So you’ve decided to take on a course of
further education … here are the right Mac and iPad tools for success
Embarking on a new phase of learning, be it
A levels, a college course or university degree, can be a glorious and rewarding
experience. But the scale of the task can also be intimidating, especially if
your discipline and organizational skills are notable by their absence.
Macs
help students of any age and ability manage their learning
Additionally, if you’re entering higher
education as a mature student, your mental faculties may not be as keen as they
once were. As one gets older the desire to learn increases while the power to
retain information in your grey cells grows that little bit weaker.
But help is at hand. There is a reassuring
array of apps available both for desktop and handheld Apple devices that help
students of any age and ability manage their learning.
The basics covered
In truth, quite a lot of the study basics
are covered by software that comes with OS X Mountain Lion and iOS 6 right out
of the box. Using Apple’s proprietary software you can comfortably get by,
that’s for sure. With iCal your organization is simple enough, Reminders will
keep you on track with your timetabling needs, while Notes will serve as a
perfectly functional aide memories. Moreover, in its generosity, Apple has
given us iTunes U (if you haven’t explored it already, you really should do so
immediately) – a free online educational resource containing thousands of
audio, video and transcribed lectures from prestigious educators and seats of
learning around the globe. Inevitably the courses provided won’t match your
specific curriculum precisely, but the wealth of relevant and just plain
fascinating information available is astonishing.
So, job done. All the bases covered.
Nothing more to be said…except, there is. A lot more to be said. As is often
the case, Apple’s own software does what it does with great style but it only
goes so far. As a result there are app developers out there who have pored over
the existing options, found them wanting, and developed their own offerings,
each delivering something a little over and above the norm.
When it comes to the three key areas of
study – time management, note-taking and revision – there are a few standout
products that can make your time in higher education a lot more straightforward
and productive.
Time management
No matter how whip-smart you are, you will
only succeed in gaining your qualifications if you can actually remember to
attend lectures and set aside time to study. For some, this is a discipline
that is hard to master. What’s required is a time management app that behaves
as a personal assistant would.
iStudiez
Pro is the perfect app to help students keep on top of their weekly study
agenda, in a single helpful interface
Our app of choice is iStudiez Pro (Enfiero
Incorporated, OS X: $10, iOS Universal: $3). It costs a few quid but even
students on a budget should consider purchasing both the desktop and iOS
versions as they have pretty much everything you need o organize your working
life. Visually, it’s clean and attractive with three main viewing options.
First an Overview screen presents all lessons, lectures, assignments and key
dates in calendar form. The Assignments screen presents a checklist of work to
be completed along with options to set dates, priority, study partners and
reminders. And finally there’s the Planner view which displays a list of study
subjects along with an attractive ‘card’ for each lecture, including information
on tutors, times, frequency of lectures and so on. Additionally, iStudiez Pro
has its own contacts database that can be synced with your existing contacts
but which can then also be tailored to specify individual tutors and any
classes you have with them. Use the OS X version of iStudiez Pro with the
universal iOS app (the two sync effortlessly) and you have a powerful tool at
your disposal, with access to all your college admin information at any time.
A less expensive option is iHomework (Paul
Pilone, OS X: 69p, iOS Universal: 69p). This shares many similarities with
iStudiez Pro, albeit in a much less polished package. Again having entered your
various data regarding tutors, courses, subjects, lectures and the like, you
can then view the information separately in detail, as a checklist or in a
calendar format, and sync your schedule with the iOS version of the software.
The interface is somewhat dry and utilitarian, and as such is less visually
intuitive and less pleasurable to use. But it is a very useful, feature-rich
tool that you can snap up for the price of a pot noodle.
Also worthy of mention is Schoolhouse
(Logan Collins, OS X: $4.5). It’s a no-frills scheduling app that provides a
clean and functional way of tracking courses, lectures and tasks, as well as
enabling you to attach websites and media files for quick access. It’s OS
X-only so it’s perhaps more suited to someone studying via a correspondence
course (like the Open University) who doesn’t necessarily need to have all that
information to hand 24/7. But it does what it does with admirable efficiency.
