8 Tools to Increase Productivity for Online Students
As an online professor, I recently had the pleasure of catching up with a student for coffee. He is a busy young professional, pursuing his master 's degree online in music education at SUNY Buffalo State, while teaching full time and coaching sports after school. As he is a techno-forward student who is always on the go, I picked his brain for the most useful and innovative gadgets on the market to assist online learners.
[Understand the challenge of balancing online classes with work.]
As online education becomes more mobile-centric, students can leverage these technologies to work smarter. While no gadget will ever substitute for industriousness, here is a list of eight accessories that can make online learning just a bit easier and increase a student's productivity.
1. Portable charger: A high-capacity portable charger such as the Jackery Titan+ ($35) offers dual USB ports to recharge iPhone, iPad and Android devices. For online learners on the go, a backup power supply is essential for working on planes or trains, or at coffee shops or kids' soccer games.
2. External drive: Online learners use a lot of memory storing images, resources, learning materials and assignments. Students can live worry-free of data disasters by using a backup drive. The Seagate Backup Plus Slim Portable Drive ($50-$90) offers students a convenient way to protect and share digital information. Ranging from 500 GB to 2 TB of storage space, the protective metal finish is available in classic black, silver, red or blue.
3. Data transfer device: The luxury of adding memory or transferring documents isn't just for android users anymore. The Leef iBridge Mobile Memory ($60-$400) is a U-shaped device that offers an iOS lightening connector at one end and a USB connection at the other, allowing students to seamlessly transfer work from a mobile device to a laptop or desktop. Memory ranges from 16 to 256 GB and can handle virtually any file type.
4. Wireless smart mouse: Students who spend many hours behind a screen might enjoy the added navigational ability of a smart mouse. Apple's Magic Mouse 2 ($80) features a multi-touch surface : Scroll in any direction with one finger, and swipe through web pages and photos.
5. Tablet dock: Most learning management systems are mobile-friendly, allowing online students to use a tablet for the majority of coursework. The PadDock 10 ($100) allows students to increase the function, ergonomics and experience of working with an iPad. The dock tilts and rotates 360 degrees, powers and syncs the iPad, and offers high-quality audio.
[Discover why online programs are increasing their use of mobile apps.]
6. Smart pen: Some students still write faster than they type, or must do fieldwork in which writing on paper is easier than typing. The Livescribe 3 Smartpen ($150) allows handwritten notes to instantly appear on a smartphone and tablet, and records audio that is synchronized with written notes. Converted text becomes searchable and integrates with other apps .
7. Voice dictation software: For those who find talking easier than typing, voice dictation software such as Dragon Naturally Speaking ($150) enables online students to interact with a device by voice. Turning thoughts into text by talking enables students to increase the quantity and quality of written work as well as navigate applications using voice commands.
8. Noise-cancelling headphones and mic: Students can best concentrate in quiet environments. Noise canceling devices such as the Bose QuietComfort 20i Acoustic Noise Cancelling headphones ($300). These buds feature great sound and noise cancelling to reduce surrounding distractions. The inline microphone and remote are ideal for teleconferencing, screencasting and other online tasks.
The takeaway: While most of these items are not must-haves, I believe they can help busy online students be more productive and effective. Given the large investment and sacrifices online students make to further their education, these items are modest additions to the online student's arsenal of technological tools.
Bradley Fuster, special assistant to the provost for innovative learning at SUNY Buffalo State, teaches both hybrid and online courses and developed the school's fully online master's program in music education. Fuster holds degrees in music from SUNY--Geneseo, Yale University and University of Southern California.
