Now in the 21th century, computers and technology has taken the human race by storm. Classrooms encourage the use of technology, and students rely so much on smartphones, tablets, and computers. However the potential of technology is limitless, and these 10 programs and accessories can help you reach your potential.
1. Secondary Monitor
Having a secondary monitor is a great way to increase productivity and efficiency while working. Having 2 monitors gives you more space to work on. With more space, you can have multiple windows, webpages, articles, or images open. When you are writing a report, rather than switching between windows and trying to remember little bits of data you can have the information right there beside the report you are working on. The time spent working on an assignment is reduced. Studies conducted by Jon Peddie Research also show an increase of 42% in productivity when using multiple monitors. For people on the go, there are options such as this portable monitor.
2. Offline Email Clients
Offline email clients such as Outlook, Thunderbird, and eM Client, are extremely useful to students and business people alike. The ability to access your mail offline is important as you cannot always rely on internet. Often times there are issues in networking, if you had an important meeting and forgot the time, you wouldn’t be able to access the email. Or if you are on a subway with no signal, same situation. Having your email stored offline is a good safety net. Having an offline email client also provides more security on your side, as it passes directly from your computer to the mail server, rather than going to a website before being able to read/write emails.
3. Antivirus
Antivirus is very important to you as a student, because it protects your data. The last thing you want is to lose your resume, or picture because of a virus. Even if you think you don’t need antivirus, get it, there are antivirus programs that have little impact on computer performance, and you never know when it will save you. Nowadays where everything is stored and typed/used online such as bank accounts, email, and even video calls it is better to be safe than sorry! Free antivirus options include Panda Antivirus, AVG Antivirus, and Avast Antivirus.
4. External Hard Drive
External hard drives are the best and easiest back up option around. Saving all your important files and pictures onto an external hard drive saves your precious data when something happens to your main devices. Dropping your computer or spilling coffee over it can result in you losing everything inside the device! With hard drive prices dropping by the day, it is one of the most cost effective ways of protecting your data. As well it is good for storing large files that you don’t need on your computer, such as TV shows, movies, or keeping installers for important programs on hand. For impatient people, consider investing in USB 3.0 hard drives (assuming your computer has an USB 3.0 port), as they are much faster than traditional USB 2.0 drives.
5. Grooveshark & Pandora
Grooveshark and Pandora are both music streaming sites, that you can use for free as long as you have internet connection. Both include a large variety of songs, and even broadcast stations. These sites are the ultimate companion during long hours spent working on reports and studying. Often times you can find whatever song pops into your mind, and even find new songs and bands from recommended lists. They also use much less bandwidth than Youtube, for those of you still watching Youtube playlists while studying.
6. Google Drive
Google Drive is an online cloud storage service. However it doesn’t stop there. Google Drive includes Google Docs, which is the prime way to work with partners on assignments and projects. Google Docs allows you to add people to your files, to either view or even edit. All changes to the file are made real time, you can see what your group mates are doing while you work, or sometimes what they are not doing. It also has a little chat box on the side so that you can talk to your group mates while working on the assignment. Although the Google Docs service does not offer as much as Microsoft Office, it has all the core features that are necessary for writing an A+ report.
7. External Battery Pack
With the reliance on portable technology nowadays, people tend to find out, they run out of power! Just when you get into a smooth roll working on an assignment your laptop displays a low battery warning. This is the last thing you want to happen. Carrying extra batteries for each individual device you have on your body does not seem to be an option either. This is where external battery packs come into play. They come in many various sizes, and top models include multiple ports to allow charging of multiple devices at once. Battery size ranges from 1 single smartphone charge, to charging your smartphone 4-5 times. Having this extra power is always handy. A lot of smaller battery packs also come with other features such as flashlights, which could always be useful.
8. Chegg
Chegg is a neat little website that provides step by step solutions to many textbooks at the cost of an subscription fee offered monthly or annually. This becomes a core study tool, as it can be easily used to search up solutions to questions that you don’t know how to do. Some textbooks also do not offer solution manuals or may be prone to incorrect answers, as well as not showing the steps to reach the answer. This is where Chegg comes in handy. Chegg also offers a tutoring service at a price per minute fee. Spending a little money here can prevent you from retaking a whole course, or improve your marks to get that scholarship you wanted.
9. Tablet
Tablets were all the rage a few years back when the first iPad was released. However as of lately, the hype has died down. This does not mean that tablets are not useful anymore, rather the tablet could not fit in. A typical student carries 2 devices, a smartphone, and a computer. With both these devices there was really no reason to carry a tablet as well. However the latest trends in tablet development is to create hybrid convertible tablets which can perform more roles. A hybrid tablet laptop takes advantage of both worlds, providing a keyboard to type quick notes, as well the flexibility of a touchscreen, and being both more responsive than a laptop and lighter. With 3 OS’s to choose from, it is very good option for students. Those who prefer tradition windows have Windows 8 tablets as well as the Microsoft Surface to choose from, which allow you to use majority of the programs you are used to already on a computer.
10. Noise Cancelling Head/Ear phones
With the increase of post secondary students applying, that also means moving away from home, where you can study peacefully. Students move into dorms with roommates making studying harder with all the distractions around even at libraries. Noise cancelling head/ear phones are perfect for these situations zoning out outside noises allowing you to work on your current assignment or finish reading that chapter. For those who do not like using head/ear phones or already own a pair of standard head/ear phones, ear plugs are also available.
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