10 REALITIES OF ONLINE LEARNING:

1. No one is going to push you except yourself. Passive students will not excel.
- ADVANCE read.
- Do not make “tambak” reading of your modules.
2. You make your own schedule and find your own time for studying. But the
teacher can post content anytime he/she wants to.
- Be updated always.
3. You look for your own learning resources. You cannot expect the teacher to
hand everything to you.
- Dig for information and go to the library.
- Find your own resources.
4. No one is stopping you from checking your Facebook account. Social
networking is online learning’s biggest temptation and distraction. But it can
also be an important ally if used properly and with discipline.
5. The amount of things you learn actually depend on the amount of things that
you WANT to learn in the first place.
- You have to be participatory learner.
- Adapt how to learn as an online learner.
- Step-up as a student.
6. Internet speed is always an issue. Internet connections sometimes
determine your success rate and dictate your patience level.
- Invest in a good internet connector.
7. You can study anywhere and everywhere you want to. There’s no escape and
no excuse not to study.
8. Investing in the right gadgets and being fully equipped is an advantage.
Having a smart phone, a tablet, a laptop, and a good internet plan will give
you an edge in terms of accessibility and convenience.
- Buy powerbank at CDR King.
9. You make things happen and make the course interesting for your teacher
and classmates. Like in every online community, it’s the people who make
learning interesting.
10. You always have to go the extra mile. Mediocrity is only fooling one’s self.
- You have to be a teacher to your classmates.
THREE KEYS TO SUCCESSFUL E-LEARNING: DFD

1. Discipline - For e-learning to be effective you must be able to make your own
study plan and stick to it religiously.
2. Focus – The internet is a very distracting realm since you can find interesting
stuff all over the place. It is very important that the online learner masters
how to keep his/her objectives of the course and his/her personal goals to
achieve.
- Do not be distracted.
3. Drive – If you’re trying to avoid the residential mode of learning and think
that it is easy online, then e-learning is not for you. E-learners are highly
motivated and highly-driven people who want to grow professionally and
progress in their careers.

HOW TO ACTUALLY LEARN SOMETHING ONLINE:

1. Set a strict schedule for hardcore and in-depth studying. At least one full day,
preferably a weekend.
2. Divide learning into three sections: a) reading the course materials; b)
reading your classmates’ forum posts; c) and writing your papers or forum
posts.
- Take time to compose your posts.
- Read the module. Read your classmates’ posts. Do your draft in MS Word.
3. Find a quiet place with a stable internet connection. If you have a friend who
can give you a nudge whenever you switch tabs to Facebook, that would be
better.
4. Use Google, Wikipedia, and You Tube extensively. Learn everything you can
online before logging out and start looking for books. Learn to “mine” for
information online.
5. Take other online courses to supplement the actual courses that you take.
MOOC’s are actually good sources of updated learning materials. Ex. Coursera,
EdX
6. The internet is the most updated thing there is. There’s no excuse for you to
not be informed about the latest news. Download useful apps and widgets for
news updates and notifications.
– Try to be as smart as you can.
7. When you answer forum discussion questions, make sure to always bring
something new to the conversation, and not simply repeat or rebut what your
classmates have said.
- No negative vibes!
- You tell something from your own experience.
8. Being in an online community means that students come from different
educational and work backgrounds. Use your personal background and
expertise to encourage multidisciplinary and/or transdisciplinary discussions
of topics and issues.
- Share your interesting background.
9. Don’t ask questions that you can Google. In this way, you can formulate or
construct better and more intelligent thought-provoking questions that are
worthy of meaningful discussions.
- Think about the teacher. Think about your classmates. Do not show-off.
10. Online learners are expected to be more “well-informed” than residential
learners because the former have ready-access to information via the
Internet.
11. Observe proper “netiquette” or Internet etiquette.
- Always acknowledge sources.
- Do not involve in arguments or debates. We must be cooperative, learning
together.
12. Take online courses seriously.
– Finish it. Careerin ang PED!