The corona crisis forces students to study at home for a long time and to take classes there. It is therefore better to make it comfortable and at the same time ensure that you have everything available to get started productively.
Working and studying at home
We all want to ensure that the number of corona patients in hospitals remains limited as much as possible, which is why schools and universities choose to have lessons digitally. Since July 19, 2021 recommends the National Government to work from home again, unless there is no other option.
Whether you’re at school or at home at the kitchen table, with the right tools you can do your work quickly. The time you would otherwise spend on the way to campus, you can now use for a walk during the lunch break to get enough exercise. The Androidworld editors have more than 10 years of experience when it comes to working from home, and you’ll find a complete package of tips for students and students here.
1. Office apps
If your school uses Microsoft’s office suite, chances are you can have the Office tools work on your PC for free. You can find more information about this on the learning platform of your school. An alternative are the well-known services from Google, because with Google Docs, Presentations and Spreadsheets you get the essential software with which you can make all your tasks or summaries of learning material.
The services work in the form of an app for your phone, tablet or Chromebook, but also as a web version for your PC or laptop. Any progress you make with one device is automatically saved to Google Drive so you can continue working with another device without any problems. In addition, for Chrome you have a handy extension that allows you to edit documents without an internet connection.
2. Take notes
Make work even more efficient with Google Keep. Thanks to this app you can make to-do lists or notes of your lessons. Use labels in Keep to distinguish between the different courses so that you keep an overview. There are also quite a few alternatives to Google Keep that are really worth considering. Discover our eight favorites here.
- Our 8 favorite note-taking apps
- 8 tips for Google Keep
- Google Keep on the Play Store
3. Adobe Creative Cloud
Do you need the programs from Adobe Creative Cloud, such as Photoshop and Illustrator, for your schoolwork? In that case, you may be entitled to use it free of charge from home, because Adobe recently announced that schools can give their students remote access to the software free of charge via an application form. Check with your school if you can claim this.
4. Scribbr
Making the switch to working from home can be stressful, especially when deadlines are approaching or teachers don’t have enough time for feedback on your work. Don’t worry unnecessarily and ask for feedback on important annual works and extra guidance, via online services such as scribbr. They help you with citing sources according to the APA standards, but you also receive feedback about the structure and language in your tasks so that you can work without stress. In addition, Scribbr also checks for plagiarism so that you do not make mistakes.
5. Skillshare
Is there still time left after the lessons or between two lessons? Prevent that you immediately start gaming or start scrolling through the Netflix offer. This extra time you spend at home can be put to better use thanks to Skillshare.
With this service you can take video lessons in subjects and subjects of your choice: from Web development to graphic design and photography. The nice thing about this service is that in addition to a web version, you also have an excellent app, and you can use the service for free for two months. There is no better time to learn something extra than now.
- Skill Share in the Play Store
6. Fiverr
In principle, working from home provides extra time and make sure you spend it optimally. After your school hours, you can earn an extra penny thanks to Fiverr, which is a great platform for freelance services. You can use many talents to earn something, and that can range from video editing to playing an instrument.
7. Group Work with Trello
If you have to organize group work remotely, it can be a challenge. At the Androidworld editors we have been working for some time to work smoothly with our colleagues without always sitting in one place together. The free Trello tool can really help with that.
On a Trello board, you can list the various assignments to be made, and you and your group members can then associate themselves with each of these tasks. By moving the task as a kind of post-it on the board, you can show whether you are still working on the work or when it is already finished. A group member can then provide feedback on your work with a response or indicate that he or she has checked the work. You can visit the Trello website find here, but the service also exists as an app.
- Trello on the Play Store
8. Video conferencing
If you take online classes or work in a group, you will no doubt come in contact with video conferencing services. Three well-known tools are Zoom, Microsoft Teams and Google Meet. You can try them all for free.
Meet has been free since the start of the corona crisis, and Teams has been available to everyone since May 2021. Zoom got off to a rocky start at the start of the pandemic, but the developers quickly rolled out improvements. Now the company is also working on its own office apps. Below are three articles that will get you started with the popular video conferencing apps.
- 8 tips for Microsoft Teams
- How Google Meet works
- The big Google Meet update of April 2021
9. “Help my hard drive is full”
Anyone who spends a lot of time at home on his computer, and uses the device for both games and work, can sometimes have to deal with a full hard drive. A cheap solution is to connect an external hard drive to your computer, but it is more convenient to use a NAS, which stands for network attached storage. It’s basically a hard drive that works wirelessly with your PC and allows you to store or back up files using the Internet. A final alternative is a cloud storage subscription. In this article you can read which option is most suitable for you.
- Solutions for a full hard drive
10. Working ergonomically
If you have a laptop at home, use an extra monitor to avoid staring head down at your small screen. You will get neck pain in the evening and in the long term it will cause even more medical ailments.
If you already have a monitor, place it at eye level, possibly by raising the screen. In addition, make sure you have a good desk chair, one that allows you to work with your back positioned at a 90-degree angle. In addition to a good working posture, you also make sure that you drink enough water.
11. Relaxation
You know, the bow can’t always be tense. If you work from home and have everything easily at hand, you may have a tendency to never leave your office chair. Do that anyway to avoid muscle soreness later on. Get up and move and change position regularly while working. You no longer have to commute to campus, but use that extra time to take an occasional break and take a walk. If you also have a dog at home, then you have an extra reason to go out.
In the evenings you are free and then it is time to fully charge the batteries again. We are not just talking about the battery of your smartphone. Streaming services like Netflix are your best friend, read a book or take the time for a fun video game. In addition, there are always nice podcasts to listen to. These 5 for example.
- 5 interesting podcasts
- 5 podcast apps compared
- The latest content on the streaming services
Are you a student who studies fully or partially from home? What are your personal habits and working methods? Do you have any other tips? Let us know in the comments at the bottom of this article.
Do you have any tips or ideas?
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