Five Apps Every Student Should Have

Apps every student should have…or at least know about. We all have those apps that are just fun to have but aren’t really useful education wise. You know exactly what I’m talking about: Snapchat, Instagram, and Twitter. You might say that we use them for education, but I think teachers would beg to differ. I will give you a total of five apps that you need to download this school year.

1. myHomework (13.5 MB, free)

Hate handwriting all of your assignments that you need to complete? No problem, the myHomework Student Planner is here for you. This app not only works without internet connection, but it can also go in your notifications bar to help keep you on track. If your teacher has an account with teacher.io, then your assignments will be uploaded automatically, but if they don’t then you can manually upload them. Swipe right when completed, swipe left to delete. Simple right? Definitely.

2. Google Drive (105 MB, free)

Teacher: “Okay class, turn in your paper on Shakespeare”.

You: *Frantically searches for essay* “Um, Mr. Harshknuckle, I left my paper at home”.

Teacher: “Well you better get it to me fast. I’m not accepting it after noon”.

Clock: “Tick Tock”. *Reads 11:56 A.M.*

How many of us have been in that situation? I’m going to save you the shame of getting a failing grade on a paper you wrote because you left it at home. The Google Drive app allows you to access all of your items done within any Google software (Docs, Sheets, and Slides). You can share the items from your phone with anyone. Another benefit is that you can set a document to “available offline” so you can still access it even without WiFi.

3. Khan Academy (140 MB, free)

I just don’t get it. Maybe it’s the teacher’s voice. Maybe it’s me. No, it’s definitely the teacher, she sucks. No more thinking like that anymore because we now have Khan Academy. Khan Academy is an online classroom, basically, that aids you in any subject you can possibly think of. It all started from a little YouTube channel; which is still active today. You can find help in subjects from Math to Arts and Humanities. You can also type keywords into the search engine  to pinpoint specific videos. They also offer test prep for the SAT, NCLEX-RN, AP Art History, and more. Extra help, total win.

4. Duolingo (26 MB, free)

Did you know that if you speak more than one language, you have a higher chance of earning a bigger paycheck (CNN)? Well, you do, that’s why your school requires you to take a foreign language course such as French or Spanish. “But I’m not good at Spanish!” You are, you just need more practice; that’s where Duolingo comes in. It teaches you the basics first then helps you advance. When you first choose one of the fifteen languages offered to English speakers, they’ll give you a pre-test to see where your skills are. You also get to set up a daily goal that you need to reach; trust me, you’ll know if you miss one.

5. Voice Memos (Depends on the phone)

You don’t have to download all apps. Just use the voice memos or recorder on your phone and voilá, you can go to sleep now. No, I’m kidding, do not go to sleep in class. But if you need to take a little five-minute brain break in the middle of a lecture or if you are an auditory learner, just turn on your voice memos or recorder and record what your teacher says. Simple.

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Three Ways to Reduce the Stress of Classes

“Without struggle, there is no progress.”-Unknown

We’ve all been there. The one class that you just can’t seem to understand. No matter how much you study for the class, the best grade you might get is a C. Any math class I took, I struggled. It wasn’t that I wasn’t paying attention or didn’t understand the material, there was just something that I couldn’t wrap my head around that prevented me from being as successful as I wanted to be. However, throughout my struggle, I have found ways that have helped me achieve much more than I could if I hadn’t followed these tips. Here are three ways to help you in the class you are struggling in.

1. Attend your class and Get to know your Instructor.

Even though this might seem obvious, I know I’ve skipped a class that I couldn’t stand because I couldn’t understand what was going on in class. But to earn those good grades, you need to attend not just the classes you struggle in, but all of your classes. In class, you have a chance to learn the material better than just reading from the textbook. Often, teachers or professors will add individual notes to emphasize an idea while working with the textbook, which you might miss if you don’t attend class. Participating and listening to lectures also help you understand the material much better than reading in the textbook. In addition to learning exponentially better, going to class allows you to learn about your teacher. Teachers have their own systems and expectations in their class and getting to know what they want would save you one or two points. You have no idea how many times I’ve missed points because I didn’t format things the way my teacher likes. Even if it might not be correct, following what your professors want will help your grade.

2. Let your Instructor know you’re struggling.

If you’re struggling and looking for some extra help in class, don’t overlook the resources that are right in front of you. Teachers are the best resource if you require help. They teach the material so they have background knowledge and they are there to help you. Teachers need to know if you are struggling because they can help you get back on track. Coming after school or during a free period/study hall is a great time to get some extra help; as long as you don’t get help when it’s too late. Trying to get help late is not only frustrating to the teacher, but it wouldn’t benefit you because teachers won’t be able to go in depth in the topics you are struggling with. So let your teachers know early that you need help and set up a time that works for the both of you so you can succeed in your class.

3. Study!!!

Earlier, I said that studying is sometimes a hassle when it doesn’t seem to help you understand the material. However, when you follow the steps above, studying can help you achieve the highest possible grade. Sometimes developing a study habit is all that you need in order to succeed. Personally, I like to spend at least an hour a day to look over the new material that I have learned from the school day in order to make sure that I understand the material. Studying early on and as much as possible allows for you to feel less stressed out and gives you more time to learn the material. Finding an area you know you won’t be distracted is a way to maximize your learning. And if you need to study with a group, do not be afraid to form a study group because you probably aren’t the only one struggling with a class. However, make sure that it isn’t a social event (like all my study groups) and that you actually get your work done.

I hope these tips will help you out this upcoming year. Leave a comment down below if you have any questions. And as always make sure you follow us on Instagram and Facebook.

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The New SAT V.S. The New ACT: A Closer Look

Why the Changes?

According to David Coleman, the CEO and Board President for College Board, the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) is making changes so that students won’t have to spend as much money on testing preparation; also, “these exams have become disconnected from the work of high school classrooms...” (CNN)  All in all, the College Board wants to keep their tests up-to-date for college readiness.

The makers and researchers of the American College Testing (ACT) are constantly looking for ways to make sure that the ACT is a reflection of what is taught and learned in school; in addition, just like the SAT, the ACT is targeted to be a an accurate guide for your college and career.

SAT

Overall, the content you will be tested on has changed. The math section emphasizes graph and data interpretation; the reading section focuses on data reasoning and evidence support; the writing section is now a passage-based section; lastly, instead of 25 minutes, you now have 50 minutes for your essay and you will be analyzing other writings as well.  Don’t these changes kind of sound like the ACT test? Well, that is what most people are claiming! To cheer up those who are dreading these changes, there will be no penalty for guessing on questions; before, you’d get a ¼ point deduction for every wrong question.  Are you wondering how the scoring changed? The SAT is going back to the 1600-point scale, but the essay will be graded separately from your section scores.

Fortunately, the new SAT might be a little easier for some because of the no-guessing penalty and somewhat simpler questions; also, the old SAT has been administered for a long time so there are plenty of study materials to help you out.

Also, the essay is now optional; however, double check with your potential colleges because they may or may not require an essay.

ACT

The main changes that educators and students are looking at when it comes to the ACT are the new sub-scores.  These include STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) and ELA (English Language) sub-scores.  Both the STEM and ELA sub-scores will allow students to know what their weak and strong points are on certain subjects.

Another major change that you should pay attention to is the Writing section.  Don’t worry! It’s still an optional section, but now you’ll have one prompt, one issue, and three total perspectives.  Instead of just defending your side of an argument, you now have to “explain the relationship your perspective has with the three that are given.”  (Petersons)  In addition, the Writing Section time has extended to a total of 40 minutes.

SAT VS ACT

Overall, with the new changes to both tests, the SAT and ACT, are becoming more similar; however, the SAT is more so designed to test your critical thinking and reasoning skills while the ACT is designed to test you on content you should have learned in school.  I can’t tell you which test you should take but with these changes and all of these different types of resources available, you’ll make the right choice for you and your future.

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