For decades, TV shows have told us that with technology will come a lack of need for studying; after all, robots were meant to do the menial tasks while we wore headsets which told us everything we needed to know. However in the world where teleportation devices and floating cars are yet to be invented, gadgets can still help us to study. College, for most pupils, is a juxtaposition between the desire to party and the desire to not flunk the next test – here are just 10 of the best ways to make your study time more productive.
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Voice recognition on gadgets
Once upon a time, voice recognition software was atrocious – in the eyes of that computer, “shut down” and “restart” would have been indistinguishable. However nowadays computers have an immense facility to recognize words extreme accurately. Rather than typing an essay or using the mouse to click “copy”, new operating systems will allow you to speak commands to your computer. A great way to save some time.
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A good alarm clock
Sure, alarm clocks aren’t really gadgets any more. However one option which has recently become available with alarm clocks is a programmable level of noise for different occasions. Students are renowned for their ability to sleep through a regular alarm clock, and thus the need for a super-loud alarm clock was spawned. If you struggle to wake up in the morning, it’s a pretty decent investment to make.
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Use a desktop
Laptops are a godsend for students who need to travel on a regular basis, but otherwise it’s a good idea to opt for a desktop PC in a dorm room. Not only are they generally cheaper, but desktops have a better facility for processing power and usually have larger hard drives. Student life is all about saving money – a laptop is a much worse investment than a good quality PC.
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Use an eBook reader
No, this does not mean buy an iPad with the excuse that it will help you with your studies; we all know that Angry Birds will take precedence over the reading app. Buy a Kindle (regular, not Fire!) to use with free online PDF files to help with your studies. You won’t have to carry around piles of books, and all digital copies can be backed up using a memory stick or PC.
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Noise-cancelling headphones
Distractions are more common in university than the parties are. Every student will have, at some point in their life, had to leave their studies to go and see who it is screaming down the other end of the hallway or join the party that they can hear raging downstairs. Noise-cancelling headphones are the way to combat this – they will block out any noise which isn’t coming from a music device (so you can still use them to listen to music) to help you to concentrate on your studies.
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A Dictaphone
Sure, you’re thinking that a Dictaphone is in no way a new gadget. However there are now applications on most smartphones that emulate a Dictaphone; students can therefore use it to take fast but detailed notes from books or in lectures.
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A scientific calculator
This is yet another gadget that the new generation might scorn, but it would be foolish to underestimate the usefulness of a scientific calculator. Of course this is much more beneficial to math and science students, but even students who are doing economics might find that they need a good, reliable calculator.
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Evernote App
Satisfied that we’re now talking about new technology? The Evernote app is probably one of the most useful applications that students can have on their phones – besides Facebook, of course. You never know when you’ll want to take some notes in your life; you might walk past a bus stop and see an advert that you can discuss in your latest essay on product design, or your friend might recommend a really good book to help with that Cold War essay. No matter what you use it for, Evernote is today’s equivalent of having to carry a pen and paper wherever you go.
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A digital organiser
Let it never be said that the Filofax has gone out of fashion, but to be realistic it may no longer be as practical for students as a mobile phone. Most mobile devices allow you to sync a calendar with an organiser – to make your studies really effective, you can use the digital organiser to make sure that you are always focusing on the right task.
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Buy a projector
I can almost read your mind: “What good is a projector to a student?” Well the answer is simple. Kinaesthetic learners will find that studying for exam papers is much easier when they can visualise the content that they are supposed to be remembering.
Written by Sonia Jackson from
www.essay-bag.com
