Sway on Office 365 by Liam.

Name of App: Sway

Cost: Free

Device/s used: Online on a PC

Available on: Office 365, iPhone, Windows phone, Mac OX



What was good about this tool?
It as different way to present your work. I like that you can implement .gifs into your Sways. Everyone who has Office 365 has access to Sway as it is apart of the Office 365 package - making it accessible from anywhere. You can embed YouTube or twitter to make it more interactive. I can also share my Sways this is great when working on a group presentation. To add content you can just drag and drop onto your Sway.

What was bad about this tool?
There was nothing really bad about this application.

How did you use this tool?
You would use Sway for presentations in lessons or work. You can add lots of content from varies different sources into your sway. I was able to access the same Sway from a number of different computers since its all online on Office 365.

Click here to login to Office 365 and try it out!

Thinglink by Tanis

Name of App: Thinglink

Cost: Free

Device/s used: Online (PC)

Available on: Android and Apple devices

What was good about this tool?

It is a good tool to use in lessons, mainly for assignment work, to show news feed on the topic. It will also be good for the Student Union as a blog and information site for all students to access and find up to date information on events and activities. the fact that you can use a image as a mind map with connections to web sites and other sources of information stands out to me.

What was bad about this tool?

So far there is nothing to be said here.

How did you use this tool?

For example, if i was to add an image of Sainsbury's on the app i can connect points to it to lead people off to other sources of information that will relate to the topic at hand. I have found this a great visual tool to present assignments.

Brainscape by Charlotte

Name of App: Brainscape

Cost: Free

Device/s used: IPhone/IPad

What was good about this tool?: 

Simple to use. Can be used on the go. Pre-made notes can be used if you don't have time to create your own. A wide range of subjects are covered.  Useful for Alevel students.

What was bad about this tool?: 

It was bad because it was in black and white, it was slightly boring and people who use colour to learn didn't have the opportunity to do so.

How did you use this tool?: 

I used this to create flashcards for various different exams which meant i could revise on the go.

Skedule by Katie

Name of App: Skedule 

Cost: Free

Device/s used: iPhone 

What was good about this tool?

This is very easy to use. You can personalise it to your own tastes/needs. It is very good at keeping you organised with classes and homework's. Its also good as you can colour codes subjects and homework's so that you can easily see what you need to do and when.

What was bad about this tool?

It could be better if it had notifications to remind you that you have homework otherwise if you have forgotten about it and don't check the app you will not know.

How did you use this tool?

I used it to have my timetable on me at all times and to keep track of my homework and exams.

Trello by Vicky

Name of App: Trello

Cost: Free

Device/s used: iPhone, iPad (can access online)

What was good about this tool? 

Simple to use. To create your own board all you have to do is press '+' at the top right corner, advisory to do for each subject you're studying. You can design your own board by choosing a colour that you want and once this is chosen you then can create your list, for example 'To do', 'Doing' and 'done' but also you're allowed to add your own lists, for example 'homework'. If you have something in your 'to do' list, once you've started it, you are allowed to move it to your doing list by drag and drop and so on. If your friends are doing the same subject as you and use the same app, you can add them to the board for group work, for example. You also have an option to view your activity on the board, which allows you to view your process. 

What was bad about this tool?

The downside of this app is that you have to pay £3.99 for a month or £34.99 for the whole year to get more features for example custom backgrounds for the board and bigger attachments.

How did you use this tool?

I've used the checklist, due dates, description of the homework rather than writing it all out in the title, this is a good feature within the cards as I was able to drag and drop assignments that i've already completed to 'done' list instead of having to rewrite them. I would recommend it to students to help organise the workload for the upcoming year and if you struggle with due dates, you'd always know what work and when has to be done just by opening the app.