By: Brittany Nicole La Hue

It’s that time of year again for students – new clothes, new notebooks, new textbooks and new classes. This year, add “new apps” to the shopping list. There are hundreds of productivity applications out there to help students excel in everything from basic everyday tasks to the more complicated parts of a school routine. Press Kitchener Brittany Nicole sorted through the app universe to find the best productivity apps for kids, college students and those of us who have already entered the real world.

 

Elementary, Middle School & High School Students

Photo credit: Trello

Photo credit: Trello

One of the hardest things that children have to learn, especially in today’s world of overwhelming options and activities, is time management. Luckily, there are plenty of apps to help kids plan out their schedules. Studious lets you set your class schedule, and automatically silences your phone when it knows you’re in class – so no more embarrassing Justin Bieber ringtone in the middle of class. You can even use it to store homework deadlines, notes and photos.

Trello is another time management system, but it is specifically designed to coordinate group schedules, such as for group projects. Simply create a project board, and you can write custom to-do lists, assign tasks to group members, and collaborate in real time. Whenever someone makes a change, all members are notified, so no one is left out of the loop, and you can save your phone battery from all those annoying group texts.

Photo credit: Facebook Nanny

Photo credit: Facebook Nanny

When you are having trouble with your time management, apps like Nanny for Chrome and  LeechBlock for Firefox are site blockers to prevent you from accessing specific – or all – websites in a specified time frame. Really need to study, but Facebook chat won’t stop buzzing? Have a habit of procrastinating on Imgur? You can set your computer to block you from these sites until you’ve got the homework done.

 

Photo credit - StudyBlue

Photo credit – StudyBlue

When you need to study for a test, but your friends and parents aren’t around to quiz you, StudyBlue can be your virtual assistant. You can create digital flashcards that the app will quiz you on. It will even filter out the flashcards you know the best to ensure that you learn the hard material too.

 

College Students

The “Freshman 15” is a cliche for a reason. Unlimited food in dining halls, no set meal times and all-nighter snack sessions all can easily land coeds 15 pounds over their ideal weight. But with so much else going on, who has time to monitor every calorie? The Lose It! app lets you scan an item’s barcode or search for an item to add it to your daily food log. Select your physical activity and it’ll tell you where you stand for the day! (P.S. even things like playing pool count as exercise – everything in moderation, right?)

Photo credit: Lose It!

Photo credit: Lose It!

Now that you get to bring electronics to class, get off Facebook and make the most of your Internet time. Share Your Board is a great tool when the professor lectures faster than you can take notes. SImply take a picture of the board or screen, and the app will convert the photo to a PDF. You can even write notes and draw on the PDF itself. You can also use the QuickVoice Recorder for long lectures. After you record the lecture, you can email the recording to yourself or even set a reminder to have it play at a specific time and date.

Photo credit: Evernote

Photo credit: Evernote

If you prefer typing on a laptop to taking notes by hand in a notebook, download Evernote. This hugely popular digital notebook lets you type notes, take photos, record audio or attach files, and then sync this info to all your devices. You can use it for everything from taking lecture notes to outlining assignments, doodling, creating to-do lists and conducting research. You can even share your work via Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn for group projects.

But by far the coolest app in my opinion is FastPencil. It’s a roundabout but awesome way to create a notebook! After you take all your notes in Evernote, import them into FastPencil. Here, you can get editing feedback from peers or share your work with others. When your masterpiece is complete, you can publish it to Kindle or iBook or send it off to be printed! So at the end of the term, when it’s time to study for finals, all your notes are in one, permanent place that you can keep forever (because who doesn’t have sweet, nostalgic memories of Intro Bio…?).

 

Real World

Photo credit: Asana

Photo credit: Asana

I can’t forget about those of us who have already graduated! Even though we’re not going “back to school,” there is never a better time than now to get organized. Download a task management app like Asana, whose newest iOS update has everyone talking this week. You can assign yourself or others tasks, create subtasks, make notes, set deadlines and check off items. You can also set reminders or ask others for help. Google Drive is another great tool for adults. From Google docs to spreadsheets, forms and presentations, your workplace and personal life alike can benefit from Google Drive. With the Drive, all documents can be held in one place. Multiple team members can be on the documents editing at once, so everyone can see changes in real time, and no changes get lost in cyberspace.

Start the day off on the right foot by taking a moment to plan your day before heading into your morning commute. Any.Do will remind you each morning to take a second and plan your day. Share tasks with contacts, set reminders, write memos, add notes and sync this with all your devices. So you can stop waking up in a cold sweat worrying about what you need to get done that day.

Photo credit: Lynda.com

Photo credit: Lynda.com

Last but not least, we all know that a well-rounded life means we keep learning throughout all stages of our lives. After all, our changing world means that a two decade-old diploma might not be enough anymore. For new software programs, online networks or even plain old math, there are learning programs out there. Lynda.com features online video tutorials for everything from basic Microsoft Excel to advanced Adobe Photoshop. KhanAcademy was designed for kids, but the clear, concise, non-condescending lessons are great for adults too. You can learn everything from biology to computer programming here – all for free.

Which productivity apps have helped you or your kids get organized? Let us know in the comments!