For years now, personal digital devices have been a mainstay in society. Take for example, the 2011 story of the baby who thought a magazine was an iPad and didn’t know how to use it. Digital devices are everywhere.
Now, while many studies show that smart phones are a distraction to students and their use yields poorer results in the classroom, smart phones are not going anywhere. Students are going to have them even if they might pose a challenge.
Here are 9 clever uses for a smart phone to help enhance your performance in school:
1. Dropbox – Students often work on many different computer devices. Dropbox is a solution file storage solution which allows users to save their files on the cloud and access them from anywhere (beating the alternative of emailing files or saving them on a USB Drive). Users can feel confident knowing that their files are stored safely and securely and can take advantage of features such as a mobile app, automatic syncing to devices, and accessing previous versions of documents.
2. Evernote – More than simply a document sharing program, Evernote is a free, easy to use, multi-device, organizing system. Evernote users are able to organize files like documents, notes, audio, and photos, into notebooks and share them. Because of its versatile nature, Evernote is a great tool to use when organizing a project, researching for a paper, or keeping track of everyday life.
3. Flashcards – A smart phone enables learning to place from anywhere. Digital Flashcards is a great way to use a smart phone to study. Check out these free flashcard-creation tools to memorize as you go.
4. GoogleDrive – GoogleDrive is huge. A sophisticated cloud-based storage system, its capabilities run from simple to intricate and can be a tremendous boon for any college student. In addition to real time editing and collaboration of documents, spreadsheets, slides, it links directly to Gmail and an easy-to-read mobile version can be accessed from a smartphone.
5. RealCalc Scientific Calculator – While calculators which come pre-loaded onto phones certainly complete their tasks, sometimes you might need a tool which has higher functioning capabilities. Download a scientific calculator app and always be able to compute high level equations if the need should arise.
6. School reading/cramming – Ideally, it would be perfect if all students prepared well in advance for assessments and had no need to cram. However, in case you do need to squeeze in some last minute studying, use a smart phone to read on the way to school and finish preparing for exams. Or, use your smart phone to get a head start on reading assignments well before they are due and avoid that last minute rush.
7. GeniusScan – This app allows users to skip a bulky machine and only need their phones to create PDFs. After taking a picture through GeniusScan, users can edit the photo to create a clean, pristine look. Then, the image is converted into a PDF and can be shared through many means.
8. Take pictures of the board – No special app required! After a whirlwind lecture or a complicated physical science class, students often wish that their mental image of the whiteboard could stay intact since hurriedly drawn copies do not do it justice. At the end of class, snap a quick picture of the board with your smartphone. This frees students to pay attention and take notes in class knowing that they can review the detailed diagrams later.
9. Shoot videos – A smartphone’s video capabilities provide endless possibilities for a student. From conducting interviews for a school report, recording creative projects, or capturing a class concept in real life, video cameras enable learning to take place far beyond the classroom.
How do you use your smartphone to help with school?
Source: 12 Advanced Dropbox Features That You Should Start Using by Jane Callahan on Zapier.com
Reference herein to any specific commercial products, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise, does not constitute or imply an endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by Touro College.
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