A few years ago I would have laughed if someone told me that an iPad was useful for college. In my mind it was always a very cool toy. I got a ipad 3 on the first day they came out, and it had proven to make the biggest difference for me at college.
Last time I was studying, I would have bits of random paper screwed up at the bottom of my bag which I could never decipher, or know which part of the course they related too. I used to forget to print off the lecture slides and then not be able to write fast enough to get everything down. I would have so much stuff to carry. It was a disaster.
These days, I turn up with my ipad with my bamboo stylus. Nothing else. No bag, no pen, no paper, no books.
I can arrive at my class, and if I have not been organised to do it before hand, log into our online system (blackboard) download my lecture slides- and them load up good notes or good reader. Within minutes everything is neatly organised into classes with all of the relevant course materials I may need to refer too. I use my stylus to write directly onto my ipad in good notes. No more frantic scribbling down, as most stuff is already in front of me. I can make much better study notes through taking use of the different colors and tools available. At the end of each week, I export everything as a PDF, so I can make clear and concise notes about everything that was covered during the week.
Can my iPad replace a computer? No. There are plenty of things I need a computer for. For one, I need somwhere to backup and sync the iPad too. There are also various programs such as excel, matlab, SPSS, ect which are never going to work on an iPad.
At my college, and almost every college I have been too, there are vast numbers of computers which are readily accessible. So- I can just use them for anything involving typing, assignments, or graphic intensive tasks. My 2007 Macbook works fine for doing basic stuff and syncing my Ipad. For everything else I would just use a PC on campus. I use my own laptop so little, it would not exactly be money well spent if I went out and purchased a spec'd out Macbook Pro. Not while I am a poor student anyway.
Apps which I use regularly:
1. Dropbox- I used this for almost everything. Anything I do at home gets saved to my dropbox. This way I can access it from a PC on campus, my iPad, my parents house ect.
2. Good Notes- I have tried almost every notes app created. Notes plus, noteability, ghostwriter, Remarks, noteshelf ect. This wins out overall. It doesn't have as many features as the others, which makes it better. The writing is much smoother than all of the above. It has a nice UI and everything you could need- but its not cluttered by all the stuff you don't.
3.Good Reader- I use this to organise things like readings and articles. I like to keep this stuff separate from my lecture notes.
4. Pages- Anything in .doc since none of these apps can really edit . doc format.
5. Evernote. Storing random bits and pieces.
6. Calendar - Easy to keep my schedule. Great how iCloud syncs everything so anything added on my iPhone also comes up on iPad/Macbook.
I see a few threads around about this topic, so thought I would post my (rambling) thoughts about how I find my iPad for school. It may help some peope, it may not.
If anything has any other apps which are useful let me know. ALways keen to find a better way to do things!
-Dave
Last time I was studying, I would have bits of random paper screwed up at the bottom of my bag which I could never decipher, or know which part of the course they related too. I used to forget to print off the lecture slides and then not be able to write fast enough to get everything down. I would have so much stuff to carry. It was a disaster.
These days, I turn up with my ipad with my bamboo stylus. Nothing else. No bag, no pen, no paper, no books.
I can arrive at my class, and if I have not been organised to do it before hand, log into our online system (blackboard) download my lecture slides- and them load up good notes or good reader. Within minutes everything is neatly organised into classes with all of the relevant course materials I may need to refer too. I use my stylus to write directly onto my ipad in good notes. No more frantic scribbling down, as most stuff is already in front of me. I can make much better study notes through taking use of the different colors and tools available. At the end of each week, I export everything as a PDF, so I can make clear and concise notes about everything that was covered during the week.
Can my iPad replace a computer? No. There are plenty of things I need a computer for. For one, I need somwhere to backup and sync the iPad too. There are also various programs such as excel, matlab, SPSS, ect which are never going to work on an iPad.
At my college, and almost every college I have been too, there are vast numbers of computers which are readily accessible. So- I can just use them for anything involving typing, assignments, or graphic intensive tasks. My 2007 Macbook works fine for doing basic stuff and syncing my Ipad. For everything else I would just use a PC on campus. I use my own laptop so little, it would not exactly be money well spent if I went out and purchased a spec'd out Macbook Pro. Not while I am a poor student anyway.
Apps which I use regularly:
1. Dropbox- I used this for almost everything. Anything I do at home gets saved to my dropbox. This way I can access it from a PC on campus, my iPad, my parents house ect.
2. Good Notes- I have tried almost every notes app created. Notes plus, noteability, ghostwriter, Remarks, noteshelf ect. This wins out overall. It doesn't have as many features as the others, which makes it better. The writing is much smoother than all of the above. It has a nice UI and everything you could need- but its not cluttered by all the stuff you don't.
3.Good Reader- I use this to organise things like readings and articles. I like to keep this stuff separate from my lecture notes.
4. Pages- Anything in .doc since none of these apps can really edit . doc format.
5. Evernote. Storing random bits and pieces.
6. Calendar - Easy to keep my schedule. Great how iCloud syncs everything so anything added on my iPhone also comes up on iPad/Macbook.
I see a few threads around about this topic, so thought I would post my (rambling) thoughts about how I find my iPad for school. It may help some peope, it may not.
If anything has any other apps which are useful let me know. ALways keen to find a better way to do things!
-Dave
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