Modern technology and education have been reinforcing one another for years, with some of the innovations in tech allowing students to receive high-quality teaching even during the COVID pandemic. From portable word-processing to personalized scheduling apps, technology has helped countless students achieve highly in their courses. Being able to attend a class or work in a library and feel like you are at your own desk with a fully personalized desktop is the best way to feel constantly productive and comfortable at university.
Digital Interfaces for Notetaking and More
Modern touchscreens have managed to emulate paintbrush strokes and pigment combinations to an absurd level of detail, and so devices like tablets are more and more common. Having access to your normal suite of word processing, apps, and internet options is a real step-up when moving from a tablet to a full portable monitor.
Portable Monitors have highly accurized touchscreens with the ability to connect and integrate with other systems. Essentially, you can have a two-monitor setup, so, while sitting in a lecture, at the library, or anywhere else you could use a standard laptop. The second screen keeps you organized while also expanding your options for interacting with content. From having access to a webpage in either portrait or landscape to having easy access to an image search next to your image editing suite, the benefits of this sort of technology can range hugely based on your own needs.
Not to mention, these portable monitors are compatible with phones. If you find yourself struggling to edit or process documents on a mobile screen, you can simply plug the monitor in and transform the experience entirely.
The cost of these screens is considerably less than the laptops and tablets themselves, so you save money by adding to your current suite of technology, rather than directly replacing an entire device.
Recommended Software
Once you have that monitor set up, it’s important to bolster yourself with the right software.
Flux – Flux is a program that has been around for years and operates rather simply. At times set by you, and with the option of varying intensities, Flux will change the contrast and brightness of your monitor. This means those late-night study sessions aren’t a strain on your eyes. The customizability means it can be as subtle as you want, and you can find a balance pre-set for each location you tend to work in whether that’s a dark student accommodation or a work cubicle in the library.
Todoist – Scheduling as a student can be hectic. Between social functions, community events, lectures themselves, and course-work deadlines, it can result in even an organized person missing one or two appointments. Todoist lets you add sub-lists to your tasks and tick them off, keeping you progressing in your tasks, without needing to have finished it all. With dates and times attached, this becomes a brilliant way to organize your workloads (both academic and social).
GIMP – GNU Image Manipulation Program, or GIMP, allows users free editing tools for images, GIFs and even tools for art from scratch. You never know when being able to resize, decolour, saturate, snip, or otherwise edit an image will be needed, so a free program that allows the variety that GIMP does is a no-brainer.
