6 tips and tools that make your life easier—inside and outside the classroom
If you think typing your class notes into a word processor on your laptop means you’re making the most of learning technology, think again. Learning specialist Danica Rose and senior assistive technologist Laurie Osbaldeston say there are some great (and even free) tools that can help you go from transcribing a lecture to setting up a learning system that works for you.
“When they find the right technology, we see a lot of students shedding tears of happiness – we really do,” says Rose, who works in Access and Disability Resources (ADR). “These tools remove barriers to learning and put students with disabilities in the same position as their peers, but they’re built on well-theorized research that can help all learners.”
Here are a few ideas to get you started:
1. Listen while you work: Read&Write and OrbitNote
Ever wish you could sit back and listen while someone else did the reading for you? Read&Write text-to-speech software could be the answer. The tool will read PDF documents aloud – you can choose your preferred voice, speed and accent (British is a student favourite, says Rose).
You can even convert notes you’ve typed in Word to an .MP3 file with the Audio Maker tool and listen on the go.
The best part? The university owns a site licence, so it’s free. Go to www.texthelp.com, click on Try Read&Write, choose Mac OS or Windows and install by signing in with Google using your MacEwan credentials.
The university’s Read&Write site licence also gives you access to OrbitNote, another text-to-speech highlighting tool for online PDF content.
2. Multitaskers unite: Glean
If you find yourself trying to squeeze everything onto one screen, Rose suggests checking out Glean. It isn’t free, but it could be a dream come true for students who want to see their prof’s slides, take notes and record the lecture (after asking their prof for permission, of course) – all at the same time.
You can try Glean free for 30 days, and subscriptions are around $164 for a year.
3. Smarter than your average pen: digital pens
Digital pens use tiny cameras to capture everything you handwrite, record what’s being said aloud as you write on special pixelated paper, and sync the two together.
“When I explain this tool to people, it sounds like magic – like it couldn’t exist,” says Rose.
But it does. And Rose says it can be the perfect tool for science and math courses where students work with diagrams and formulas. Instead of choosing between listening as your prof explains a diagram or carefully drawing your version, your digital pen will record while you draw.
It’s also great if you like to handwrite your notes or for when constantly seeking out the right number keys on your laptop makes no sense.
Digital pens start at about $160 and smart pen notebooks cost about $42 for four.
4. Wading through a sea of apps
Rose says that the thing about apps is that there isn’t one that works for everyone.
“Students need to be organized, follow a routine, and use study strategies that involve retrieving newly learned information,” she says. “Any apps that help you achieve those goals are worth using.”
One app that Rose says has stood the test of time is Quizlet, which allows you to create and save sets of flashcards, quiz yourself regularly and track your progress.
“Because Quizlet is an app on your phone, you can work your way through the flashcards wherever you are – and you can use other students’ flashcards too.”
Sometimes, she adds, you might even luck out and find a set of cards for the textbook you are studying or for the same MacEwan course you are taking.
5. Don’t type it—say it
Ever considered speaking your paper instead of typing it? Speech-recognition software takes a bit of practice but can be worth it if you’re the kind of person who likes to think aloud.
Rose suggests giving one of the many free tools available a try – Voice Typing in Google Docs (in the Tools menu), Dictation in Word (in the Edit menu) and Mac Dictate (in the Apple menu, System Preferences, Accessibility).
6. Whichever tool you choose, don’t wait to get started
Getting used to new tech tools takes practice, so Rose says the best time to start is now.
“Ideally, you want to have looked over the tool by the end of August and to be ready to start testing it during the first week of classes when your faculty members are going over the outlines.”
And if a tool doesn’t work for you?
“Don’t stop trying – keep going until you find one that works. There are so many options out there that the possibilities are almost endless.”