Nerdify Reviews: 5 Tricks to Make Distance Learning Fun
Unless you are one of those home-schooled students or have already received a degree by joining an online course, distance learning will seem intimidating and confusing at first. Most students complain that distance learning differs by having more tasks and responsibility because you are not one of many learners in the classroom and have to prove that you have mastered something. Moreover, an average online campus is not easy to master and takes some time to learn. Thankfully, there are tricks that will make your distance learning fun and less stressful!
Use Scheduling Apps. This simple fact is repeated over and over, yet remote learning is impossible without a good planner application like Bounty Tasker or the famous EverNote. Both solutions have a calendar, reminders, color codes for diverse task types or courses, and a way to synchronize the app with the majority of famous apps. Bounty Tasker lets you turn your plans into a game and receive awards. Learn as you gamify your experience and reward yourself for achievements!
Engage in Collaboration. Since we are already away from each other, which is more than relevant now, organize your own or participate in already existing collaboration projects where you can study and learn in a group of people. Be it a Psychology major or even Mechanical Engineering, create Skype sessions among the students, become a team leader, talk to each other, and learn in a fun way!
The Outline Trick. We all know how challenging it is to keep sane with all these lengthy digital books and a number of links that have to be checked upon. As you start with an online assignment, create an outline. In simple terms, use it as an intro for your task where you create a description and write down the thesis, if relevant. Include keywords, author names, good quotes, just anything that will help you remember the most important.
A Personal Backup Plan. Since the majority of distance learning happens online, remember to have a backup of all your files. For example, you can use DropBox to keep all your documents safe. This way you can always return and have a look through the files. Alternatively, add the Scannable app to keep all your handwriting safe and clear. Now the fun part begins when you create an Instagram channel where you tell of your learning experience and become an influencer for students like you!
Free Online Courses. You may say something within the lines of no more homework. However, there is some academic fun you can join! Check out Coursera or Udemy for great free courses where you can double your major’s key concepts. It always helps to understand what you learn without grades or any deadlines when you have additional instruction. Join Academic Earth for free online video lectures from the best world’s universities. It is a good alternative to the boring assignments as you can sit back and watch when and what you can!
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December 19, 2019
It is a festive season, yay! Our friendly Nerds at the Nerdify reviews team had their say in the selection of original Christmas ideas. Some of them recommended dressing up as Santa, while the others found it to be way too old school. Still, we came up with seven original recommendations that will not only make the next Christmas season memorable for you but will also inspire others to make this world a little bit better, brighter, and safer. After all, Christmas is about love and taking care of each other, bringing hope and light to everyone!
Visit Sick People at The Hospital. Christmas should be fun for everyone regardless of age or gender, yet there are many people who are sick and cannot get out or dance around the Xmas tree. Visiting sick people at the hospital or paying a visit to the children’s hospital will be a great reward for anyone as soon as one sees the happy eyes and even the tears of those who wait for a miracle to happen. As children, we all believe that Christmas is a magical time, so why not take that magic stick in our hands and spend the next Christmas by turning to one of Santa’s helpers?
Organize Charity Meals for The Poor. A lot of nerds that constitute the Nerdify reviews team have discussed the way how not so rich people organize charity meals for the poor people in New York, California, and many other cities and villages nationwide. It does not take much to share your joy and participate in a great charity event with both small and old. It is also a great way to show the younger siblings and friends that kindness starts in the family and that anyone can make a difference. Unlike the gift that is often unwrapped and forgotten soon after, this kind of Christmas will be remembered for a lifetime.
Create a Handmade Gift. This is probably the best part of all because it inspires people for being creative and is a lot of fun during the holidays. Instead of trying to catch all the possible discounts at the local malls, creating something with your own hands will be much more precious to the person you give it for. Do you remember how we would paint a picture or write a little note in that awesome child’s writing just to see the happy tears in the eyes of parents or grandparents? Now it really shows that something is done from the heart, yet most importantly, it will be a truly unique present!
Volunteer for the Local Community. It was surprising even for us at the Nerdify reviews, yet there are many things a person can do as a volunteer for the local community. Christmas is a busy season, so everyone tries to take a break and have some rest. Still, there are many professionals that still work on a daily basis and do their best to keep the city and the people safe and well. Even if it is something very little that you can offer, do not hesitate to give your local community a call and ask if there is anything you can do as a volunteer!
Organize a Family Reunion. It is really bad that most of us meet only during the holidays. Our advice is to start early and organize a great family reunion with a lot of surprises, special games, and the stories that people of all ages can share. If you know that someone struggles financially, organize their transfer to the place of gathering, but do it in a very kind way without offending anyone. At the same time, focus on the people, not on the conditions because it is the happy faces of the family members that really matter.
Start Writing a Story or Paint a Picture. Another fun idea is to start writing a story where you try to finish at least one page a day. It can be a detective story, something for the children, a secret diary or even a new Star Trek episode. If you do not feel like writing, you can try to paint a picture or even decorate the house!
Start Learning About a New Culture. No Nerdify reviews post is considered complete if we do not offer at least one geeky suggestion. The best way to spend Christmas in an original way is to start learning a foreign language (even if it is only several phrases from the tourist book) or exploring a new culture. We often think that we know everything about the world, but try to read up about Japan or even Great Britain’s customs to discover much more than you can ever imagine!
No matter how you plan to spend the next Christmas, keep positive, have fun, and remember that it is about pure love that we share with each other!
Wishing you happy holidays,
Nerdify Reviews Team
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September 14, 2018
Hey there, pal! Without a doubt, you have many questions about college life! It reminds you of an ocean full of unknown and probably dangerous species. But no worries, cuz Nerdify is here to help!
Making it through your freshman year at college is like stepping on a way of the warrior – the secret is to learn how to fight for your rights as you learn, analyze, interact, become organized, and start to think strategically. No, the real trick is to have fun no matter what! Here are some helpful tips to guide you through the first year of college life without too much trouble, stress, and anxiety.
Getting Organized Is the Key!
You have read it right – you have to become organized no matter what as it is one of the most important skills that you should have in order to survive through college. It does not matter what your strong and weak sides are because you have to work on other issues. They are time management, learning all the due dates for important diverse events, keeping track of available funds, and so on. We have it summed up for you, so you know what parts of your life have to be under control:
1. Use organizers, smartphone applications or a big calendar on your wall to keep track of all the critical deadlines. It should not only be about college but about anything that is important in your life. Even birthdays, invitations, financial matters, family gatherings, and scheduled meetings with college professors.
2. Organize each task from the urgent to less urgent and less difficult to most difficult assignments. This allows you to manage your time and physical strength by starting with the most important tasks first while knowing what tasks can be easily completed to help you feel satisfied.
3. Create a budget for yourself, consult with your friends and family, so you can get a word of advice and see how you can feel financially secure.
Become a Jedi of Social Interaction.
You have to work really hard on your personality and place in the society as you enter college. It is not really difficult to become a Jedi of social interaction! No matter how complicated your studies may be, your strong social skills, charisma, warm smile or a friendly pat on the back will always do much more than you can imagine! So, what exactly has to be done? Okay, just follow this list:
1. Do not miss meetings with your professors. There are special scheduled hours that all professors have, so take advantage of each opportunity and speak of what makes you feel concerned.
2. Meet your academic adviser. This person is really important for your success and college progress, so getting to know him or her and becoming friends is critical. In case something does not work, remember that you can always ask for another academic adviser.
3. As a part of social interaction, get involved in all things campus: student organizations, clubs, voluntary work, all kinds of fraternities, if you would like. Start a band or become a part of a college sports team. You will not only make new friends and learn some amazing skills but will eventually feel connected and at home.
4. Build a network of friends, meet new people, and do not be afraid of taking mentoring roles to support and help other people.
Building a Bridge Between Studies and Times of Leisure.
One of the worst challenges a college warrior faces is fighting for the girl or a guy he or she has a crush on. No, seriously, it is quite an issue! Just be yourself and speak of your feelings! Unfortunately, romance is not the only problem you will face at college.
Okay, now another challenge is finding a right balance between the studies and times of leisure. Out of all things, find a cozy and calm place where you can study and concentrate. Next, study course syllabus more than twice and see when and what are your due dates, so you can plan that party without damaging your academic progress. College life is always balancing between your social life and study-related events, so the best thing you can do is make it 50/50. You have to study hard, so you can party hard!
As you strive for good grades, do not forget to use all the available study resources on campus. If there are learning labs and tutors, make sure that you use their help even if you think that you do not need it. After all, they have a purpose to be here… and that purpose is YOU! Still, if you do not think that it is an option, try to become a part of study groups, so you and your friends can schedule the same time for studies and leisure. This way you can find some peace and stop feeling like letting someone down!
Battle of Priorities
We are sure that you have heard it all before, but we will say it again that college life, especially the freshman year, is a battle of priorities where important things should come first. Okay, but what is important and how to understand what is really important? Yes, studying is necessary, but unlike most guides, we want to tell you that taking some time for yourself is just as important as academia! If you feel totally stressed, no high grades will be of any good. Even if it is your favorite television show, writing a journal, playing guitar or just riding a bicycle through the park, it is just as important!
All you have to do is to take full responsibility for what you choose and work on your priorities. Try to take one step at a time as you study and make a list of what tasks are closer to the deadline, what college assignments should be done as soon as possible to stop making your life a mess. Yet, at the same time, always ask yourself about what will make you feel best of all even in the middle of a Jedi battle with another complex subject!
Just remember that even if doing things the last minute before the lessons start could work in high school, it may not work in college. So, it is much safer to stick to deadlines and prioritize your time and resources. In other words, do not take shortcuts and do not cut corners as you progress. Do not cheat because it is your life. It surely deserves the best you can give!
When Things Just Won’t Work…
Trust us, we all have been in situations when things just won’t work and you feel like it is the end of the world! It is perfectly normal because you are in a different environment, you are away from home, so there come anxiety and homesickness among other things. Even if you always wanted to get away from home, college is not always what you have expected. There are three basic rules that you should remember to help you overcome sadness, stress, anxiety, and this feeling when you just do not want to be in college any longer.
1. Stay on campus as much as you can, so the more time you spend on campus, the more you will feel at home and as a part of a community. Join social and cultural events that take place to get your mind away. Try to be creative, have fun, joke around, and inspire people because, trust us, they feel bad too even if they do not show it!
2. Be ready to feel stressed, tired, and overwhelmed. Just know that you are not the only one feeling this way. Do not feel pressured to make hasty decisions about chosen career or a major. Give it some time, try to learn and see what it is. It is not a race that you have to win. Hence, see what you really enjoy, but take time to learn it inside out, talk to professors and other students before you make a turn.
3. Seek professional help when and IF you feel that you need it. It is perfectly normal. The colleges have counseling and health centers, so if you are not feeling well, you should let professionals know. Depression, bullying, feeling isolated, harassment or any conflicts should be reported, as you do not have to face these challenges alone.
We hope that all these little tricks and tips will help you to get through the freshman year at college. Be determined, take advantage of your social network of friends, voluntary work, and the special skills you definitely have. Have fun as you learn, give some time for yourself and remember that it is your life that you can control. You are already a warrior who is winning the first battle because you have what it takes!
Do not forget that you are studying to help yourself feel good about life and do not let any stress ruin it, just contact Nerdify for help any time.
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November 29, 2018
And here we go again with most cheesy college topics! Today our favorite rubric Nerdify Reviews will bring some light on co-living issues.
Living with a roommate at college or university can be a lot of fun and an experience that you will miss the most when you graduate, yet things will not always go smoothly and you may encounter several roommate problems. In order to help you survive through the college, we have collected the most common troubles and the ways how to solve them!
- Your roommate is way too messy (or way too clean)!
Without a doubt, we all have our personal considerations regarding being clean and messy, which makes it highly likely that your roommate’s opinion may differ from yours. The best way, however, is to make little compromises and discuss the most challenging moments as they come up. When someone acts sloppy and does not seem to care for keeping the place clean, try to see if you can approach the problem on your own and share some tips about keeping the room clean in a light-hearted and fun manner. If this does not work for you and the roommate continues being messy, try to discuss the problem openly and share the responsibilities, so you both share certain tasks that simply have to be done.
Sometimes you may appear to be a little bit messy or your roommate is crazy about keeping the room clean. Well, while it is a good thing to keep everything tidy, it should not go overboard. If you are trapped in such situation, do your best to take some time to throw the dirty laundry into a bin, keep your side of the room tidy, and make little pleasant surprises for your tidy roommate to show that you really care!
- Your roommate uses your belongings without permission!
Now this problem can be really stressful as it is a privacy intrusion and a trouble that has to be dealt with! Remember that even if the intentions of your college roommate are not always bad and mean, it is still an issue that has to be discussed to make sure that you understand privacy and a list of personal belongings the same way! Living with a roommate is like living with a sibling, so things often get borrowed without a second thought. Still, you have to discuss the boundaries and do your best to build a good relationship. You do not have to lock things up and worry about expensive clothes or your laptop. The key to success is discussing your position and making sure that there are no words left unspoken. Just talk it out and say what is alright to do from time to time and what things will not be tolerated. In case nothing helps and your roommate ignores your requests, ask the college counselor for help.
- A “Third roommate” college problem!
While bringing in a boyfriend to the college room can be a lot of fun, there are still some rules and restrictions that you have to remember! As you share a relatively small space with your roommate, you can have a guest and it is alright, but it should not be a fun place to hang out all the time. If you have to deal with a roommate who thinks that it is okay to let his or her friends be there all the time, it can easily become a problem!
As always, communication is the key to addressing the problem right and avoiding the conflict. No, you do not really have to tell your friend to kick a friend out immediately, but it is perfectly fine to remind that your room is a shared space where you have to study and have some private space and quiet. If nothing works, try to come to an agreement and make a schedule to agree on the times when both of you are fine with having friends over or when one of you would go home or stay over at friends for the weekend. If you have to get ready for an exam and you just cannot concentrate, make sure to let your roommate know. Try to become the best friends and care for each other as you have fun, but remember that you are the hosts in a little college world, so the guest is a guest and not a new roommate after all!
- Your roommate has different sleeping habits!
And yes, this is one of the crucial things in co-living, that’s why Nerdify reviews it as well. We all know the feeling when you are up early in the morning and your roommate likes to have some sleep and prefers to stay up late at night to study, listen to music, and basically feel good! As a caring roommate, you do not want to disturb and take the best care of a situation, yet you do not know how to find the right balance between your needs.
Speaking from our experience, the solution is going to the public library or to a student’s cafe if you want to study in peace. If you want to hear some music or talk to a friend, you can easily go to the public area where it is alright to make some noise. Likewise, if you want to get some precious sleep and your roommate has other plans, make sure to speak clearly and explain that there are special study rooms and the common areas a college student can visit to relax and have fun. As you seek a compromise, share your study schedules and see what solutions you may find to let both of you have a good sleep and fun at the end of the day!
- Your roommate is acting mean!
Even if you have all the schedules and sleep patterns in agreement and take care of each other’s belongings, there are still odd troubles that may come up! Sometimes your problem with a roommate may become an issue for no obvious reason. In most cases, it is enough to talk about the problem and let things cool off without a conflict. Yet, if your relationship with a mean roommate starts to affect you physically and mentally, the best thing to do is turn to a mediator by talking to the college counseling officer. If there is a problem and you cannot get by on your own, seek for professional help! It is perfectly normal to have an unbiased third party individual to help both of you to see where the problem lies without a damage to your life and an academic success!
- Your roommate is never there!
While there may be several reasons for your roommate’s absence, the fact may become a problem for you. Either you may feel lonely or find yourself in a situation when you need some support, your roommate’s presence in the room is an important point. It may be that your roommate is missing home and tries to be away from the college, yet in the other cases, your roommate may be dealing with a peer pressure or a way too controlling boyfriend that affects her college life. Finally, your roommate may be in trouble, so it is very good to talk to a college counselor if you think that there is a problem that should be reported.
In any case, try to be as careful as you can and make sure that your decision is ethical. Remember that your roommate may just feel embarrassed to talk and not know how to share the same space with a college mate. Be the one to make the first step and trust your heart!
- Your roommate is always in the room!
Now, this is the opposite of a previous problem, so let us think what can be done! If your college roommate seems to be always there, try to get your friend involved and tell about all the existing college clubs and fun activities. Encourage him or her to do something special and tell of your own responsibilities. If you are a musician or an athlete, share your passion and invite your roommate along!
Of course, it may be that a college room is a special place where your roommate feels safe! Nevertheless, try to make your roommate feel good about college life. Tell about all the nice cafes and the libraries to study at, the parks, and the shops with lots of student deals, so your friend may become interested and leave you in the room on your own (or come along)!
No matter what your roommate problem is, remember that the best way is to talk it out and avoid keeping it all inside! All members of the awesome Nerdify reviews team agree that it always right just to talk to your roommate, be there, stay empathic, respectful, and caring because it will always let you remember college life as a precious experience and time!
Have a good one!