"Research has shown that college-age students in the US may spend an average of 8–10 h per day on a smartphone," according to the U.S. Library of Medicine. It's important that we use our screen time to our advantage and take the time to further educated ourselves instead of continuing to mindlessly scroll through social media platforms, streaming apps, and other apps on our phone and computer. I have put together 5 of my favorite apps to share with you and others on how to learn and gain more control of your screen time!
App 1: My Canvas or Blackboard
From this app, I am able to view assignments, look at the calendar, take a quick overview of what the day is going to include, and announcements from the professor. It's important to stay on top of assignments and homework in order to stay consistent with your schedule.
I like this app for it's clean layout, I am able to ease my mind if I wake up at 2 A.M. thinking I missed an assignment. It is something I think every student should have. Depending on what school you go to, you should always download the app that your school uses.
App 2: Google Docs/Microsoft Word
This one is super simple and efficient!
Usually, I like to use Word more on the computer so I'm not tempted to veer off into other tabs on my computer. However, on my phone I like to have both. I'm able to to write, view, and edit documents with ease and it isn't laggy. It helps when I think of an idea for one of my projects or think of the perfect thesis statement. You're able to access it everywhere and can continue on your computer when you want.
App 3: Forest
Not only is this environmentally friendly but it keeps you focused and off your screen when you feel like you can't focus on anything, We all have a problem when it comes to distractions. I am the worst when it comes to scrolling through social media and TikTok and realized I just wasted 20 minutes of my life when I should've been studying. Forest is a timer that plants real trees while you stay off your phone. You can still play Spotify in the background but it keeps you away from the taunting notifications and distractions of social media. Who doesn't love helping the environment while focusing on your studies?
App 4: Quizlet
File:Quizlet-logo.jpg - Wikimedia CommonsBack in high school, Quizlet wasn't much besides digitalized flashcards. However, the app has changed so much! You can do a matching game, take practice tests, write the vocabulary terms, and do a learning mode which is like a mini quick that helps you efficiently learn. With this app you can do this while you're waiting for your food in the microwave, while you're waiting for takeout, right before you go to bed, when you wake up, any time you need to. It's not a high stress app where it's a struggle to learn vocabulary. My Spanish teacher was amazing enough to make a Quizlet account to share with us and I feel like I have been retaining information 10x more than without studying on this app.
App 5: WordUp
Want to expand your vocabulary? This app is perfect for doing that. They give you quizzes to determine your knowledge of vocabulary and they give you a set of words to learn every day. I downloaded this since I am a writing major and I wanted to expand my knowledge outside of the classroom. It is a simple to use app that gives you many different ways to learn the word. They give you the word in a sentence, a picture, where it appears in songs, synonyms and antonyms, and more! I love how the app accommodates people's needs since they don't just use one thing. Each day you are learning more words and where they came from. It is also a great tool for those who have ESL students or those in general who want to learn English.
GIF by Bryan Unger
