“I use Youtube when I am procrastinating about what to write or revise. I find it helps my concentration and is a more productive way of taking a break, whilst keeping me centred on the project.”
Refseek have several sites that offer videos for various topics besides YouTube university and Apple iTunes U.
Roxanne
This could save the day when you cannot think what to write in certain parts of an assignment or dissertation – the University of Manchester has an Academic Phrasebank.
It is a general resource for academic writers. It aims to provide you with examples of some of the phraseological “nuts and bolts” of writing organised under the headings to the left. It was designed primarily with international students whose first language is not English in mind. However, if you are a native speaker writer, you may still find parts of the material helpful.
Thanks to Andy McMahon
“I do not tend to use a calendar. However, for critical appointments, I put them down in my BrailleSense’s schedule manager.”
This works well with a PC and screen reader. It has a calendar and clock for alarms. Appointments can be made very quickly using Braille, whilst having a conversation or in a lecture. It has an internet connection, can be used for social networking and word processing.
Sam – Live and Studio Sound
“I found the mouse I was using was really uncomfortable and I was getting RSI (Repetitive Strain Injury) so I used some Blu-tac and moulded it to fit precisely under the palm of my hand.”
10 Tips for Using a Computer Mouse
Fiona – Multimedia and Design
“One major issue I have had since the start of my schooling life is, when my hands quickly cramp up and I cannot write or hold a pen without extreme discomfort. This has meant that whilst note taking and exams as examples, I find it difficult to write. I have slowed down the mouse speed. With my shakes I end up double-clicking everything. Also, I can only use an optical mouse and I can’t use a touchpad…”
Jim – Information Technology in Organisations
“Text to speech is really useful when you are writing and proofreading – it makes me stop when I leave out words and when I create words that don’t exist., I was given TextHelp Read and Write Gold and I use the scanning for my manuscripts. Add the picture to Word and make comments in the margins.”
Becky – Medieval Renaissance Culture.