Rich Kiker is the Director of Online Learning at a K-12 school district in Pennsylvania, a blogger, an online professor, and a Google Certified Apps for Education Trainer. Other consulting roles include eLearning design, social learning, technology pathways development, and 1 to 1 computing. He can be reached at 
Because this is the first generation that is breaking ground on online learning, it can be difficult to find help in where to go and what to do. With everything right down to the counseling being given an online option, it can be harder than ever to make sense of education in the 2.0 age. So if you’re unsure of how to proceed or just waiting for a counselor to become available via chat, why not have a look at what the best the internet has to offer?
Below, we have gathered 15 surefire tips and tools to help you become a successful online student. Better than the old practice of going to the library, not quite to the point of having your own holographic computer, they can help you with everything from picking a school to cramming for a test.
Surefire Tips to Be a Successful Online Student
These expert tips are sure to help any student, especially those taking classes online.
- Learn More About Online Learning
If you are an online student, the last thing you may want to use the internet for is more learning. However, the expertise independent study teacher Jamie Littlefield brings to her blog makes it all easy and manageable. She has tips on how to find an online school, where to get bargain textbooks, and much more. - Online Strategy
Because even in-person students have strategies, stop here for one
just for online students. Provided by DistanceLearn, you can get advice such as what makes a successful online student, virtual training sites, and even email etiquette. There is also an FAQ with more. - How Students Develop Online Learning Skills
Because online study skills have to be developed just like traditional ones, click here. It is a guide from Educause, which many teachers and students turn to for help. They give seven essential tips including time management, online discussions, and motivation. - Time Management for Online Learners
Get a guide to time management from Project Working Mom. You don’t have to be a working mom, just an online student, to get surefire tips. However, moms who find themselves back in school can also use the blog to find loads of scholarships and other resources. - Create a Study Space
Online students can often study on the same sofa they watch television or play video games on. However, you can find loads of tips for making a special study space online. This is one of the better ones from Grace Fleming, who urges students to tailor the space to their preferences. - Eliminate Distractions
It seems just about every piece of technology has its own annoying way of disturbing you right when you get into the heart of your online studies. In this entry for Freelance Switch, Leo Babauta discusses how to eliminate life’s new and old tech ways of distracting you. There are also many other tips for productivity on the blog. - Check What’s New
Just as new online study tips come out, so do new blogs about it. The experts at Online Learning Tips are already there. They have many blogs written by and for the online student. This one in particular has loads of tips, the latest of which includes “Find Your Niche and Apply it to Your Studies.”
Surefire Tools to Be a Successful Online Student
Use these free tools to make online learning easier than ever.
- Student Planner
Even online students need planners, but they can also find them online here. The site for students by students has an online scheduler that can be far more useful than just jotting down stuff. There is a free plan with loads of options, or you can subscribe for only $15 a year. - Treepad
This freeware is essential for any online student or productive
person with lots of tasks but little cash. It is used to store, edit, search, organize, and browse any type of textual information: notes, emails, articles, links, and much more. Download with a click, or learn more on their site. - Notely
Need to store or share notes with another online student? To keep meeting IRL down, why not check out a site like Notely? You can store all your notes to your own account and share with others. - Note Mesh
With a tagline of “collaborate to graduate,” this site is worth a visit. It is a free service that allows college students in the same classes to share notes with each other. You can even visit to see if your own online classroom is already featured. - Today’s Meet
Take the above to the next notch with a visit here. Today’s Meet can create a virtual meeting space for you and other students. Simply Create a Room to begin.. - My Stickies
Post-its are so old school. Check out these virtual versions of the sticky notepaper that is totally free. You can put stickies anywhere on your computer’s hard drive or even on the web to view later or as bookmarks. - Quizlet
Need some study tools but don’t want to drive down to your actual school? Then stop here to get one of the best online ways to study almost anything. Thousands of other online students stop by to create and share flashcards and other learning resources on every topic imaginable. Create your own or download your favorites from the site. - Dropbox
The last thing you need when all your work is complete is to lose it all. Use the Dropbox site to upload all your assignments, documents, images, and more should the worst ever happen. Many schools even work with Dropbox and it is compatible with mobile devices and popular sites like Facebook and Twitter.
And the above 15 surefire tips to be a successful online student are just the beginning. There are also loads of answers on the internet for students interested in items such as where to get online college reviews and what to make of college rankings.
