Despite the problems that the COVID-19 pandemic has brought, it has also led to the digitization of many sectors that normally would have taken years. Work from home (WFH) and online studies are now the new normal. Both schools and universities are now providing online education.
Internet technology is now pervasive. Every student has at least one or two social media accounts, and the excessive use of these platforms may distract them during study time and waste their precious time.
Self-control to ignore the updates and notification from these social or other entertaining apps for anyone would be very difficult; however, if students utilize the internet and the digital media as well as other online study resources effectively, they will realize that the internet and online resources can be very effective for students which help them get through their studies.
During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, every school or college student has been stayed connected to online learning resources and tools somehow. Many schools and colleges also have made online study portals and tools compulsory for all students to learn more effectively from their homes.
There is a huge number of online study tools that can not only help you in your studies but can also help you stay focused and more productive during your study time.
So in this article, we have researched online tools and resources available for online education and have selected the Top 12 Free Online Tools & Resources for Students. These tools and resources enable students to study more proficiently and acquire new skills. The good news is that most of these tools are free of cost and can be used without any subscription charges.
Let's check the list!
#1 Codeacademy
Codecademy is an American online interactive platform that offers free coding classes in different programming languages. Codeacademy has a vast number of coding courses and quizzes to help you learn programming language easily. This web app offers courses on Python, Java, Go, JavaScript, Ruby, SQL, C++, C#, Swift, and Sass, as well as markup languages HTML and CSS.
Read More: Best Programming Languages for EngineersStudents willing to learn web development, machine learning, data science, web designing, computer science, and computer coding fundamentals will also find this app useful. This app will walk you through step by step tutorials from basics to more advanced practical applications.
This platform also allows students to learn through tests and quizzes and provide them with feedback to learn more efficiently. Adding programming skills to their skillsets may also help students to land their dream job.
#2 Coursera
Coursera is one of the top free online resources for students to learn almost any course or skill from reputable online tutors. Coursera also offers Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), which allow students to learn an entire long-term course from top universities online. All these short-term or MOOC courses are available for any student for free.
Students can watch video lectures and tutorials anywhere through an internet connection. Online learning on this platform is free; however, you might need to submit a fee if you want certification after course completion.
Financial aid is also available for deserving students. Every course on the Coursera platform includes high-quality materials, study notes, presentations, and student forums to discuss problems and participate in academic conversations.
#3 edX
Similar to Coursera, edX also offers a vast number of massive online open courses to students. More than 3000 online courses are offered by more than 150 top-ranked institutions such as Harvard and MIT.
Courses ranging from computer science and engineering to literature and other fields are available on edX, where millions of students worldwide are registered. Just like Coursera, you can also get an e-certificate after completing your course successfully, but you have to pay for this feature. Anyways, learning is free so start browsing through thousands of courses available on the website.
#4 Slader
Slader offers step-by-step solutions to millions of textbooks and homework questions! This great platform is available for free for any student and professional. Slader offers homework help and answers for students. Each text-book problem is solved in a step-by-step manner. Slader has a global network of student contributors. You can also contribute answers to text-books questions on the platform.
#5 Grammarly
Grammarly is another cool tool that helps you write reports, essays, project documentation, email, or a research paper accurately. Grammarly will help you throughout your writing by ensuring that the spellings, grammar, and context used in your writing are accurate. You can install an extension of the Grammarly app on your chrome browser, which will instantly help you write important essays, articles, emails, and application forms more accurately.
Premium features like checking for plagiarism and citation providing suggestions can also be availed at an affordable subscription fee.
#6 Khan Academy
Khan Academy is another most popular and useful online learning platform. This platform is for you if you want to learn and understand basic concepts related to any field of study. You can learn any secondary and high school subjects and college subjects of engineering, economics, finance, and any other fields for free.
When you sign up, you will be prompted to select subjects of your interest, and then Khan Academy will walk you through the course and suggest other related courses to learn online. Pro account features are also available with more advanced courses.
#7 FlipGrid
FlipGrid is also a free productive platform that enables students to learn new ideas and concepts by creating short educational videos and sharing them with their fellows. Sometimes solutions to problems in written form are quite boring to understand and less enticing. Thus, learning through videos make learning fun and more tempting.
The time limit is added to each video so that students can make conceptual videos with the time limit in mind; thus, more concepts can be described and learned in less amount of time. FlipGrid is free to use with limited features, but the free version has enough features for making good videos.
#8 Piazza
Piazza is a kind of LMS system (learning management system) that allows students to discuss problems in a forum type format. Teachers can manage discussions and reply to the quires of students easily. Piazza was founded on the idea to allow students and instructors to discuss questions and answers outside the classroom. Individual classes are locked and can be accessed only with an access code.
To encourage questions from each student, there is an option available to post questions anonymously. Students can also submit assignments, projects, and quizzes to their instructors through this platform. Piazza is a friendly app for both students and teachers.
#9 myHomework
myHomework is another top productivity-boosting tool that helps students to stay focused on their studies. This app helps students to complete their assignments, quizzes, and projects on time. This web app enables students to access their assignments and deadlines from anywhere.
Students can set reminders about important dates, and it will keep you posted on those deadlines. Thus assignments, quizzes, and exams can be well prepared.
#10 Saylor.org
Saylor.org is also an online learning tool available for free, which offers more than 100 full-length courses. Students can take those courses and add more skills to their skillset. Many of the top-ranked US colleges recognize these courses.
There is a range of courses available from economics to software engineering and physiology to political science studies. The coursework is available on-demand, and students can complete the course self-paced. Thus, this platform allows students to study more efficiently and conveniently.
#11 Udacity
Udacity is a free online learning tool where students can learn cloud computing skills, artificial intelligence, data science, and computer programming. Many of the top industries, like AT&T, Google, and Apple recognize these courses. These courses can help students build their skillsets for their dream jobs.
Udacity, like other online course platforms, offers flexible and self-paced learning. Students are also required to complete assignments and projects.
#12 Slack
Slack helps teachers and administrators share information more efficiently. Both students and educators can manage educational services and activities. Like Piazza, each course's workspace can be set up with the class assignments, projects, and discussions.
Slack channels can be created for classrooms, and students can discuss problems and questions through comments. Slack is compatible with many online video call apps such as Zoom that enables students to discuss problems while in an online video class. Slack is available for free use; however, more control over communications can be achieved through its premium features.
Schoology and Google Classroom are the two best online platforms that resemble a real-world school classroom. Teachers can create online classrooms, invite their students, and share course materials with them and assign them homework. Both platforms have the required tools for an online classroom.
Bottom-line
With the proper tools and management, online learning can be made fun and more effective. As technology evolves, it enables even faster change and progress; learning online with these kinds of apps and tools has become more student-friendly.
We constantly update this article and add new tools and resources. If you think we've missed a useful resource or tool, let us know in the comment section.
