Have you found yourself to be a new, unwitting student of the ~elusive~ Zoom University? Yeah, online learning can be a pain.
So we asked students in the BuzzFeed Community to share things that have helped make online learning easier. Here are some of the best responses from students like you:
1.Sync all of your calendars — Google, Outlook, Canvas — so you don't accidentally miss anything by looking at the wrong one.
2.Put all of your Zoom links into your online calendar. You'll get a reminder before class begins, and you can immediately click to join.
3.Download the Hypothesis extension for Chrome to highlight and annotate anything you're reading online. (You can even see what other people have annotated.)
4.During live lectures that are recorded, if you're struggling to take notes *and* participate, pick the latter.
5.Start a group chat with the entire class so you can communicate outside of the Zoom chat. (But don't be afraid to mute if it's poppin' off.)
6.If your professor puts links to resources in the chat, make sure you save them so you can find them again.
7.Use your phone's scanning feature to upload and submit handwritten work (instead of taking a shoddy picture).
8.But if you prefer a specific scanning app, use Camscanner to auto-enhance your image quality, recognize text with OCR, and share as needed.
9.Create a Google Doc for notes and share it with the entire class to use.
10.Use the OneTab extension for Chrome to convert all of your open tabs into a list. When you want to reopen them, you can restore them individually or all at once. (This is especially great if you regularly need certain tabs open per class.)
11.Turn OFF the self-view so that you can only see your professor and peers. (You look fine.)
12.Get a WiFi extender if your signal is too weak to reach everywhere in your house.
13.Keep your camera on and participate in class. It'll help keep you accountable, and your professor will remember you!
14.On the other hand, if you legitimately do not want to show yourself or your space, you can put opaque tape over your camera and say it's broken.
15.Put your phone somewhere where it won't distract you — like another room or in a drawer.
16.Try not to work solely in your bedroom. Instead, find a designated space to work in.
17.But if you do, try not to tune into your class from bed. Give yourself enough time to get up and sit at a table.
18.Write out to-do lists! It's easy to forget things when there's no sense of time or space anymore.
19.Pin your crush on Zoom, because why not??
20.Inform your family or whoever lives with you when you'll be in class, so that they don't accidentally disturb you during lessons.
21.And if they keep forgetting, stick a note on your door so they don't just barge in.
22.Take a walk after class, even if it's just inside your house.
23.Eat before your classes so that you can focus (without being hangry).
24.Make sure your feet touch the floor while you work.
25.Maintain a regular routine (especially your hygiene!) throughout the week.
26.Offer to help your professor if you notice that they're struggling with the technology.
27.Zoom fatigue is real, so stay in contact with your professors and update them on how you're actually doing.
28.If someone you find annoying is speaking, mute your computer.
29.If music helps you focus, play your lectures through your computer speakers out loud and listen to music through your earbuds.
30.Don’t cry on camera.
31.Wear headphones — especially if you live with other people — to help drown out any distracting noise.
32.And, of course, if there's something you're struggling with or don't understand, ask for help as soon as possible.
Lookin' for more? Check out these student hacks that you'll wish you knew about sooner!
