Student Planners
A couple of people have emailed asking about applications for helping students get organized. I think the first year in college it can be really hard for students to manage the new class structure (fewer assignments that require more work, and classes that do not meet everyday). So, in this regard I think it can help to have a few tools to keep assignments organized. Recently I have come across two applications that might help (one was sent by a reader, Kevin-thanks Kevin). I think these programs probably don’t have the focus I want as a teacher, as they seem to be organized around assignments rather than lectures, administration etc. But if you are a student they seem worth checking out.
- First Up: Schoolhouse. This is a free program written by Logan Collins. It allows you to organize tasks by assignments. It integrates with iCal and Mail. It will also help you to track your grade for the semester. Besides the orginization of the program two things impressed me. One, the overall design. This program is really sharp, right down to the icon which is one of my favorite I have seen in a long time. Second, it appears that the developer is 18, that’s right folks, hasn’t been to college and has already written a valueable program to keep students organized.
- Second: iProcrastinate. This one wins in the title category. It also lets you track assignments. And while it doesn’t seem to integrate with email etc. like Schoolhouse, it does let you break down the assignment into smaller tasks to track, a feature which I would find important. Like Schoolhouse it is free.
If you are a windows user you can check out the following options (sorry I couldn’t test drive them as I don’t have a windows machine) unfortunatley they all seem to be paid programs.
- Study Minder:Class Scheduler, plus Homework Organizer
- Assignment Organizer:This one seems the most basic, but is also the cheapest. And seems like it would work if all you want is a program to keep track of your homework.
- Student Life: This one is the most expensive, but also claims to do everything, from Class Schedules, and Assignments to Extra-Curricular activities.
So give them a try, and see which one fits your needs.
August 19th, 2006 at 6:45 am
Can you explain why Mac programmes generally look more professional, cool and polished - from the screenshots atleast?
Oh btw just a quick question. How about using the project centre in MS Entourage, if one has it, for keeping track of classes, school work, assignments etc? Any way great recommendations, will try one of the above a go when my classes start late september.
August 24th, 2006 at 4:27 am
For the Windows OS tablet PC crowd, there are quite a few organizing options, most notably GoBinder and Microsoft OneNote. GoBinder is specifically designed for students, and includes built-in class scheduling and tasks calendar, as well as the ability to link directly to external files and import scanned notes and to input ink all notes directly into the software digitally. Ideally, a student can dispense with traditional paper notebooks and keep all class-related materials, notes, etc. in one organized location. OneNote offers very similar functionality, but it is geared more toward professional use.
I’ve used both extensively as a student and a teacher, such as while grading student speeches. As a student, I was able to link all the lecture note PPT slides into corresponding days of the schedule, then link to all my notes I’d inked.
Online, there’s Backpack, which I’ve heard great things about: http://www.backpackit.com
If you are doing group projects that need massive organization, try out Basecamp: http://www.basecamphq.com
The Student Tablet PC has a lot of organizing and planning information and ideas, of course focused on tablet pPC users, but certainly several things relate to both Macs and Windows OS systems (not sure about any Linux…).
August 24th, 2006 at 12:17 pm
Michael,
Good suggestions. I want to add Backpack to my list of things to cover, but that list keeps getting longer. What is nice about Backpack is that anyone can use it, you just need a web browser. Not surprisingly this web tool which has been around for a while has now been copied by blackboard and they charge for it. Forget Blackboard, use Backpack which is free for a basic user, and a nominal fee for an upgrade.
August 24th, 2006 at 10:30 pm
I really ought to be working this evening, not commenting … but, have you also seen Interactive Logbook? It’s PC based (at least, that’s what I’ve got it on, not tried it elsewhere), and was developed by Birmingham University (UK). I’m not sure if you can download it outside the UK, or if it’s limited to UK IPs.
I’ve had a play with it, and in many ways it’s got things that OneNote hasn’t; however, as I’ve got a tablet - OneNote has Pen input, and I’ve not yet found it in Interactive Logbook. IL also doesn’t seem to pickup Firefox, it uses IE as the browser (though does let you have Open Office rather than MS Office).
Probably worth looking at, especially if you’ve not got OneNote, as IL is free.