Online classes can be beneficial for a busy student. You can stay in the comforts of your home to learn. You don’t have to drive and find parking to attend lecture. A pandemic could be happening and you may need to prepare for last minute online school supplies to succeed in online learning (actually happened to me and many other in-person class students during this time). So here are my 10 Must Haves for Online Classes in order to succeed this semester.
1. Laptop/Desktop
Having a personal laptop/desktop can be a great benefit for you. You can store your personal files, essays, photos, and more all in one place. Also, you need a laptop/desktop in order to attend your online classes…online.
2. Webcam and USB Microphone
You might have to perform a presentation through a webcam or your professor wants you to answer their questions, but they may not be able to understand you because the quality of your microphone is bad. To avoid this issue, you must have a good quality webcam and microphone so everyone can clearly see you and hear you.
3. External Hard Drive
If you can’t have a personal laptop/desktop or you don’t have enough space in your laptop/desktop, then having an External Hard Drive is a must. You can store all of your personal files in your external hard drive and carry it around with you. However, not all adapters are the same (newer MacBook have USB-C instead of the regular USB), so you might also want to carry another universal adapter to avoid this kind of situation.
4. Notebooks and Pens
Not everything can be typed on Word or Notepad applications. A notebook and pen can come in handy when needed.
5. Printer
There is a possible chance that your professor may want you do a project of cutting paper and sending a picture of your completed work back to your professor. So, having a personal printer can help with those kinds of assignments or it can be used to print and file away important documents. Also, having a printer at home would be better than finding the nearest library open at 11pm to do your assignment last minute.
6. Headphones
Headphones can help focus on your online class lectures and help cancel out noises that can distract you from class. Make sure they fit in or around your ears properly.
7. A Study Room/Area
Having a study room can help you focus for class. Being in a learning environment can help you focus more on your lectures and concentrate better on schoolwork. It can be as simple as having a desk and chair in the corner of your bedroom to an entire room dedicated to learning. It’s all up to you.
Tip: I would not recommend using your bed as a place to study or learn. Your bed is meant for relaxing and sleeping. It might be harder to learn on your bed because you might be in a relax/sleep mode.
8. Internet Connection
The last thing you want is watching or listening to your professor lag. Having a strong internet connection will have your mind at ease knowing you won’t have to worry about spotty connection throughout class or not being able to understand anything because your lecture has been cutting in and out.
9. Comfortable chair
A comfortable chair is an absolute must. Having a comfortable chair can help you keep good posture throughout class.
10. Water Bottle
Stay hydrated! 45 minutes, 1 hour, or even 3 hours lectures can feel exhausting and overwhelming. Taking sips of water can help your body stay awake and stay focus. It’s also nice having some water ready on the side instead of getting up in the middle of lecture to get some water.
Having the right equipment for online classes is very important for a successful learning experience. Thank you for reading!
