1) Watch TV
AIME started out running mentoring programs for Aboriginal high school students, which have now become what they call ‘Imagination Factories’ on university campuses.
When the shutdown started they launched Imagination TV, ‘so that every kid can have a mentor in their lives every day during this unprecedented time, and the kids who most need support are not left behind’.
Keep an eye out for some famous faces!
2) Start University Early
Open Learn is PACKED! You can practice your eyewitness skills by making a photofit of a criminal’s (or Beyonce’s) face, learn about aquatic mammals, or do a course to build skills that will help you cope with isolation. They’ll even give you a certificate when you complete a course.
And then there’s iTunesU* – which has university courses from around the world. This includes all the big names like Harvard, Yale, Oxford and Cambridge. They put their actual classes online, so can see what it would be like to study there (without the homework, or the parties).
*If you don’t have an iPhone you can download iTunes, and then search for different universities through Podcasts in the iTunes Store. It’s a bit weird but it seems to work.
3) Play Games
Yep, they have officially been ‘educational’ for ages now.
DuoLingo is a really fun and natural way to learn new languages, and the bird is super cute – although a bit intense at times.
Over at Learn4Good there are some kinda old school games, but with names like Arm Surgery 2 and Mansion Impossible it’s hard to resist.
If you really feel like leaning in there’s Pandemic 2, where you play an evil scientist who’s trying to infect everyone on earth with a biological weapon (if you’re not already playing Plague Inc that is).
There’s also Oligarchy, where you get to be an Oil Tycoon – make a profit at ALL costs! If you’re successful you may even make it to the secret Government bunker.
4) Reading and Listening
Reading is always great. If your library isn’t open yet they probably have an ebook collection you can borrow from.
If your eyes are falling out of your head from too much screen time, then try having a listen to a podcast like Stuff You Missed in History Class. There are so many out there you’re sure to find something you’re interested in – have a browse on Podsearch.
5) Need a helping hand?
Not sure what your teacher is talking about in maths? Maths is Fun has fantastic explanations of a lot of high school maths – I use this website with all my maths students. Just put your topic in the search bar and off you go!
The State Library of Victoria has HEAPS of resources, and they’re running online tutorials to show you how to use them. They even have guides for some VCE subjects.
If history is your thing you might want to become a citizen collector for their Memory Bank project. Right now they want to hear what life is like for all of us in isolation.
And, of course, there’s always online tutoring – let us know if we can help!
