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Apps to help students improve performance

Last Updated 30 August 2015, 18:31 IST
The pressure to do better is always hanging over the heads of students, like the sword of Damocles. If that Damocles reference has you confused, why not look up the ancient story using the Google app? Then continue reading this column to discover other apps that can help students with their studies and make the back-to-school transition smoother.

Among the apps worth considering is gFlash+, which takes flashcards to a whole new level. You can create digital cards and write facts that you need to remember on them (“e to the power of i times pi is 1,” or some such). Use those cards to quiz yourself.

You can embed photos, audio files or videos, or all three, into flashcards to make them more visual and interactive. Users can share their flashcard sets with others through email, so a whole study group could benefit.

The core app, which allows users to create unlimited card sets, is free on iOS and Android. The pro version, which costs $4 (Rs 264), gets rid of ads and includes organising features and more. You can also pay to get access to card sets from third-party publishers, including big names in education like McGraw-Hill. StudyBlue is an alternative flashcard app with many of the same features, including quizzes and card-sharing, but a cleaner, more minimalistic look. Users can see millions of flashcards created and shared by other students and teachers.

To use most of the app’s features, StudyBlue users need to create a free account on iOS and Android. Upgrading to the pro edition gives users access to extras like the ability to customise the format of your flashcards. StudyBlue’s pro level is somewhat pricey at $18 (Rs 1,190) a month or $80 (Rs 5,292) a year.

Note-taking is a vital part of student life, which is one reason to check out the Notability app. Notability, $6 (Rs 396) for iPhones and iPads, lets users sketch on their screens, take handwritten notes or type notes. Typed notes don’t have to be in a linear document style - text boxes can be added anywhere on the page. Students can also annotate source material that is in PDF form directly from the app.

And the app lets users make audio recordings of lectures or discussions so they can review a lesson later.

Notability also remembers the order in which you made your sketches and notes, and shows them at the appropriate points when you play the audio back. The app integrates with cloud services like Dropbox and iCloud and social media platforms like Twitter, making it easier to share notes with classmates.

On Android, Papyrus is a great alternative to Notability, providing many of the same functions. Users can take handwritten notes, make sketches using drawing tools, type in text and annotate images.

But while Papyrus is Notability’s equal in looks and ease of use, it lacks audio recording capabilities. To annotate PDFs, you will have to pay for an upgrade. Paid extras like this cost $2 (Rs 132) or more. For students needing a good graphing calculator, the Quick Graph calculator app, free on iOS, is a popular choice. Its range of features includes 3-D equation-plotting, and its gesture-based interface is easy to control. An upgrade for more features costs $2 (Rs 132).

Graphing Calculator by Mathlab is a similar app and free on Android, and it has even more features, including a full scientific calculator mode. Its complexity, however, with many layers of options and menus, can get confusing.

Keeping track of class times, assignment details and test dates can be tiresome. But myHomework Student Planner, free on iOS and Android, can help keep a schedule organised. Its best features are a clean appearance and the ability to keep track of events on a time-based, period-based or block-timing schedule.

For the record, in the ancient story, Damocles pandered to his king, Dionysius, exclaiming how lucky Dionysius was to have so much authority. The king offered to trade places with Damocles, who accepted - only to find a sword hanging above the throne held up by a single horsehair. The point: With power comes constant danger.

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(Published 30 August 2015, 17:09 IST)

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