The Internet is a great source of information but it can also be a huge distraction to anyone studying for an exam, particularly the Junior Certificate.
Jam-packed with tips, advice and support, it is important your teenager knows how to properly use it so that it becomes a resource rather than a distraction.
1. Allocate a certain amount of internet usage
It is so easy to get sucked into the web, and you can spend hours scrolling through sites without actually doing anything productive. To make your child’s Internet usage more productive, allocate a certain amount of time to using it - you can even use an egg timer to track how long is left. The aim of this is to ensure your child focuses more on the task at hand rather than getting lost in the maze that is the World Wide Web.
2. Know the websites to use
Whether it's for the Junior or Leaving Certificate, certain websites can be a huge resource for anyone studying. For instance, JC-Learn.ie is a membership website which offers Junior Certificate notes, exam answers and study advice across the eleven most popular subjects such as English, Irish, Maths and French. It also has a chat forum, examinations material and a messaging facility in which the user asks a question and they get a personal response by e-mail. It is a fast, responsive and easy to use website, ready to help Junior Cert students.
3. Use bookmarks correctly
When your son or daughter comes across a good site make sure they bookmark it - this will cut down the time they spend searching for sites that are useful. They can create folders categorised by subjects to make finding it easier but just make sure they don’t mark too many things, otherwise they’ll never find what they are looking for.
4. Focus on the first two pages of the search results
Whether you search in Google, Bing or Yahoo!, your search generally results in THOUSANDS of sites to click on. To keep it simple, only focus on the first two results pages and be selective when choosing what to click - and remember to bookmark the good ones.
5. Be disciplined
Even if you only have an hour or two scheduled, it is very easy to end up spending HOURS scrolling through things that mean nothing. This is why it is so important your child is self-disciplined in what they look at online and how they use their time wisely. You can give a hand by popping your head in and out to see what's going on.
