The Current 2020

Oreintation 2020 | nsucurrent.nova.edu 10 Education Enhance your education While not every professor will let you use a computer in his/her class, there is no denying that technology has become an essential part of education in the modern world. As such, as students, it is critical to use the technology around us to our advantage and help support our academic careers. Technology can help in a plethora of areas, whether it be in organization, reminders or tutoring. Here are some helpful websites and apps for those who want to up their educational experience and utilize technology. Istudiez Pro If there is one app that I stand by for academics, it is this one. Istudiez Pro allows you to input all your classes and their times directly into the app. The app will remind you when you have class and show a calendar on a weekly and monthly basis and also lets you put in assignments and exams for each class, sending reminders as due dates and exam dates come along. The best feature is that it will also let you calculate your grades in each class based on assignments and their weight, which is super helpful for classes that do not post grades until the end of the semester. This app is essential for anyone with a busy schedule. However, if this one does not suit you, there are plenty of apps like it on the app store. You can also try out Homework App or Pocket Schedule Planner. Your phone’s calendar Another schedule app I have seen my classmates use is their smartphones’ built-in calendars to put all their classes, exams and assignments in. There are even settings to set reminders to keep you up to date on all your academic endeavors. The interesting thing about using this app is that it easily integrates with your outlook calendar through your email, making scheduled meetings a breeze. If your phone’s calendar app isn’t cutting it for you, you can always try Google Calendar or other calendar apps available in the app store. Mathway, Chegg, Slader, etc. These tutoring and homework help websites can be grade saving when it comes to certain classes. If math is not your strong suit and you have to take some for a general education requirement or any other reason, it could be a tough time. Some websites and apps require a subscription and some are totally free. These sites can help you with those tough problems and work through the assignment with you. Sites like Slader also offer help in other areas like physics and other sciences. Canvas app While this one may seem obvious, there are a handful of students who do not have the Canvas app. Canvas is the system professors at NSU use to communicate with students, assign homework, projects and exams and host discussions outside of the classroom. Super easy to use and a lifesaver in stressful situations, this app allows you to do anything like on the traditional website. Whether you are on the run or simply too lazy to get out of bed, this app can let you access the benefits of Canvas at your fingertips. Quizlet This one comes in both website and app form and is essential to studying for classes. I study best through flashcards and memorization and a lot of my peers feel the same way. With Quizlet, you can create flashcards without having to physically go through hundreds of paper index cards. Quizlet also lets you see study sets from other people so you can stimulate your studying with people learning the same topic. A fun note about Quizlet is that it also has games to help you study, which can be a good way to relax while studying and still learning. Zoom Considering the circumstances with classes last semester because of the worldwide pandemic, many students are now well adjusted with Zoom as an online-conferencing platform. Platforms like Zoom can be used as a resource for meeting in a wide array of areas. Zoom is a great way to connect with colleagues and peers whether it be for academics, counselling or groups and organizations. GroupMe A true essential for college life, GroupMe acts as a texting app that connects people in group chats without having to worry about cross compatibility between different phones. Returning students know how essential this app is, and new students will soon learn. With GroupMe there is a form of direct and easy communication within all your important academic groups. Sooner or later, you will be a part of some group and be asked to join their GroupMe, so get a head start and download it now. By: Rick Esner News Editor Tech Rentals at The Library Access to technology is an essential part of everyday life and is integral to our college experience. For students, NSU’sAlvin Sherman Library is a great way to access the technology that they need. The first floor of the Alvin Sherman Library offers best-selling fiction and nonfiction books for kids and young adults and is one of the places on campus where students have access to a variety of technological resources. From computers and printers to movies and video games, the Alvin Sherman Library has whatever students need for academics and entertainment. On the first floor, you can also find DVDs, BluRays, audiobooks and CDs and you rent up to 10 DVDs and Blu-Rays at a time. These can be checked out one at a time for seven days, per account. For video games, the library has a collection of Switch and PS4 consoles, as well as games for older consoles. The Alvin Sherman Library also offers two apps that students can use to download e-books and audiobooks using their library card or their SharkCard. The apps are RB Digital and Cloud Library. Through RB Digital and Cloud Library, students can access a variety of e-books and audiobooks on their phones or computers, and when the check-out period is over, the apps will automatically return the items. Kanopy is a database of films that theAlvin Sherman Library offers to students on campus. Through Kanopy, students have access to over 60,000 films, including documentaries, foreign and indie films and classic movies. Kanopy is only available to NSU students and can only be accessed on campus while connected to the NSU Wi-Fi. Students can use their SharkCards or NSU public library cards to check out, at most, 50 items from the Alvin Sherman Library. This includes five video games from the first-floor gaming selection, which can be rented for two weeks at a time, with a one-time renewal for an additional week if the item is not currently on hold. To renew a video game, follow the normal proceedings for renewing an item by going to the Alvin Sherman Library website or calling the circulation desk at 954-262-4601. The library does not offer consoles to be rented, but there are several places on campus that house gaming consoles for students to use. Consoles are only available through the library in the teen room, which is only open to high school students. However, the Commuter Lounge on the first floor of the Student Affairs Building has a Wii that is available to all students. By: Alexander Martinie Opinions Editor PRINTED WITH PERMISSION FROM J. BAILEY Front entrance of the Alvin Sherman Library, Research, Information and Technology Center