(Steven Marks)– Technology is advancing perhaps faster than ever before, and the benefits for college students are difficult to overstate. Just as business communications and efforts have become more efficient and reliable, college students now have better ways than ever before to go about fulfilling their work and requirements. Of course, in some situations there’s still no substitute for basic pen and paper. But technology has changed the very nature of schoolwork, and the result is that there are many convenient technological gadgets and programs that students can take advantage of in order to work more efficiently. Here are four to take note of.
1. Smart Phones
Smart mobile phones have now been around long enough for their general benefits – entertainment, communication efficiency, etc. – to be quite clear. However, it is also important for college students to recognize the necessity of these devices in today’s university environment. These days, we are expected to be connected to the Internet at just about all times, and that means that emails require immediate responses and work requires immediate attention. Smart phones allow students to stay connected throughout the day, allowing them to meet these new expectations.
2. E-Readers
E-Readers, too, have now been around for some time, but many students are only just beginning to realize the potential benefits and advantages they offer. The bottom line is, college textbooks are often very expensive, and on top of that many of them can be difficult to find. With an e-reader, whether it’s a full smart tablet or a simple reader, you can often download textbooks at significantly reduced prices. This saves students money, and also keeps them from having to lug heavy books around campus to their classes. These are essential tools for students with heavy reading loads.
3. Cloud Networks
Most college students, at some point or another, have run into the very serious problem of a device malfunctioning or being damaged at the worst possible time. For example, a student might finish a ten page paper on a laptop, only for that laptop to suddenly freeze and die. Or, a student might save a project on a USB drive and then lose it. These problems can cause extra work, late assignments, and ultimately poor academic performance. However, with a cloud network such as that you might be able to access through a service like Share File, students can completely erase the potential for such issues. With a cloud computing network, your work can be saved and then accessed from any device. This means that if your laptop crashes, you can still access your work through another computer on the cloud.
4. Advanced File Sharing
Similar to cloud networks in some respects, advanced file sharing can also be very beneficial to modern students. Whether you are sending a large presentation or video through email, or collaborating on a project with a group of students, it may be necessary to exchange large amounts of data over the Internet. Occasionally, this can be too much for basic email to handle. Advanced file sharing programs, however, allow you to send and receive large files, and also to collaborate online with other students. This can be very convenient for certain types of work students might do in college.
Ultimately, technological advancements have drastically changed the activities of the modern college student. However, they have also added opportunities for increased efficiency. The products and services discussed above can all help students to work more quickly, and with less potential for error, which makes them absolutely essential when attending college.
This guest post is courtesy of freelancer Steven Marks, on behalf of Sharefile, and does not necessarily reflect the views of the AC Voice editorial board or staff as a whole. Steven is a freelance writer who covers a range of topics related to student life.
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