Boost your Open and Distance Learning with these applications

 

Boost Your Open and Distance Learning with these Applications 

There are plenty of apps available in both App store and the Play store that will help with the Open and Distance learning process. Most of students are only aware about applications such as Zoom, Google Meet and Microsoft teams which is used widely in Open and Distance learning process to conduct online lectures. However. there are plenty of other applications that can be used to succeed in the Open and Distance learning process. The following content provides more details about some of those applications.   


Forest 

                                  

This application does reinforce students to stay focused and motivated while engaging in open and distance learning since the tree will continue to grow as they focus on the task in hand. 

The app is also promoting the usage of the Pomodoro method as well.  Tree will only grow if the app continues to run. If not the tree will die. Therefore, the student will get reluctant to shift between mobile apps but stay focused on studies. Forest will be productive for any task that requires an attention span between ten minutes to two hours.  

To maintain consistency, the app include gamification techniques. The users will be able to earn digital coins after each successful focus session. This will enable the users to unlock new trees which is another reinforcement.     

The feature to track progress on daily, weekly or monthly basis, empowers users to monitor their advancements systematically. Thus, this feature stimulate both accountability and consistent growth through reinforcements.         

 

Flora 


Flora is an application similar to "Forest". Both of these applications use gamified Pomodoro method. However, Flora is not yet available on Android.  The application allows the users to pause the time if the user need to switch to other vital applications such as online dictionaries and AI tools to obtain further clarification on course content if required. 

There is another fascinating feature on this application and that is to grow trees together with others. For an example users can work on a group project and grow tress together as a team. As long as none of them look at the phone or shift through different applications, the tree/s will start to grow.   

Moreover, the users can also force their concentration by setting up a price on their focus. The app will then charge an amount above 5 dollars if the tree dies and this amount will then be used to plant real tress in rural communities.              



Study bunny 




This application is some what similar to "Forest" reinforcing the users to stay motivated while engaging in Open and Distance learning process. This app includes Astounding features such as flashcards, a study track list and a To-do-list.      

The app allows the users to do adorable customization such as changing the hats, clothes and other accessories of the bunny by using the coins earned from studying. When seeing the bunny gets customized, the users will remain reinforced when they collect more bunnies and seeing their bunnies get customized through their consistency. 

In addition to the features above, the application also have some interesting features designed to motivate the users when they experience demotivation. Features such as animations of the bunny to cheer the users by tapping them is so effective for the users to stay motivated.  

The application also contains a study tracker that will help the users to monitor their progress over time. In the meantime, the app also emphasize on the importance of taking breaks. Thus, the app reminds the users to stay focused on task and take regular breaks to refresh themselves.     


Freedom   




This application helps the users to eliminate their distractions and stay focused on the task in hand. In today's fast-paced world, distractions are very common. Therefore, this application is much more effective and relatable in Open and Distance learning. This application specifically useful for those who find it hard to stay focused.  

This application blocks distractive websites and other applications such as Social media apps. The application contains features such as System-level blocking and Customizable Blocklist which will prevent opening such applications during active sessions. Thus, the app will make it much easier to focus on the task.  

The arousal levels of students are also a crucial factor when engaging in Open and Distance learning. Student with a higher level of arousal may wait until the very last moment to study as they need higher level of arousal or stimulation to perform at their very best. On the other hand the students with low levels of arousals, find it hard to focus and become stressful when they engage in stressful activities or engage in studies at the very last moment. Therefore, regardless of the arousal level of the users, the application guide the users to remain focus by playing either a soft music or ambient sounds as they prefer which will motivate them to remain focused.  

The application also serves as an effective tool to prevent procrastinating and enhance the users will power to get work done to achieve success in whatever they do. Even though this application is mostly used by students, it can be used for any task that requires concentration.     


Remember the Milk 




This application is helpful to create to-do lists. Since most of the students enrolled in Open and Distance learning are employed, they may find it harder to remember everything that they have to accomplish with regard to their studies while engaging on their daily chores. They may miss out on important things that they have to do with regard to their studies. Thus, maintaining a To-do-list through an application will help the users to keep track of the tasks that they have to prioritize on a given day.  

The application allows the users to organize tasks based on different parts of their life. For an example, the application facilitates the users to organize the tasks based on classifications such as office work, school work and personal work. 

Furthermore, the application also helps to delegate tasks among other users when needed facilitating to-do lists for group projects.      

 

Exam Countdown Lite



  

The most fascinating feature of this application is that an individual can keep track of their exams and deadlines. The app includes displaying a countdown in either days, weeks or months. This will act as a reminder to prepare for the examinations or tasks in hand beforehand.    

The other most compelling feature of the app is that it allows the users to organize the subjects based on their level of complexity for easy identification and to organize study hours. 

The application also facilitate the users to setup reminders and notifications. Since majority of the students engaged in Open and Distance Learning are employed, integrating such a feature will indeed help the students to monitor deadlines effectively, helping to avoid last minute stress. 

Open and Distance learning foster access to learning to diverse age categories. Even though more young adults are engaged in Open and Distance Learning, it even attracts the individuals going through middle and even late adulthood stages to engage in Open and Distance learning, many of who may have limited IT literacy. So the app being user friendly will surely help such students to use the app for their advantage while engaging in Open and Distance learning process. 


Cisco Webex 



The application eliminate the geographical constraints in education. A student residing in Sri Lanka has the capability to access courses and learning materials offered by prestigious international universities without the necessity of obtaining a visa and relocate in respective country. 

The app facilitates seamless virtual classroom experiences, by offering features to provide real- time lectures with high definition video and audio features. The noise cancellation and voice enhancement enhance the audio clarity.   

Additionally, the feature to record the sessions ensures accessibility for students across different time zones.  
    
The application stimulates team collaboration through features such as One on One or group messaging while sharing the screen and files while integrating with cloud apps. Moreover, the application also has  Artificial Intelligence (AI) features including Real time transcriptions, AI generated meeting summaries and voice command options.    


RingCentral 


RingCentral is also another application used in Open and Distance learning to conduct online lectures. According to some psychologists, communication can be interpreted more holistically, when the parties involved in communication can see each other. As Ring Central streamline effective video conferencing through high definition video and audio facilities, it will help both the students and lecturers to engage in a productive study session with less technical distractions.    

Furthermore, as other applications used for video conferencing and online tutoring, Ring Central offers comfort to share files while conducting online sessions and the privacy of such files will be protected as the communication is end to end encrypted. 


Conclusion 


With the evolution of online education, different applications to help the individuals engaged in the Open and distance learning process are widely available. However, majority of the students are only aware about the applications used to conduct online lectures such as Google Meet, Zoom and Microsoft teams. The applications that will help the students to stay focused, reinforcing them to successfully engage in the Open and Distance learning process. To maintain to do lists and avoid distractions are available. Applications such as Forest, Flora and Study bunny will help and motivate students to maintain their focus while applications such as Freedom, Remember the Milk and Exam Countdown lite will help to eliminate distractions and to keep track of the priority list.   
 
Additionally, applications such as Cisco Webex and RingCentral will facilitates seamless online lectures without any technical distractions. Allowing to share files and other study materials with safety while enhancing the ability to engage in high definition video and audio conferencing.                  


References 

Brandon,J. (2020, May 7).An app called Forest made a big difference in my screen time and distraction level. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/johnbbrandon/2020/05/07/an-app-called-forest-made-a-big-difference-in-my-screen-time-and-distraction-level/         

Seppings,J. (2024, November 21).Forest: App Review. Voxel Hub. https://voxelhub.org/contributor-post/forest-app-review/      

Nerdynav.(2023, October 17).Forest vs Flora / Best Productivity Pomodoro App? My Experience & Review (2023) [Blog post].Nerdynav. https://nerdynav.com/forest-vs-flora-pomodoro/    

ICS Learn.(2025, January 24).Top 10 Studying Apps for High School Students 2025 [Blog Post].https://www.icslearn.co.uk/blog/gcse-and-a-levels/top-10-studying-apps-for-high-school-students/  

Bell,N. (2021, June 16). Review: Time Management apps to keep you on track. The Sentinel. https://deeprunsentinelonline.org/2404/features/time-management-apps/       

Nnrqeenn[@nnrqeenn]. (2023, November 19). Make your study more fun with study bunny! [Post].Lemon8.https://www.lemon8-app.com/@nnrqeenn/7302964766247535110?region=us.   

Ellefson,L. (2025 April 9). Study Bunny is the Cutest Productivity Timer (but That's About It). Life Hacker.https://lifehacker.com/tech/study-bunny-productivity-app-review    

An In-depth Guide to Online Learning Courses. (2020, September 8).RingCentral. https://www.ringcentral.com/gb/en/blog/an-in-depth-guide-to-online-learning-courses/ 

Cisco.(2020,September 01).Webex Improves Secure Distance Learning Options [Blog Post].https://newsroom.cisco.com/c/r/newsroom/en/us/a/y2020/m09/webex-improves-secure-distance-learning-options.html

            

        


                             

 

Comments

  1. PsychwithZieMay 26, 2025 at 4:19 AM

    Very unique

    ReplyDelete
  2. Oneli EknaMay 29, 2025 at 6:22 AM

    Very useful post! Great to know there are more apps to support ODL beyond Zoom and Meet.

    ReplyDelete

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