maintain our focus on our tasks. But, if you keep letting yourself be distracted, you won’t be able to finish your tasks efficiently. That’s why online learning will teach you how to discipline and control yourself to finish your tasks first, then enjoy your leisures afterward without worries! Self-discipline and self-control are two productive attitudes as well that you need for adulthood.
You might say, “This scares me”. Well, to be honest, I was scared at first too because I didn’t know how I would study independently, knowing that I study more effectively with friends and with a teacher in front of the class. However, we should remember that the people around us won’t always be able to help us with every single thing we need. We need to make decisions for and by ourselves as well in life. Online learning is continuously teaching me to do so, and trust me, it’s fulfilling to learn independence.
You can try finding YouTube Channels that share workout videos, or if you’re not fond of those strenuous-looking workouts, try dance workouts! You can even try meditation routines which can also be helpful to regain your energy as it allows you to breathe. I also recommend watching motivational vlogs and podcasts that will remind you of the more important things in life that we might forget of because of stress. Also, catching up with your friends and family is also a form of self-care. You may think of other ways to practice self-care, and that’s great! What’s important is you maintain balance in your school and personal life.
Online learning is actually a productive learning experience and an opportunity to balance your time better for yourself and your responsibilities. It will also allow you to know yourself better, such as your skills, your working preferences, or your motivators. Focusing on and working for the benefits of online learning will motivate you to enjoy this means of learning.
Widening your Network
By Joshua Espallardo
If you are used to self-studying a lot, you can easily adapt to the changes of being an online student. You have the freedom to do your studies anytime, anywhere you want. If you go online a lot, that will greatly help in finding and making time for you to finish the tasks or activities needed. Make it a practice that as you go online, it becomes an automatic response to finish whatever school work needs to be done first before doing other things online, this will be so much beneficial in managing your time if done consistently. With distance learning, you are also training your mind to learn by yourself, which enriches your ability to learn just about anything there is to learn about the world. In a way, distance learning is really about helping you develop a sense of independence and it disciplines you in so many ways, teaching you to have self-control and be self-reliant, greatly boosting the progress on your much-needed self-improvement.
​
While all these things are beneficial to us, there will be times when we would feel like having a much-needed rest. Of course, we are humans, unlike robots, we can't keep on working forever, we can get tired and forcing yourself can badly affect your health. Friendly advice is to take a break whenever you feel like it, whenever you feel like you absolutely need it. It helps that you are in a healthy state whenever you do your online school activities because that's the time you can give your best performance, so take care of your health, always. Although we won't perform to the best of our abilities at all times, don't be too self-critical and allow yourself to have your low moments. Just like what they say, it's okay not to be okay, and that there is a rainbow after the rain. Allow yourself to fall, then use that as a motivation to come back stronger than before!
​
In addition to these, I made a special section about how you can widen your network in this type of learning set-up. Click on the next page to find out more!