The Student News Site of Weber State University

The Signpost

The Signpost

The Signpost

The Signpost

Latest YouTube Video

Smartphones solid tools for students

Source: Tribune News Service
Although it seems like people’s phones are a negative force, many apps exist that can help anyone more productive, especially students. (Source/Tribune News Service)

It’s nearly impossible to find a person without a smartphone attached to their hand.

Students especially fall into this category because they have to juggle so many things in both their academic and personal lives. They can’t risk letting any of the items on their lists fall by the wayside.

That’s why it’s important for students to be aware of apps that can help their productivity and do more with their smartphone than just check Facebook and text friends.

Do! is an app that provides students with the ultimate solution for managing their tasks. It allows students to add new items to their lists without having to click through endless menus.

Emailing on a mobile device is irritating because the email apps that come with the devices lack a solid amount of features. Mailbox makes all these problems a thing of the past. The feature set that’s available with this app makes managing an inbox easier than ever before. It’s not the only email app, but it is the app that students should consider first.

During each class, students accumulate a lot of files. Some of these files are on students’ computers; however, it’s possible that a student has created an assignment elsewhere. In this instance, they need to find a way to get their assignment to their computer. Dropbox and Google Drive are the perfect solutions to send or host a file to be used later.

While gathering information for papers, students have to travel to a number of different websites. Navigating the lengthy list of websites every time a paper is due is quite the ordeal. Feedly consolidates the information from these websites into one easy to navigate feed. All students need to do to get the information they need is to take one look at this app.

Scribd is an app that collects a considerable amount of materials that users from around the world donate. Users of this app have the option to create their own library of materials that they can then share with their friends.

CliffsNotes takes works of literature that we all know and love and summarizes them. While it’s not a recommended alternative to actually reading the materials being summarized, it makes important details easily accessible.

Mathway guides students through step-by-step explanations of a large number of problems.

Citing sources is often named the most difficult part of any college essay. EasyBib takes the guesswork out of coming up with a citation. All users need to do is enter a book’s title and then copy and paste the citation it generates.

Studious solves the problem of forgetting the time and date of tests, or other important parts of a course. Reminders are sent out for any event that’s entered into this app. Forgetting an exam could be debilitating, so downloading Studious is an extremely smart decision.

Dictionary.com isn’t just a website that everyone visits on a regular basis. The difference between the browser and app versions is the feature that allows you to see the words that surrounding users are searching for. The Oxford Dictionary is a worthwhile alternative to the Dictionary.com app.

Procrastination can derail any students’ progress. SelfControl keeps every student honest by blocking certain time wasting websites. Once the set amount of time expires, users are able to go back to their favorite websites again.

TED has become the ultimate resource for informative lectures from the world’s best and brightest. Professors regularly cite these lectures, so it’s important for students to have access to them. Downloading this app makes these lectures much more accessible than they would be via a browser.

Apple and Android’s app marketplaces have more apps added to them on a regular basis. Installing an educational app will do a great deal of good for a student’s studies. University life can be much easier depending on how smartphones are used.

More to Discover