With the current COVID-19 pandemic, learning has been difficult for many teachers and students. Learning in an online environment has brought a lot of students out of their comfort zones and it can be difficult to learn in these conditions.
Students in STEM fields might find it even more difficult since a lot of science and math classes rely heavily on in person learning. The COVID-19 pandemic means students can’t be taught with a teacher in front and stay after class for questions. Exposure possibilities have meant students can’t form the study groups that a lot of students rely on for help and guidance from fellow students.
There are many educational websites and apps students can use that will be able to provide assistance in online learning environments. Khan academy is great for math and science subjects. They go over important sections of each subject like a class textbook would. Instructors show visual concepts on the screen and walk through a step by step process.
“Khan academy has been helpful since I only see my teacher twice a day,” said high school student Ryan Quinn. “ I like how they break down the problem and give quizzes to make sure you understand how to solve the problems.”
Khan academy is free to use with no memberships. Elon Musk donated $5 million dollars to Khan academy.
“I view this type of investment in what we’re doing as really foundational for us to be able to build a multi-generational institution, so that future Elon Musks of the world are also able to tap into their potential and help all of us up-level who we are as a civilization,” Salmen Khan said in an interview with CNN.
There are a lot of math oriented sites that provide visual demonstrations to math concepts. Desmos is an online graphing calculator that can graph any equation, and show points of interest like vectors, range, domain, and x/y crossing points. This can help in understanding the different characteristics certain equations can produce. Desmos is also useful for students who might not be able to afford a graphic calculator since it is a free to use website.
Symbolab is an equation solver that shows step by step solutions to algebra and calculus problems. Symbolab provides names of steps that the student can learn about or review that can make solving problems easier. Symbolab has a free website, but requires a membership to get the mobile version.
Many companies have text and video call apps that can be used for group meetings, for projects, and studying. Zoom has been the preferred choice by most schools in the US, but apps like Discord and Slack provide text and video calls as an option for school. Both provide good options for students because of the free accessibility and easy setup. Discord is popular with over 250 million accounts.
COVID-19’s type of learning may be difficult for a lot of students, but there are resources out there that can help in this difficult learning environment. Hopefully, you can find what works best for you and have success in your education.