As the avalanche of online classes has swept the world of its new normal, it has become particularly challenging for students to adapt to this change and maintain their productivity levels. Since the majority of the international colleges and schools in the Philippines are steadily transitioning towards online classrooms, students may want to look for ways to make online learning easier and to track their productivity.

Fortunately, there are a number of mobile apps that can help students so both. These apps are free and compatible to all Android and iOS devices.

1. Cam scanner

With the reduction of paper usage during online sessions, soft copy submissions have rapidly taken over. This increases the need to submit authentic documents digitally. Say farewell to tedious bulky scanners because CamScanner can execute the job perfectly from your fingertips. It has an auto enhance quality that makes the photo file sharp and clear. It can also convert photos into PDF files, auto edge cropping, wireless printing and be able to share it on all social media platforms. With this app you can definitely enjoy scanning anytime and anywhere because scanning documents has never been so easy.

2. Power Thesaurus

Top colleges in Manila, such as Enderun Colleges, are beginning to emphasize on students’ logical thinking and own writing styles. It’s no doubt that writing essays can be very tedious and monotonous, especially when you run out of words and ideas. Luckily, Power Thesaurus is a fast, convenient and comprehensive way that is specially designed for students and writers. Users can enjoy easy yet power assisting tools from definitions, spellings, audio pronunciation, synonyms, example sentences and word origins.

3. Cove

Continuing normal life routines and patterns during a global pandemic can be very stressful and exhausting on anybody. Especially during midterms and finals week where stress and anxieties hit through the roof. Which is why Cove should be a part of every student’s life. Instead of the conventional journals, Cove is a musical journal app that instead of using words to express how you feel, you use tunes and music that would create a melody of your feelings. It is a stress reliever app where users can channel their stress into making calm, clouded and gentle music. It is definitely a great way to express emotions and let music do all the talking.

4. Forest

While most Philippine colleges are shifting towards remote learning, adapting to the new change is no easy feat. Students face various challenges such as connectivity issues or have trouble focusing because of the easy presence of social media apps in their devices. Fortunately, Forest is an app that helps students be focused on their work in a fun and practical way. Users will have to set a timer on how long they plan to study and a tree will be planted, the tree will continue to grow while the user is focused on their work, however, leaving the app will cause the tree to die. This app provides an interesting way to focus and manage time for students in an amusing and pleasant way.

5. The Homework App

Online learning can be baffling and sometimes it’s easy to forget due dates and assignments. Which is why The Homework App is the most effective and simplest way to keep track of essays, assignments, presentations etc. It also offers a monthly and a weekly calendar to help users plan out their tasks efficiently throughout time. An alarm option is also available to alert users when the task must be completed or turned in. This app is a great way for students who are visual learners or have trouble being organized because they are overwhelmed with the number of assignments to squeeze in. It can also be customized as per users preferences such as color, fonts, wallpapers to give each user a sense of uniqueness and individuality.

Despite the local and global situation, it is always important to stay on top of things. These apps can prove to be very helpful for college students with their productivity and learning. However, at the end of the day, it all comes down to the student’s initiative to do well and make the most of the new normal.