School Supplies for the Online Learner

Posted by eCampus Virtual High School on 6/10/2019 9:00:00 AM

School supplies

 

Students taking online eCampus courses don’t require a lot of school supplies.  However, there are a few items every student should have to have a successful online course experience.  We’ve listed a few below. 

 

Reliable device

A laptop or desktop computer will be necessary to complete your eCampus courses.  While some content will be viewable on a mobile device, a laptop or desktop will be necessary to complete all your online coursework.

 

Internet Connection

You will need a strong and reliable internet connection for the duration of your online course.  Your courses may require you to download and/or view content that may stress your internet connection.  When you don’t have a strong connection, pages will take longer to load and files longer to download resulting in a frustrating experience.  Your school’s media center and public library are good alternatives in case you need a strong connection. 

 

Flash Drive or OneDrive

We always recommend to students to save a copy of every assignment they submit.  One way to back up files inexpensively is through a USF flash drive.  You can pickup a flash drive at all major retail outlets for under $10.  The obvious disadvantage of flash drives is they can get lost, stolen, or damaged.  So, we recommend that student take advantage of their Microsoft OneDrive account.  Each student is allocated 1TB worth of online space.  Once a file is saved on the student’s OneDrive account, they can access the files anywhere they have an internet connection.

 

Notebook

Online does not mean that paper does not have a place.  In fact, a notebook/binder that holds a few folders and paper is a great idea to organize any printed materials such as the course syllabus.  You can organize any notes you take and insert any other resources you find useful in your notebook.  It is a great way to stay organized and keep all files in one central location. 

 

Planner

As Benjamin Franklin put it, “By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.”  When you take a face-to-face course, there are built-in reminders from the instructor and even other students.  In an online class, the responsibility to remember important due dates falls mainly on you.  Therefore, we strongly advise that you use some sort of digital or print calendar to plan out your academic work time for your online class. 

 

A planner forces you to think about when you will complete your assignments and reminds you about important due dates such as your final exam.  Although some of us would like to rely solely on short-term memory, a planner will provide timely reminders and help you stay on track. 

 

Printer

We’ve heard from some students that they prefer viewing course documents on paper.  Other courses may have student guided notes that you will want to fill in as you complete the lesson.  While a printer is not required, it can certainly be helpful in some situations.  If you don’t have access to a printer, you can always visit your home school’s media center and print materials there for free.