Taking notes on an iPad and using iCloud

Posted on April 12, 2013 by E.A. Draffan

“I don’t like pens and papers! Too much waste and extra cost. I’ve been using my iPad with a stylus and several note taking/drawing apps so far. I synchronise all my notes with iCloud (it was iWorld before Apple introduced iCloud) and I’m perfectly happy – so is my room as it doesn’t have stacks of paper and pens around :>)” Trinity – computer scientist

There are so many note taking apps and drawing apps that it is hard to advise which ones are the best but a combination of Evernote and Skitch is a good one – the Appadvice site has a note taking advice page with many more apps and the University of Exeter have a blog with a review of some more useful time management, maps, social network and note taking iPad apps. They mention WritePad that has handwriting recognition.

WritePad for iPad YouTube Video

iPhone dictionary so easy to use.

Posted on December 15, 2012 by E.A. Draffan

“I like the iPhone’s dictionary – if you don’t know the meaning of a word on a website you just have to tap on it to get its meaning. So simple and easy.” Anibul

The dictionary was added for iOS 5 and it is important to just tap and hold on a single word to see the ‘Define‘ menu appear beside ‘Copy, Select All and Speak’. It does not work in all applications. In messages the complete message is highlighted on tap and hold but you can use Copy and use Speak.

iTunes U free app – open courses useful for extra information

Posted on December 5, 2012 by E.A. Draffan

The iTunes U app from the Apple Store has lots of open courses. It is very useful for my studies – you can listen to the course at the same time as looking at the slides in iBooks.

Henry – Web and Internet Science

It works on an iPhone and iPad – you need to register on the Apple store. Many of the courses are American. ‘Internet Economics’ as a lecture is an example from one of the courses and you have a podcast plus slides from Stanford University – “Future of the Internet by Ramesh Johari” You can speed up the voice up to 2x, pause the lecture and return to it later and rewind in short steps.

Evernote for making checklists

Posted on November 3, 2012 by E.A. Draffan

“I use Evernote for making checklists. If I have a large piece of coursework or many subjects areas to revise. I break each task down, make a list and tick off each task as I complete it. There is always a sense of satisfaction when looking at a list full of ticks!”

Evernote has provided a blog about “how to create a checklist“.

Evernote can be used on Windows and Mac computers, as browser plugins and also sync with smartphones.

Using PowerPoint as a way revisiting readings at the end of the day.

Posted on October 11, 2012 by E.A. Draffan

“Before going to sleep I usually make a black on white PowerPoint presentation of the readings I have finished. I write the most important ideas – no more than five sentences per slide; 20 slides max! While lying in bed and listening to my music trying to fall asleep, I read the slides which takes about 10 minutes – it is a lot easier to memorise what I have read during the day using this small trick.” Taha – ITO course.

Open courses to help me catch up with work.

Posted on October 11, 2012 by E.A. Draffan

“I watch open course videos to improve my knowledge or to help me to catch up with my classmates. I do not find some of the uni notes good enough so the online videos are the best help and they often come from Oxford, Cambridge and MIT etc.” Linda

The links to Oxford, Cambridge and MIT show a range of options from podcasts to a YouTube channel and a web page from MIT with links to more sites. There are also many websites that have lists of courses, videos or podcasts and they often use the acronym ‘MOOCs meaning Massive Open Online Courses for example

MOOCs: Top 10 Sites for Free Education With Elite Universities

300 Free MOOCs from Great Universities (Many Offering Certificates)

Lexdis 2.0

Accessible technology for learning

Category Archives: STEM