As adult learners, we can all use better tips for study that will support us to study smarter in the time we have available. Even with the best intentions, time-sappers such as social media, proofreading, making memory cards, reference keeping, and brain fade are familiar evils that get in the way of actual study time.
Well, relax because help is here. We’ve found you the best study apps that will assist any adult learner to study smarter. These 5 study apps are so easy to use that even the most adult of adult learners can use them to create new study habits.
Ready to study smarter? Let’s go…
1. Cold Turkey
How many times has your five-minute break to check Facebook turned into a half-hour long distraction? Cold Turkey is an app available for free on Mac OSX, Windows and Android devices that allow you to easily block an unlimited number of websites and apps for a set period. Alternatively, you can use the whitelist mode and block access to the entire internet with any exceptions you might require. Once you set the timer it is virtually impossible to deactivate these blocks, meaning that all those notifications will have to remain unchecked until your study period is over.
The icing on the cake is that if you do attempt to visit a blocked website, Cold Turkey will instead display an inspirational quote on your screen!
Download it from https://getcoldturkey.com/
A paid version with more features is also available.
2. Grammarly
If you struggle with their, there and they’re, or just want to become a better writer, this is a fantastic tool for improving your grammar and writing. Grammarly will read through your work and offer grammar, spelling and general writing suggestions in a format that’s easy to follow and understand. It’s available for free, as a plug-in for Google Chrome to catch all your email and Facebook status typos. Also get it as a downloadable app for Windows and Mac so you can import and check all your important essays and presentations. A paid subscription will give you access to even more correction features.
Get it here: www.grammarly.com
3. Quizlet
Quizlet is a must have app for anyone that enjoys working from flash cards. You have the option of either creating your own set of cards or searching through the large library of flashcard sets created by other users. You can sort your flash card sets into folders and even set up class groups to collaborate directly with other students.
Perhaps the biggest advantage Quizlet has over regular old paper cards is the tests that it will generate for you based on the cards in your set. The app will track your learning progress, allowing you to monitor and manage how much information you’re taking in.
Quizlet is also completely accessible at www.quizlet.com
4. EasyBib
EasyBib makes citation referencing a lot more fun. Available on both iOS and Android devices, it uses your smartphone’s camera to scan the barcode of a book, magazine or journal and generate a reference for it. Once you’ve finished your list of references, you can email it directly to yourself (or anyone else) to be copied straight into your next essay. With a vast range of referencing formats to choose from and an easy to use interface, EasyBib is a great time-saver when it comes to the tedious task of searching through book details to write out your references.
Visit www.easybib.com or iTunes to explore the options available. For desktop, you can download an Easybib toolbar to use with Chrome.
5. Pomodoro Timers
One of the harder parts of undertaking adult education courses means that you’ll have to fit them around the rest of your commitments. The flexibility can be both a blessing and a curse. If you’re someone who struggles to stay on task over a longer period, then this app is well worth trying out. The Pomodoro technique is a study method that involves working for brief periods of time (usually around 25 minutes) with short breaks in between each session, and a longer break after every fourth session. The idea behind Pomodoro is that breaking up your work into smaller, focused periods allows you to be more productive during that time. You can easily customise your work and break times, and then be free to focus on your study while the app takes care of all the timing for you.
On your laptop/PC, visit tomato-timer.com. Android users can download Pomodoro Timer with both paid and free versions available. For iOS users try Focus Keeper Free.
What study apps do you use to study smarter? Let us know your tips for study in the comments below.