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Ready for school? There's an app for that

Smartphone Graphic RGB-01
(Graphic by Brett Ferrin)

The sudden knowledge at 1  a.m. that your 10-page paper is due in the morning can cause a gut-wrenching panic. What about that time you were waiting in line to take your final, and realized you forgot to bring notes for some much-needed, last-minute studying? School is stressful. Luckily, technology can help ease some of that stress.

Apps. It’s all about the apps. If you need assistance with something, there’s probably an app for that.

Get Canvas by Infrastructure on your phone, stat. Turn on all notifications for assignments. These will help remind you of an upcoming assignment. I have the notifications sent to my student email which gets forwarded to another email address and both emails are sent to my phone. I get three notifications on my phone days before an assignment or an exam is coming up. I also get notifications of grades for assignments and exams when they get posted to Canvas. This way I can keep track of my grades.

For the classes that don’t utilize Canvas, there’s myHomework. This app allows you to input all your assignments and warns you of impending due dates. I usually enter all my information on my computer when I get my syllabus, which syncs to my phone.

OneNote is my number one choice for note taking. OneNote is a Microsoft program that comes with your Office package. It syncs well with other Microsoft programs. It also saves to a cloud, which means you can sync your notes directly to the OneNote application on your phone. You can even insert pictures taken from your phone into your notes. This way, if you ever need clarification before an exam, your notes are right at your fingertips. With this program you can go from your laptop to your phone without effort.

Most of us don’t have a lot of time between school days, work and homework. At the end of the day, the last thing we want to do is tackle the assigned reading.  It’s tedious and — let’s face it — we fall asleep by page five anyway. Audible is here to save the day. If you have an auxiliary port in the car, listen to your book in the car on the way to school. Listen to the book on the shuttle. Listen to the book while walking from class to class. You’ll be finished with the required reading in no time.

Quizlet is an app that gives you a set of digitized flashcards, complete with nifty memory games. You can create your own flashcards or you can utilize flashcards that other students have created based on the subject. This is available online or as an app. Note cards are how some of us study, so having them on your phone is much easier than carrying a stack around wherever you go.

For those of you attempting chemistry, download Chemistry Helper. It has an amazing periodic table, a molecular mass calculator, a list of the common polyatomic ions and other tools to help you succeed in chemistry.

All of us need to unwind every now and then. For list of events, places to eat or places to play, try One Ogden. The One Ogden app is the best way to keep informed with the latest and greatest things happening around town. Ogden is a college town now, and most places downtown offer student discounts. This app is especially great for students who are new to the area. Click on a place, and One Ogden pulls up directions to the address, the phone number and even a website.

If you need help staying on top of your busy life, that’s okay. The apps are here to help.

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