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Showing posts with label Education. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Education. Show all posts

Thursday, July 21, 2016

Why The Future Of Learning Is Self-Education

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There is probably no other American as revered as Benjamin Franklin. This inventor, scientist, statesmen and founding father of our country still influences modern life every time we vote, flick on a light or visit a library. What’s more amazing is that Ben Franklin was almost entirely self taught.


Although he received some formal schooling, from the age of ten on up, Franklin’s accomplishments were almost entirely as a result of his own desire to learn. And this was in a day and age when books were rare and expensive, and knowledge a rare and valuable commodity.

As we move further into the 21st century, the idea of self-education is going to continue to broaden and expand, making the life-long learner the most valuable person in the workplace, not the person with the fancy (and outdated) degree. That’s not to say that formal education is going to go away. There will always be a need for excellent universities and inspiring teachers. But the person who takes it upon himself to learn and explore topics—to broaden their own horizons—will always enjoy an edge, whether it be in business or as a citizen.

And what an amazing time to desire self-education! Never before has so much knowledge been so readily available. What would Ben have thought of Google, Wikipedia or TED Talks? It’s said that the sum of all human knowledge—everything we know about everything—is doubling every 18 months. New discoveries in science, technology and astronomy are happening almost every minute of every day. The most remarkable thing is that these discoveries are almost instantaneously available to anyone with an Internet connection.

Even more amazing are all of the systems, tools and resources that are popping up everywhere that offers people the chance to learn about any topic they desire. Want to learn how to design a web page? There are lots of free resources to learn HTML and CSS coding online. Struggling with math, science or physics? The Khan Academy offers anyone the change to learn or (re-learn) anything from basic addition to advanced Calculus through a library of over 3,400 video based lessons, again for free.

Beyond cost lies the fact that so many people learn differently. Some are auditory learners, others visual. One student might thrive in a classroom where the teacher simply talks while another slowly slips further and further behind. With all of these new interactive learning systems comes the potential of true differentiated learning. Now more than ever, anyone can learn anything in a style that is tailored to their specific learning style.

This means that the person who struggled in school–the person with ADHD, or Autism or simply anyone who hated sitting in a classroom all day when they wanted to be exploring the real world outside—anyone now has access to the knowledge they want or need.

And what’s most amazing is that no one really knows where this will lead us. It has only been within the last one hundred and fifty years that any type of education, even rudimentary learning, was available to anyone but the most privileged. Now, a villager in Africa can take classes at MIT, Stanford or Princeton. What types of new discoveries are going to be made? And more importantly what kinds of people will we see taking up the challenge to better themselves and the rest of the human race through education.


One thing is for certain, never again will lack of education be an excuse for anyone on Planet Earth to learn what they need to learn to survive, learn a trade or get ahead in life. Right this second, there lies at your fingertips the entire Library of Congress, the writings of every great thinker and the combined knowledge of 2,000 years of civilization. All that’s required is a thirst to learn and a burning question that needs to be answered.

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Things You Must Know About Domain Names

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A domain name locates an organization or other entity on the Internet. For example, the domain name
www.undocopy.com
locates an Internet address for "totalbaseball.com" at Internet point 199.0.0.2 and a particular host server named "www." The "com" part of the domain name reflects the purpose of the organization or entity (in this example, "commercial") and is called thetop-level domain name. The "totalbaseball" part of the domain name defines the organization or entity and together with the top-level is called the second-level domainname. The second-level domain name maps to and can be thought of as the "readable" version of the Internet address.
A third level can be defined to identify a particular host server at the Internet address. In our example, "www" is the name of the server that handles Internet requests. (A second server might be called "www2.") A third level of domain name is not required. For example, the fully-qualified domain name could have been "totalbaseball.com" and the server assumed.
Subdomain levels can be used. For example, you could have "www.nyyankees.totalbaseball.com." Together, "www.totalbaseball.com" constitutes a fully-qualified domain name.
Second-level domain names must be unique on the Internet and registered with one of theICANN-accredited registrars for the COM, NET, and ORG top-level domains. Where appropriate, a top-level domain name can be geographic. (Currently, most non-U.S. domain names use a top-level domain name based on the country the server is in.) To register a U. S. geographic domain name or a domain name under a country code, see an appropriate registrar.
On the Web, the domain name is that part of the Uniform Resource Locator(URL) that tells a domain name server using the domain name system (DNS) whether and where to forward a request for a Web page. The domain name is mapped to an IP address (which represents a physical point on the Internet).
More than one domain name can be mapped to the same Internet address. This allows multiple individuals, businesses, and organizations to have separate Internet identities while sharing the same Internet server.

The World’s First Network


The practice of using domain names began in 1969 when the US government set out to find a means to share and access information throughout the country even if one of its main computers (which used to be as large as rooms) get damaged in the event of a catastrophe. The ARPA or Advanced Research Projects Agency awarded the bid to create the first computer network in history to BBN Technologies, and the resulting network was then known as ARPANET.

It worked this way: telephone networks and IMPs or Interface Message Processors connected four main computers situated in different locations in the United States. By hooking up to the IMP, each of the four computers could then begin exchanging information within days. 

By 1985, the network had grown bigger and the number of computers connected to ARPANET multiplied. It then became difficult to use the centralized numerical system that was implemented to identify each computer host (the numeric addresses were basically the IP addresses of the computers connected to the network). In that same year, to simplify the naming of computers connected to any network, the DNS or Domain Name System—which had been already created in 1983—was implemented. “.Arpa” became the first top level domain (TLD) listed in the DNS. Host names belonging to ARPANET were then given labels plus the “.arpa” domain name.

Thanks to the progression from numeric labelling to using simple words, people today are able to easily recall URLs and access websites with far less—even zero—hassle thanks to domain names.




Top Facts You Must Know About Domain Names


Along with “.arpa,” there were other TLDs that were also registered in the DNS. These are still widely used today, and are truncated versions of the entities for which they were originally created.

.com Truncated from the word “commercial,” this TLD was initially controlled by the US Department of Defense. At present, it is being managed by VeriSign. It was intended for commercial entities and in 1995, the NSF or National Science Foundation, which is responsible for its maintenance, started selling the domain for an annual fee ranging from $50-$100. The commercial distinction quickly became irrelevant though ever since registration for .com (and also .org and .net) soon became unrestricted. 

The very first registered .com domain was Symbolics.com (on March 15, 1985).


.org – This is known as the first generic TLD and was truncated from “organization.” Like .com it was created to distinguish non-defense interests, except that .org was intended for non-profit entities, such as Greenpeace.org. Nevertheless, the PIR or Public Interest Registry—which manages the domain—currently charges $7.70 per domain name registered.

Mitre.org of the MITRE Corporation was the first to be registered under the .org domain on July 10, 1985.


.mil – This is the domain reserved for the United States Department of Defense. It is short for “military.” The Department still makes use of .com and .edu for its recruitment, general information, and service academies websites, though.

.net – This is another generic TLD. “.Net” was intended for organizations involved in networking technologies. Many believe that a .net is not "brandable" and should not be used to build an online business. But take the example of Oversee.net, one of the most successful domain buying/selling company, founded by a very young entrepreneur, Lawrence Ng. 

Interesting facts:

  • .net is also currently managed by VeriSign.
  • The oldest and still existing .net domain is Nordu.net.





.edu– .edu is a sponsored TLD. It was—and still is—designated for four-year, post-secondary educational institutions (colleges and universities). It used to be available to educational institutions from anywhere in the world, but since the majority are using country-level domains, .edu became exclusive for US-accredited post-secondary schools since 2001.

.gov – This is another sponsored TLD, but is restricted for US government use only. Other countries include country code TLDs or second-level domains (SLDs) to their government URLs for easy distinction.

Speaking of country code TLDs (ccTLDs), assigning two-letter characters to signify the country source started 1985 with .uk, .us and .il. Eight more were added in 1986. However, it wasn’t until 2010 when the IANA or Internet Assigned Numbers Authority widely implemented the ccTLDs. Obviously they are exclusive to the country of origin, and the characters or alphabets used are native to the country of origin as well.

Today, these domains are widely used along with a simple, memorable, and often personalized domain name. Anyone interested in creating a website with a personalized domain simply need to contact domain services and purchase the rights to a unique—and preferably monetizable—domain name.
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Wednesday, July 20, 2016

Which is Better for Mobile Blogger ? Netbooks vs. Laptops

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As a busy freelancer, your life constantly involves darting from place to place at break-neck speed, whilst trying to juggle your various streams of freelance work.
To accompany this mad mobile lifestyle (that only the bravest of people choose) you need a tool that can keep up the pace and never drag you down.


So, you go to the computer section of your favorite electronics outlet and you begin to wonder what equipment to purchase. What will best meet your needs?

You wonder, should I get a netbook, should I get a laptop, or something else?

In this post, we’ll discuss the pros and cons for selecting a laptop and a netbook.

About Netbooks

Netbooks–also known as ‘mini-laptops’–are small, lightweight and ultra-portable computers which have been growing in popularity. However, these useful modifications to the laptop do come at a cost. Let’s look at the pros and cons of selecting a netbook.

Netbook Pros

Here are some benefits to selecting a netbook:

They are small and lightweight. This is brilliant for those on the move constantly. Being able to whip it out anywhen and anywhere to type up those final notes or jot out a life plan, is essential for a freelancer of any type. Also, with the ability to shove it into a bag without anyone knowing it is there, you are protected from potential computer-thieves.

Long battery life. The average netbook has a longer battery life, ranging from anywhere between four to over ten hours. When constantly moving in an ever increasingly hectic freelancing lifestyle, knowing that you have the battery life to sustain you on the longest of train journeys, lectures and meetings gives you peace of mind. The irritating beep-beep of a dying battery will seldom be heard.

Money, money, money. Netbooks are noticeably cheaper than regular laptops. So, whilst you are out freelancing your backside off, you can be safe in the knowledge that you still have a chunk of change leftover, compared to your mate who bought a £2500, bright-light, whizz-machine.
    Now that we’ve examined the benefits of selecting a netbook, it’s time to look at some of the disadvantages.

    Netbook Cons

    Here are some disadvantages to selecting a netbook:

    Power. With a netbook you do not have a bright-light, whizz-machine. Netbooks are not as powerful as laptops. They can only handle so much information before their little internal processor screams bye-bye. Sure they cope with MS Office and browse the web pretty effectively, but if you’re a freelancer gamer, a netbook will not cope with this kind of information and should be avoided.

    Small keyboard buttons. It is a known fact that people have been getting taller throughout the ages. With great height comes great big hands. Due to their size, netbooks have tiny little buttons that big fingered guys and gals just won’t be able to type on. There would be a fair few documents written with a ‘dfdshjcvmbvl vkjdfds’ nature. However, major netbook companies are countering this by trying to incorporate full size keys into their newer machines.

    No Disk Drive. There is no disk drive in netbooks. If someone at a freelance networking event has something to show you on CD/DVD and you all confess to owning netbooks, the colleague’s little video or song will have to remain un-witnessed. Also, the ability to be in a meeting whilst watching a Buster Keaton film on DVD, is taken away.

    Now that we’ve discussed the pros and cons of netbooks it’s time to look at laptops.

    About Laptops

    And now we come to the laptop; the bigger brother of the little netbook. These machines have been around for near on 30 years with its ancestor rooted in the IBM 5100 – arguably the first commercial portable computer. Is there still a place for these machines in this day and age?

    Laptop Pros

    Here are some of the advantages of choosing a laptop:

    Larger screen. For those of you with small eyes who need those extra few million pixels to read articles and watch YouTube videos, a laptop is a must-have. With a larger screen you can have multiple files opened up simultaneously, and spread out across the screen, without the need to squint at what you are doing. Also, when people inevitably look over your shoulder to see what you’re up to, they don’t have to lean in so close and freak you out.

    Power. Laptops are far more powerful and can work with extremely complex programming that netbooks would whimper in a corner at. If you’re a freelancer in the field of multi-media, film, music etcetera, having that extra processing power allows you to work on projects that would be impossible on a netbook. There are also some office programs that are far too complex for netbooks to carry out.

    Larger hard-drives. Netbooks do have pretty decent hard-drive sizes, ranging from 60-160GB. However, laptops have huge mammoths containing more information than your own brain. Once more, a larger hard-drive will be dependent on the type of work you are conducting. If you edit HD music videos for a living whilst out and about, get a laptop: if you write little articles on Microsoft Works for a living, consider going elsewhere.
      Now that we’ve examined the advantages of laptops, it’s time to look at some of the disadvantages.

      Laptop Cons

      Here are some of the disadvantages of choosing a laptop:

      Size. Obvious one first: they are huge. Dragging a laptop around with you for hours on end, causes severe sores to the shoulders and back. If you are a constant mover-and-shaker in your line of work, then having the small netbook would be ideal. Then again if you are trying to get a work-out whilst darting from place to place, consider the laptop.

      Battery Life. The battery life is dire compared to a netbook. Imagine a Fiat 500 and a GT 40 heading towards London from Edinburgh; sure the GT 40 is the massive all powerful force cruising along, but it’ll be stopping every half hour for a fill up, whilst the little Fiat put-puts along happily. Another concern is that if you are in a meeting/lecture etcetera and your battery goes down to 3%, who’s the clown trying to find a power source whilst their laptop is screaming beep…beep…beep: you are.

      Money, Money, Money (again). Laptops are generally more expensive that netbooks. All the power comes at a price – like a GT 40 – and if you do not genuinely need the power, then a laptop just isn’t necessary. In this age of austerity in governments and individuals alike, aiming for that pricier option just sometimes isn’t the way.

        Conclusion

        The laptop versus netbook debate is completely dependent on the line of work you are engaging in. If you are a freelance writer, constantly out and about, picking up stories, writing articles and sending them out on the web, then get the Net.


        But, if you are freelance rocket scientist (they might exist) then you might want a machine that can handle programs with greater magnitude. 

        In an ideal world, the best recommendation would be a netbook for the bulk of your work and a laptop for your super-happy fun-times. Then again, in an ideal world, you’d be a millionaire without the need to run round like a crazy person, picking up work left right and centre.  
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        Types of Smart phone Displays Touchscreen

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        There are many different types of displays / touchscreens available across the range of smartphones and it is important that we know about them before buying one. Over last one year smartphones with large smartphone displays and touchscreens have really become popular. In this post we explain different types of displays and touchscreens and their pros and cons.


        TFT LCD

        TFT stands for Thin Film Transistor technology. TFT LCDs are the most common type of display units used across mobile phones. TFT LCD offer better image quality and higher resolutions compared to earlier generation LCD displays but their limitation lies in narrow viewing angles and poor visibility in direct light or sunlight.
        Large TFT displays consume more power and hence are not battery friendly. But since these are cheaper to manufacture these are found on budget phones, feature phones and lower end smartphones.

        READ ALSO http://www.undocopy.com/2016/07/smartphones-will-soon-be-able-to-share.html

        IPS-LCD


        IPS stands for In-Place Switching. If you compare TFT vs IPS, then IPS LCDs are superior to normal TFT LCD displays with wider viewing angles and lower power consumption which leads to a much improved battery life. IPS-LCDs are costlier than normal TFT LCD and hence are found only on higher end smartphones. A higher resolution (640 x 960 pixels) version of IPS LCD is used in Apple iPhone 4 and is called Retina Display because of its brilliant picture quality.

        TFT LCD

        TFT stands for Thin Film Transistor technology. TFT LCDs are the most common type of display units used across mobile phones. TFT LCD offer better image quality and higher resolutions compared to earlier generation LCD displays but their limitation lies in narrow viewing angles and poor visibility in direct light or sunlight.
        Large TFT displays consume more power and hence are not battery friendly. But since these are cheaper to manufacture these are found on budget phones, feature phones and lower end smartphones.

        IPS-LCD


        IPS stands for In-Place Switching. If you compare TFT vs IPS, then IPS LCDs are superior to normal TFT LCD displays with wider viewing angles and lower power consumption which leads to a much improved battery life. IPS-LCDs are costlier than normal TFT LCD and hence are found only on higher end smartphones. A higher resolution (640 x 960 pixels) version of IPS LCD is used in Apple iPhone 4 and is called Retina Display because of its brilliant picture quality.

        So next time someone asks you about their TFT vs IPS capacitive touchscreen, or ask you for advice about mobile display types, you are now more informed.
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        Tuesday, July 19, 2016

        WordPress Vs Joomla Vs Drupal Which One is Best and Why?

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        Discussion of WordPress Vs Joomla Vs Drupal it is essential to leave your personal preference and experience behind you, and discuss the pros and cons of each dispassionately and objectively. Many people are quick to offer subjective opinions simply because they may be familiar with WordPress, but not with either Drupal or Joomla.


        All three are CMS systems with their own strengths and weaknesses, and which you select for your project will very likely be influenced by your past experience of any of these and the type and scale of your development. Here are some comparisons between WordPress Vs Joomla Vs Drupal that might help you decide which you are best to use for your own project.
        There are many ways to compare these three options, and here we shall simply list the advantages and disadvantages of each, and then comment on which CMS system is best for each type of project.

        WORDPRESS

        We start with WordPress because it has a simple interface and also enables fairly simple customization by means of the many templates and plugins that are available online – many of them free to use.

        WordPress CMS: Pros

        • Very simple to change themes: thousands of templates are available online, either commercially or free, and it is easy to switch between them.
        • Plugins are available for just about everything you can think of and are not difficult to use.
        • WordPress is easy to use by developers and by website owners, and is not restricted to blogging. Due to its coding, themes and plugins, WordPress sites need not look like blogs, but have ‘blogability’ whenever required.
        • Most themes are easy to edit and customize, although not all are well coded and some might not be customizable by any but professional developers.
        • This CMS system has a massive following, and a very large community of developers using it and continually creating and publishing new themes and plugins to improve its functionality.

        WordPress CMS: Cons

        • Because themes and plugins are designed both by commercial developers and amateurs, many of them are faulty. They not only look bad, but faulty plugins can ruin your website’s performance and its functionality.
        • Many themes are difficult to customize, and also make it next to impossible to change themes without losing your existing content. That is contrary to how a ‘content management system’ should operate.
        • The code is not as strong as that of Drupal, but better than Joomla! However, due to its large community and very able developers, WordPress is continuously improving in the respect – Joomla does not seem to be doing the same.
        • There are too many upgrades issued in order to introduce security updates. Upgrades are not always compatible with your existing plugins.

        JOOMLA/MAMBO

        In the WordPress Vs Joomla Vs Drupal comparison, WordPress is easier to use than Drupal or Joomla. You also get better forum support with WordPress. However, Joomla has its advantages, one of which is security that will be discussed later. Joomla is an offshoot of the Mambo CMS, formed in 2005 by Mambo developers who decided to create their own CMS system. Since Joomla can generally do what Mambo does and a lot more, we shall focus on Joomla here. Incidentally, Joomla is Swahili for ‘all together.’

        Joomla CMS: Pros

        • If you prefer static pages to a blog presentation, then Joomla scores over WordPress. Although it can be use for blogging, that is not its prime purpose.
        • Its menu system is very good and easy to use and modify.
        • Joomla has excellent integrated community and membership functionality.

        Joomla CMS: Cons

        • It is very difficult to get a Joomla site not to look like one: it is difficult to theme to your preferences and the majority of plugins that actually do anything cost money.
        • The core coding is not elegant, and it is not easy to modify if you have an issue. Even just posting an article on your blog or website takes a bit of doing since the interface is not the same WYSIWYG as WordPress offers – Drupal is complicated, but not as much as Joomla is.
        • The performance of the website is not as smooth as that of WordPress or Drupal, but the system is under constant development so hopefully this problem will be resolved.
        • The blog, while functional is not nearly as strong as WordPress and the latter is preferred for those whose primary use would be blogging.
        Joomla is generally rated below WordPress for almost all applications, but better for security (though not as good as Drupal!) Most developers would rather not use Joomla, unless their existing architecture is already based upon this CMS system. However, Joomla has its adherents that will use nothing else – and this is a personal review.

        DRUPAL

        Drupal is regarded by many as the Rolls Royce of popular CMS software, but it is not perfect and is not as easy to use as WordPress by those that are not developers. While WordPress is practically turnkey, Drupal requires developer knowledge. It shines above Joomla and WordPress for breadth of application and purity of coding.

        Drupal CMS: Pros

        • The main positive aspect of Drupal is its extremely clean code. It is cleaner for developers to use in comparison to Joomla.
        • There are many more coders available that you can use to code your application – many of these of a very high quality because the best coders flock to Drupal rather than Joomla or WordPress.
        • Since Drupal 7, the CMS has become very user friendly and not just the domain of expert coders. The introduction of modules, including Views, Webform and Panels, has enabled end-users to create their own websites.
        • The CMS system has a fairly large development community committed to helping improve it. As these developers come across problems with the system, they solve them and then tend to share their work with others.

        Drupal CMS: Cons

        • Still not as user friendly as WordPress, although future developments should improve this aspect of Drupal.
        • It has fewer developers than WordPress, with a resultant higher cost to use their services.
        • There are few plugins for Drupal that can ‘plug in and go’, and most modifications have to be made by hand – this CMS is not for the ordinary guy wanting to create a website/blog using themes and plugins.

        Security Aspects: WordPress Vs Joomla Security

        WordPress is well known for its lack of security in comparison to Joomla. Drupal beats them all, but if you had to choose between Joomla and WordPress for security alone, it would have to be Joomla in spite of it being the inferior CMS overall. Because WordPress is used by so many people, there have been more hacks and it is now regarded as being fairly easy to hack.
        Not only that, but as each develops, there are more fresh security weaknesses found in WordPress than in Joomla. Additionally, most people use proprietary and ‘home-made’ themes and plugins that are easy to infect and also easy to hack. Drupal is one of the most secure CMS systems on the market (the White House uses it), but between Joomla and WordPress, Joomla wins – possibly only because of its lack of popularity compare with WP.

        SEO: WordPress Vs Joomla SEO

        There is really no contest here: Joomla has poor built-in SEO, and cannot compete with WordPress in this regard. Even the WP SEO plugins are better than Joomla. The main SEO plugin for Joomla is very user unfriendly, and is impossible to alter to suit your website without having a good understanding of the Joomla coding.

        Conclusion: WordPress Vs Joomla Vs Drupal

        In comparing WordPress Vs Joomla Vs Drupal it has to be kept in mind that each of these content management systems are different, and we are not comparing like with like. However, in general, WordPress comes #1 for ease of use by ordinary people that are using the system to create a website or blog.
        Drupal comes #1 for those professional developers seeking a fully functional CMS that can be employed to design large-scale applications of various types with varying degrees of functionality. However, if you do not want to use Drupal, and security is a major concern, then you might find that Joomla will fit the bill. It may require a developer experience in Joomla to design a project, and there is not as much help from the community with Joomla as you will find with Drupal and WordPress.
        Ultimately, Drupal is tops for larger and more complex CMS projects for businesses and corporations, with WordPress best for ordinary individual users. Joomla may have niche uses between these two extremes, particularly due to its superiority over WP in terms of security.
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        Thursday, July 7, 2016

        Essential Apps and Sites For Every College Student

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        Technology continues to merge with different activities in our everyday lives. A good example is found on college campuses where most students are using innovative gadgets. Here are 8 essential apps and sites for every college student, in three different categories:

        Reading

        Aldiko is a good alternative eBook reader app and perfect for books in PDF and ePub formats. Aldiko has a lot of space because it does not automatically save each book. Only if you want to go back to your previous reading session will you have to import the book andsave it to the virtual bookshelf. Users can adjust the font size, font style, and background settings that will fit the reader’s needs.
        This eBook reader app is suitable for all types of devices. Android, Linux, Mac OS X, Windows, BlackBerry10 and other platforms are supported on the customizable app for reading sessions. Readers can tweak the font style, size, and color. They can also do some animation and bookmark the last page read. What is more interesting is that it organizes your books by authors and titles in the simplest view.
        It is available in 29 languages and supports various eBook formats and even direct reading from zip archives. Users have access to popular online dictionaries such as ColorDict, SlovoEd, and Fora.
        If you’re a type of reader who wants to track your reading progress, why not install Moon+ Reader? This eBook reader app provides a great control over display settings. It shows that users the data on the reading progress within the current chapter aside from the entire book. This is a free download.

        Writing and Proofreading

        The free version of Ginger has a Sentence Rephraser and Grammar Checker. It checks all grammatical mistakes, spelling mistakes, and usage determiners. The Sentence Rephraser helps to correct the grammar of each sentence to make it better.
        The free version has limitations. On a weekly basis, a proofing button will be disabled and students need to manually correct the sentences it suggests.
        Now, if you want to make your academic paper polished and elevate the writing style, this website can help you professionally. You won’t spend too much time in proofreading because their professional editors will help you to improve your content. You will have enough time to do more important things like studying for exams.

        Daily Routines

        This is perfect for tons of academic activities that need to be put in a to-do list. It synchronizes all the tasks with other gadgets for easy access anywhere and anytime. The touch-based interface lets you add new entries or a voice command to make a task.
        In Any.do, you can also change priority on your tasks, mark a task completed, or shake your device to removed all completed tasks.
        The popular Scribd helps millions of students to access tons of different documents and books that are relevant to their course or subject. All relevant documents and books that are shared by people around the globe can be curated and organized by topic.
        Andie Graph works for you as an online graphing calculator that you can carry around anywhere. This app is free but you need to have a graphing calculator ROM to make it work. Fret not because you can still read the instructions online.
        Technology has become the helpful friend for students in order to make studying a bit easier. However, students shouldn’t be too complacent on their education. Do you have any favorite app or website that can help other students too? You can share them!
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        Essential Apps and Sites For Every College Student

              ,    No comments

        Technology continues to merge with different activities in our everyday lives. A good example is found on college campuses where most students are using innovative gadgets. Here are 8 essential apps and sites for every college student, in three different categories:

        Reading

        Aldiko is a good alternative eBook reader app and perfect for books in PDF and ePub formats. Aldiko has a lot of space because it does not automatically save each book. Only if you want to go back to your previous reading session will you have to import the book andsave it to the virtual bookshelf. Users can adjust the font size, font style, and background settings that will fit the reader’s needs.
        This eBook reader app is suitable for all types of devices. Android, Linux, Mac OS X, Windows, BlackBerry10 and other platforms are supported on the customizable app for reading sessions. Readers can tweak the font style, size, and color. They can also do some animation and bookmark the last page read. What is more interesting is that it organizes your books by authors and titles in the simplest view.
        It is available in 29 languages and supports various eBook formats and even direct reading from zip archives. Users have access to popular online dictionaries such as ColorDict, SlovoEd, and Fora.
        If you’re a type of reader who wants to track your reading progress, why not install Moon+ Reader? This eBook reader app provides a great control over display settings. It shows that users the data on the reading progress within the current chapter aside from the entire book. This is a free download.

        Writing and Proofreading

        The free version of Ginger has a Sentence Rephraser and Grammar Checker. It checks all grammatical mistakes, spelling mistakes, and usage determiners. The Sentence Rephraser helps to correct the grammar of each sentence to make it better.
        The free version has limitations. On a weekly basis, a proofing button will be disabled and students need to manually correct the sentences it suggests.
        Now, if you want to make your academic paper polished and elevate the writing style, this website can help you professionally. You won’t spend too much time in proofreading because their professional editors will help you to improve your content. You will have enough time to do more important things like studying for exams.

        Daily Routines

        This is perfect for tons of academic activities that need to be put in a to-do list. It synchronizes all the tasks with other gadgets for easy access anywhere and anytime. The touch-based interface lets you add new entries or a voice command to make a task.
        In Any.do, you can also change priority on your tasks, mark a task completed, or shake your device to removed all completed tasks.
        The popular Scribd helps millions of students to access tons of different documents and books that are relevant to their course or subject. All relevant documents and books that are shared by people around the globe can be curated and organized by topic.
        Andie Graph works for you as an online graphing calculator that you can carry around anywhere. This app is free but you need to have a graphing calculator ROM to make it work. Fret not because you can still read the instructions online.
        Technology has become the helpful friend for students in order to make studying a bit easier. However, students shouldn’t be too complacent on their education. Do you have any favorite app or website that can help other students too? You can share them!
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        Study Apps for College Students

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        Study Apps for College StudentsWell some of the best things in life are free, and that includes study apps. While some people might say that your brain is the only study tool you really need, it doesn’t hurt to have some free software to help out. So we’ve put together a list of apps that can help with studies. This list is primarily for Apple iOS apps, though several entries have links for Android, Web, or desktop (Mac OS X, Windows, sometimes Linux). All of them are free, though some might have IAP (in-app purchase) options for advanced features (or sometimes just for getting rid of annoying ads). Occasionally, alternatives are listed, especially when an app is only on iOS.


        iTunes University

        Apple’s iTunes University (iTunes U for short) has a wealth of curriculum course material from many top universities and colleges. Your own school’s course materials might even be on iTunes U, but if not, you might find similar content from the equivalent courses at other schools. The app is only available for iOS, and content is a mix of text (multiple formats), audio and video, depending on the content provided by the course content creator.
        Other App Info:


        iStudiez Lite

        Have you been watching too much TV instead of studying? How many times can you watch Breane of Tarr in the Game of Thrones kick The Hound’s backside, anyway? It might be time to map out your semester to organize your course, assignment and exam schedule, and the award-winning iStudiez app can help. The free Lite version allows you to manage one semester of up to five courses, 15 classes/exams per course, 15 assignments, five instructors and two holiday periods, and you can set alarms. If you like the free version, $2.99 gets you the iStudiez Pro version (separate install; not an in-app purchase), which takes away the limits, adds push notifications, backup and other features.
        For a student time management app alternative for Android, try Timetable by Gabriel Ittner.
        Other App Info:


        Exam Vocabulary Builder

        AccelaStudy claims over 6 million users who have used their Exam Vocabulary Builder app to improve English vocabulary, whether for college freshman/ graduate entrance exams, professional advancement or for language proficiency. The app uses “spaced repetition” to help with retention. In addition to search and organize features, there are several modes, including Study, Flashcard, and Quiz. This app is particularly useful to ESL/ TOEFL students for whom English is not their first language. Note: iOS-only. An Android alternative is GRE Vocabulary Builder by Magoosh, who have a number of similar apps for iOS.
        Other App Info:


        Dictionary.com

        Vocabulary builder apps are fine for prepping for exams, but they typically have a limited set of words. Enter Dictionary.com for all your English learning needs, with 2,000,000 definitions. The main app is free (with ad banners) and has search history, word origin and history, Word of the Day, synonyms, antonyms, a thesaurus and more. In-app purchase options include a medical dictionary, encyclopedia and more. The iOS version has accumulated over 43,000 ratings on all version for a total of 4.5 stars — which pales in comparison to the 610,000-plus ratings for the Android version.
        Other App Info:


        Skype

        Sure, you thought Skype was just a communication app. But because of that and its features (text chat, voice chat, video, file sharing), it can also be a study app. When it’s late, or cold outside or you’re studying last minute for an exam and need something from a classmate, Skype can be your saving grace. Sure, they could email the scanned notes to you, or share it over Dropbox, or use the lame “virtual classroom” software that your college has, but Skype lets you chat with them while they send you the file. And when the file has downloaded, your pal can help you decipher their horrible handwriting scrawl so you can actually use the notes. (You might recommend that they try the MyScript Smart Note app (#3) for their terrible handwriting.) Alternately, if you a tutor who does not make house calls, Skype is the next best way to have a tutoring session. Note: iPad version separate from iPhone version. Desktop versions downloadable from the main site.
        Other App Info:


        Coursera

        Here’s a crazy thought: succeed in college by creating more homework for yourself. In some countries, there are statewide or country-wide exams, and it’s too bad for you if your college professor “didn’t teach that.” It’s your responsibility to know a subject. While this does not happen in the U.S., what if you took the same attitude of responsibility for your own knowledge and put in some extra effort? You don’t have to be a study-masochist to get an advantage from this effort. Coursera.org is an online education site that has partnerships with many dozens of top colleges and universities in the United States, including Ivy League schools. These schools offer both curriculum course study materials and MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses).
        Sign up, study at your own pace, and supplement your knowledge for that extra advantage. You can use Coursera’s Web site or mobile apps to to study a selection of courses and supplement whatever you are learning at your college. Even better, use Coursera to introduce yourself to subjects before you enter college each semester. Because wouldn’t it be nice to ace your actual courses, get on the Dean’s Honor List, win awards and maybe a bit of extra scholarship cash?
        Other App Info:


        Google Drive

        Take notes, draw diagrams, create spreadsheets, build presentations and keep them all in the cloud, accessible from an Internet-connected computer or mobile device when you need them.Google Drive is a collection of cloud-based “Office” apps that includes capabilities for spreadsheets, documents, presentations, diagrams and more. Google also provides each Drive account with probably more than enough cloud storage for the files of an average college student. But if you run out, you can pay for more. Drive’s collection of apps are Web browser-based, though there are iOS and Android versions, linked below. Sign up free with an email address; automatic if you have a GMail account.
        Other App Info:


        Dragon Dictation

        Do you have study notes to type up for an overdue class project and your poor fingers are so tired from flipping through those ancient things called print books? Or maybe granny is paying for your college and you need to get your weekly email out to her fast, and your typing sucks. No problem. Just start talking into Dragon Dictation and it’ll convert everything for you digitally, which you can paste into other apps, send as an email message, or save it for later. Save your fingers for texting. Actually, you can use Dragon Dictation for text messages as well — at least the kind where you need to type entire English words in full. Note: iOS only. Nuance has Dragon apps on Android, but not this one.
        Other App Info:


        Brainscape – Smart Flashcards

        Brainscape has a number of flashcard style apps for iOS. One such is “Brainscape – Smart Flashcards,” which is bill as being “brain games to study Chinese, SAT and more.” Create your own flashcard sets or download from the Market (has both free and paid content). It’s relatively easy to use, easy to create flashcard sets with, and free (if you don’t mind ad banners). Brainscape also has the the Flashcards*/ Flashcardlet app which can access content created with the main Brainscape app, in a less distracting environment (albeit also with ads; both apps charge $2.99 to get rid of ads).
        Other App Info:


         Flashcards+

        Flashcards+ is not just another flashcards app. It’s an app by young serial entrepreneurial and wunderkind Connor Zwick, who started making waves at 13, was simultaneously accepted to startup incubator Y Combinator and Harvard in 2011 (at 18), and who left Harvard at 19 to take advantage of a Thiel Fellowship with a $100K grant. While he’s supposedly concentrating on a mobile phone game controller, he has also produced the Flashcards+ app for iOS, which passed a million downloads by some time in late 2012. The app has a one of the cleaner interfaces for this category, and with nearly 47,000 ratings and an average of 4.5/5 stars, it has a lot going for it. Features include pronunciation help for 22 languages, millions of decks accessible from the Quizlet app (#4 in this list), deck shuffling and more. In-app purchase options include multiple male/female voices for pronunciation help.
        Other App Info:


        Quizlet

        Quizlet, a general study tool, boasts millions of flashcard study sets for numerous topics, created by student users (high school and college). If you can’t find the subjects you’re looking for in such a large collection, you can of course make your own. Quizlet also lets you use images and audio in your flashcard sets, which adds variety to the learning process. Quizlet has support in other flashcard study apps. So even if you create study sets now but later switch to flashcard app that supports Quizlet, you can reuse your content — or anyone’s shared Quizlet content.
        Other App Info:


        Todoist

        If you find Evernote(#1) too intimidating with all its notetaking features and really only want a todo list app, maybe with Web URL bookmarking features, try Todoist. Sure there are dozens of todo list apps, but Todoist is arguably one of the best, and it’s one of few that does project/ subprojects and tasks/ subtasks well. Use it track your course assignments, set reminders, bookmarking Web pages you visit and more. Combine the Mobile app with a Web browser plugin for optimum use. Todoist also has Mac and Windows desktop versions, Chrome and Firefox browser plugins, and plugins for Outlook, GMail, Thunderbird and Postbox email clients. Paid version (subscription) includes unlimited projects and tasks and other features.
        Alternatives to Evernote include Pocket for bookmarking and Wunderlist for todo lists — both on browser and mobile, plus desktop editions for Wunderlist. Do you have a budget for some mobile apps, and want something more sophisticated for advanced todo lists or light project management? Drop an Andrew Jackson ($20) minus a Lincoln penny and you can have a much more sophisticated app called “Things for iPad”. There’s also a version for Mac desktops.
        Other App Info:


        MyScript Smart Note

        If you’re the type of student who prefers to write down notes in class instead of typing (or borrowing notes later) and wished it were as easy to write on a tablet as on paper, you’ll have to wait a bit longer. Sure, there are a dozens of “notebook” apps that allow you to handwrite with a finger or stylus, but none are really suitable for the speed with which class lectures would require. However, if you want an app that should suffice for taking notes on a tablet while studying in the library or your dorm room, then MyScript Smart Note is an excellent start. After trying out close to a dozen similar apps, we’ve decided that none seem to recognize handwriting as well Smart Note — and in multiple languages, no less.
        The app is available free (but with limited features) for both iOS and Android, and while the two versions are slightly different in functionality, both have the kind of killer features you want in a note-taking app, namely quite impressive handwriting recognition abilities, often even with a scrawl. Even if your handwriting is mostly legible, Smart Note is pretty accurate in understanding it. On the Android version, you can have the handwriting converted and replaced by the digital equivalent, so you can easily see what the app thinks you wrote. Unfortunately, that’s not true for the iOS version (except in the search mode panel). However, both versions do recognize handwriting and allow you to search. (Note: you made need a suitable stylus.)
        If that’s not enough, the app allows you to edit your handwriting with special gestures. There’s also an adjustable palm-rest feature, a drawing mode, and you can insert media such as math equations, images, sound or PDF files from various cloud storage services including Dropbox and Evernote (#1). There are also dozens of language packs downloadable for free. If you need more notebooks, unlimited pages, export ability, backups, and more, you’ll need to drop a few dollars ($1.99 for iOS, $2.71 for Android). Check MyScript’s home page for additional apps, including for math and music, as well as for Android phones. (NOTE: snapshot above sourced from iTunes profile of Smart Note.)
        Other App Info:


        2. XMind

        If the “radial thinking” paradigm of mind mapping suits your workflow (try it), then this is an ideal method for note-taking and studying. One of the best free mind mapping apps around is XMind. Unfortunately, it only runs on desktops/ laptops — Windows, Mac, Linux: no mobile apps, no Web apps. However, if you have access to desktop/ laptop computer, you can use it as a planning tool, for projects, for studying. If you’re willing to give up mobility using a desktop-only app, you’ll get an incredibly robust research and study tool that has enough features in the free version alone to cover at least a quarter of the apps in this list, maybe more. You will have to pay for cloud storage — XMind has a subscription service.
        Since XMind is free and feature-packed, it’s worth a try — even if you have never used a mind mapping tool. There are paid versions of XMind, which offer additional business-level features, but the free version should suffice for the average student. The Web site has a gallery of hundreds of mind maps that users have shared, to give you an idea of how much you really can do with this free desktop app.
        For people who swear by mind mapping and don’t want to pay several hundred dollars for similar functionality, XMind is a good choice. You could try mind mapping mobile apps, but you’ll probably find like we did that some apps are better on the desktop — although if you insist, there’s the free SimpleMind app for iOS (iPhone/iPod Touch and iPad) and Android.
        Other App Info:


        Evernote and Penultimate

        Evernote is the king of note taking apps, with a feature set that combines bookmarking, composing, clipping and more. You could even use it for todo lists, if need to ditch all the todo list apps taking up space on your mobile device. If you really had to pick just one app for you study kit, it should be Evernote. It’s available on multiple platforms, usable in Web browser and mobile apps, comes with Web browser plugins/ addons, and it’s all free.
        If money is burning a hole in your pocket, you can upgrade and get more storage space for your documents. If that’s not enough, Evernote announced two new features for release some time in fall 2014. One is Work Chat, and it’ll let you text chat with other Evernote users, obviously including classmates. If this isn’t *the* study app that all college students need, then we don’t know what is.
        If you install the iPad version of Evernote, add the Evernote Peek (iOS app only) for the ability to do distraction-free, flashcard-style quizzing on question sets that either you create, or download from shared content.
        Other App Info:
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