How students can use their smartphones to study better?
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Smartphones are great study tools. Many educators believe smartphones in the classroom are a distraction and don’t qualify as a study tool. We forget that smartphones are a staple among teenagers and older students. It’s hard to separate them from their phones.
Smartphones offer limitless study opportunities for students and act as teaching resources for teachers as well. They help students learn both in and out of the classroom. Teachers can easily engage students in learning activities, especially smartphone-relating learning activities.
There is much to how students can study better using their smartphones. Let’s tour how smartphones can help students learn.
Learning through podcasts
Educational podcasts are available to all-level students, including primary-level students. Podcasts contain lots of information beyond concepts taught in the classroom. They can passively or actively learn through podcasts. Some students understand and learn better when they listen rather than reading books or watching educational videos.
Besides, they can listen to these podcasts from any location and easily fit them into their daily routines.
Students can learn new content through podcasts because they are rich in information. Podcasts also make it possible for students to catch up on a concept they didn’t understand. A podcast is also an excellent tool when one falls behind in their studies or school work. Moreover, students can freely listen to these podcasts in the comfort of their homes and at a pace that helps them grasp information better.
Research
It’s possible to access any information using your smartphone. Therefore, if you cannot go to the library, simply access it using your phone. There are lots of e-libraries that put books at your fingertips. With just a few taps, you get your book or question answered.
You can also access popular search engines such as Google using your phone. Type in your research question or project into the search engine. You’d be surprised by the myriad of information you can access using your phone.
Organizational or learning management system
Technology makes it possible to grab your smartphone and organize your day and work. Students can also use smartphones to plan and manage their assignments, track test dates, or create a study plan or schedule.
They can easily find these study planners or learning management systems on the App Store, Play Store, or online. You can find general organizational apps for all kinds of students or field-oriented organizational or study Apps for specific fields.
A great example of a field-oriented study App is the Osmosis App for students. It is an information-rich study resource for health students. Thousands of med and nursing students use the App to learn and manage their studies. What’s more, thousands of top institutions use the Osmosis App to teach different health concepts.
Med, nursing, and healthcare students can get the Osmosis App on Play Store, the App Store, or the Osmosis website.
Get access to books
Students can download and read books offline on their smartphones whenever and wherever.
There are many reading Apps both on Play and the App Store. Some authors have also converted their books into Apps. Most of these books are free. However, some may require an affordable fee to download and read them on your phone. You can also use the reading engine on your phone to search for books.
If you love listening to audiobooks, you can listen to them using your smartphone. Most smartphones support audiobooks.
Instant access to professors
Do you need to talk to, email, or text your professor about an assignment or concept you didn’t understand earlier in the classroom? You don’t need to go to your professor’s office. You can contact your professor on your smartphone.
Smartphones are good communication tools. Students can get instant answers from their professors or colleagues through a smartphone. They can email, text, or call a professor or colleague when they need help with schoolwork.
Wrapping up
Smartphones are rapidly turning into efficient learning tools for students across the globe. Students can access learning systems, reading Apps, organizational Apps, note-taking Apps, and e-libraries using their smartphones. Research and data collection are gradually turning into a paperless process. It’s easier to keep track of assignments, projects, quizzes, and exams using smartphones. Students can also access any learning material with a few clicks or taps on their smartphones. Instead of viewing them as distractors, we need to see smartphones as a gateway to information that makes learning easier for all students.