You Don’t Need An iPad: The $0 Online Class Starter Pack
A full learning experience in online classes doesn’t require a tablet. Here are some tips.
On March 13th, the day that the last semester switched to online mode, my professor went 404: Professor Not Found. When he got back onto everyone’s radar a few days later, he was flashing an iPad. He had ordered a headphone and an iPad upon hearing the announcement and was not going to start teaching without first learning them.
“Let’s begin this lecture, ” he swiped, and we commenced our all-online university studies.
Like it or not, we are all going to school in our own homes this school year. If you were one of those who swear by paper and whiteboard (like me), or you are looking out for your wallet’s welfare (like me), it may feel like we could no longer enjoy our classes without good computers, tablets, and other gadgets.
Fret not, you don’t need an iPad to follow your classes. You will need a smartphone and a computer, and some helpful tricks. Here is my $0 online class starter pack:
1. Phone Scanner App
Classes moved online? Homework moved online, too. Whether we write on paper, tablet, or the walls, we have to submit homework in digital format. However, you don’t need to spend money on a scanner!
Here’s a pencil written document “scanned” into a phone, making it easier for annotation and marking:
There are many different free apps that you can use to achieve this. Here are logos of various phone-scanner apps. Image shows app name +(company/headquarter location): AdobeScan (Adobe LLC), TapScanner (Israel), CamScanner (China), PhotoScan (Google)
Make sure that the app you choose
- does not crash easily,
- allows easy photo cropping, and
- has a good privacy policy.
2. Pen and paper
That’s right, without a writing tablet, we will need pens and paper — loads of them. Always have a pen and paper on the table before beginning a lecture.
Just listening to lectures and nodding heads will not do. Summarise, doodle, draw mindmaps, try examples, jot down questions, or simply write down what your instructor is saying on the teaching video. We are here, so might as well work our muscles, right?
3. Online notebooks
While you attend online lectures, you will need something that can easily store your screencaps and text. For PC/Mac, you could use Microsoft 365/Microsoft OneNote (Microsoft), Evernote (USA); while Mac users can use Ulysses (Germany), and Bear (Ireland). All of these apps are free in their basic versions.
If your course requires a lot of reading and has slides, then a good PDF reader will help save your annotation and highlights.
These 3 things above should allow you to write/draw + convert drawings to digital format, completely substituting a need for a writing tablet. That’s not all, here are two more bonus free stuff in the starter pack:
4. A suite of Zoom backgrounds
If your class lectures use Zoom, you must try Zoom backgrounds. They are fun.
Personalize your backgrounds to show your interests and sense of humor, or lack thereof. I like to appear from the exam hall, a washroom, the oven, and my professor’s office. It makes it fun to turn on my video when joining a lecture and find similarly minded classmates based on their Zoom backgrounds.
This feature does have requirements on computer hardware, so if you would not rather do it, a fun profile picture could work just fine.
5. Ensure Your Network Readiness
Think your internet connection will power you through your semester and final exams? Think again. I have had computer crashing, internet connection slowing down, browser plugin failing during many exams/assignment submissions. It is not only bothersome but also stressful.
To ensure your network readiness, make sure you have the following for the semester:
- Know your allocated internet download speed. If you can, check that you have 0.5 Mbps (Download) speed throughout the month.
- Know what is a modem, and what is a router.
- Master the common fixes of a WiFi failure, such as restarting the modem, using the ethernet port, etc.
- Place your house’s Wi-Fi modem in a common area (not in anyone’s room)
- If you are in residence, know who to call if there is a network connection issue.
- In case of emergency in an exam, always, always contact the professor immediately.
Most importantly, you should know where and how to ask for help. You will need a smartphone and a computer to study remotely, and accordingly, many schools have laptop assistance programs for those who need them. They will also often compile resources for students to build academic confidence, mental health and peer connections. Help is there when you look for it!
Be familiar with the operations, turn on the computer, take a deep breath, and you should be ready for a semester or a year of online pure-learning.
