Final Thoughts By Bekii

I joined student innovators because I believe that introverted students find it difficult to ask questions to teachers and interact socially so having access to useful apps will make their eduction time easier and give them support throughout the academic year. The most useful app I discovered was BBC Bitesize as it has the ability to create a personal profile to track progress and weaker areas. The app is also available as a web version for those unable to access the app. I've enjoyed looking into different types of apps that I wouldn't have otherwise given a second thought and to be able to publish reports to advise others on which ones may be worth spending time on and which ones may not will hopefully help struggling students to survive their time in revision. I hope to continue next year in order to pursue this further and gain more insight which will help later in life with the career i wish to pursue.

BBC Bitesize By Bekii

Name of App: BBC Bitesize

Cost: Free

Device/s used: iPhone

Available on: Apple, Android & Online

What was good about this tool?

It is aimed at GCSE level and is split into separate years, subjects and topics with a miniature test at the end of each sub-topic to test your knowledge. You can also choose which exam board your school is using for each subject and all your selections are recorded to your profile. There is also pre-made flashcards which you can use for quick revision and videos to go into depth on topics you are unsure on.

What was bad about this tool?

There was some activities that required you to use paper instead of the app which i feel didn't suit the purpose of the app. There was also missing subjects that are not deemed as 'core' such as spanish and geography. the app also doesn't work without internet so cannot be used on the go without 3g.

How did you use this tool?

I think this app is useful if you know which topics you are weakest on in order to refresh your memory and is best suited to those sitting their GCSEs.

Final Thoughts by Liam

The reason that I continued being an Innovator is because I enjoy testing out new apps. I also enjoy being a student innovator because I like testing out apps which could improve peoples learning and I like it when my posts get a lot of views. My favourite apps that I have tested this year would have to be Yammer I like how it could improve communication in the college, also I like OneNote and how easy it makes storing notes it (although iPhones already have a notes app). Office Lens is a popular app this year it has had a lot of views (which makes me happy), this is due to how useful the app is since you can convert a photo into a word document or a PDF. I think being an Innovator has helped me by finding apps that improve my learning and productivity while at college.

Red Herring by Liam

Name of App: Red Herring

Cost: Free

Device/s used: iPhone

Available on: Apple, Android, Kindle and Windows Phone

What was good about this tool?

Its fun because you can chose from 3 levels of difficulty so you can chose the level that right to you. This app lets you learn new words and interesting facts about some of them, The aim of the game is to group all of the categories of words together. This game is suited to people who are doing English or would like to improve it. Its a simple quick game I've enjoyed it and found it to be addictive.

What was bad about this tool?

Theres a lot of puzzle packs that you have to pay for.

How did you use this tool?

I recommend this tool because its a fun and easy way to learn new words and expand my vocabulary.

Vicky's Final Thought

Technology is being used more and more every day by everyone around the world. I was inspired to be a Student Innovator due to the fact I knew there were apps out there that can make a huge difference in students life. I wanted to help and make a difference in someone's education, to help them enjoy college. 'My Study Life' has been one of the best apps I found that definitely has helped students in my college already, I had them approach me to ask me about the app and how to get grips of it which made me feel like time spent this year really wasn't wasted as students have taken on the presentation on board I have done earlier on. I will continue using this app and similar to it in my future studies and I hope more students step up and take up this role that I have been doing.

To know that I've done something in order to help someone in their learning environment has made me realise that these years in college were worth it. I hope to continue helping people as I meet them throughout my life to help them and make their work/study life much easier with technology we are provided today.

OneNote by Liam

Name of App: OneNote

Cost: Free

Device/s used: iPhone

Available on: Apple, Android, Windows Phone, Online (through Office 365)

What was good about this tool?

This app will allow you to have different 'notebooks' on different subjects/ topics which is good as you can organise your notes you may have saved in different places. It uses your Office365 account that you got linked on your device (if you use other apps e.g. OneDrive), if not you can just sign in and it will link straight away, that means that your notes are available across all your devices.

Within each note you can have writing, lists or a photos, so it would be good for check lists, revision and notes in lessons. You can invite people to your notebook and you can copy a link to it in order to collaborate better, this will benefit you if you are working in a group. Also you can do voice recording if you find it hard to spell.

What was bad about this tool?

Found nothing bad about this tool.

How did you use this tool?

I would use it for check lists and quick memos. I would definitely recommend this app if you like writing notes down as it is good for class notes and to dos!

Glogster by Bekii

Good points:

• Can link to computer, iPad, iPhone with one account and the posters are automatically transferred between them all
• You can import pictures, videos and add text
• There are a small variety of templates you can use for a limited number of subjects
• Can be used for both leisure and revision purposes
• You can print the posters straight from your phone etc

Bad points:

• There is only a limited free time before you  have to sign up for a subscription which costs around £2.29 per month or £22.99 for a onetime payment
• It is not clear how to attach videos or links to the poster, even I couldn’t figure it out after many attempts
• There is limited space and tools that you can use so can only be used for very basic posters
• You have to save the photos to your device in order to upload them so pre-planning is useful otherwise it can get very confusing

I would not recommend this app as there is a hidden cost and limited things you can use it for which personally does not seem worth the hassle for a poster you can easily create on Microsoft Publisher etc.

SHAREit by Liam

Name of App: SHAREit

Cost: Free

Device/s used: iPhone

Available on: Apple, Android, Online and can also be downloaded on to PC or Mac.

What was good about this tool?

This app allows you to share documents, photos, videos, contact details and more! You can share as long as you are connected to the same network as the device that you are sharing it to. It has a colour layout you can change your icon and your name.

What was bad about this tool?

You have to be connected to the same network, which could be difficult in some circumstances. You have to be in close range to receive any sources from other phones. There is a lot of steps that you have to do before you can actually start sharing.

How did you use this tool?

This tool is interesting but i would prefer to use the other sharing tool I reviewed Send Anywhere.

My Study Life by Vicky

Name of App: My Study Life

Cost: Free

Device/s used: iPhone

Available on: iPhone/iPad, Android, Windows Phone and Online

What was good about this tool? 

This app is designed to make your study life easier to manage. Once you sign, which you can do through creating an account, Facebook, Google account, or even Office 365 which we all have. To get started, you can add your whole time table onto this app, time your lessons start/finish, where your class is etc, you can also pick a colour for each of your subjects! Once you are set, you have a dashboard which shows your lessons for the day, how long left until your lesson finishes and even what lesson you have next. You can pop your homework onto it and then set up the time you want a reminder of your homework to pop up so you cannot forget about all the studying you have to do! In your options, you have a calendar which shows all your lessons for the week, you can type in all your exam dates as a reminder. Tasks is another option you have, this is where you can store all your tasks to do, and you can also change your completion bar from 0% to 100% as you go along which keeps you motivated when you aren't far off finishing! Overall, it's colourful and a nice and quick app to use.

What was bad about this tool? 

Nothing.

How did you use this tool? 

I have set up my timetable and put all the homework that is due on it. I have also put on my holidays so i don't get notifications for this period. I recommend this app for anyone who is in education to keep themselves on track.

Diigo by Vicky

Name of App: Diigo

Cost: Free

Device/s used: iPad

Available on: Online only but can be used through a browser on a mobile device

What was good about this tool?

This website allows you to save and tag resources for easy access. You can annotate websites which is good for making extra notes for assignments etc. It's great to use because sometimes you are given a task for research, and if you find a website that contains the information that will be useful, you can annotate it on the spot rather than just print the website out and try to remember the useful parts and what you thought about them at the time. You can also organise your links and references to create a structure to your work. Another thing that is quite useful is that you can share your research with other users of this website which is great for group projects.

What was bad about this tool? 

Even though you get quite a bit of an option, 5 outliners, 500 highlights and 100 images, if you want to upgrade to be able to do more, you have to pay for a monthly or yearly subscription.

How did you use this tool?

I would recommend this because a lot of work that is done in college is through websites and lots of research comes in place. This website would help you organise your research and have it on the go rather than have your notes on your research written out as a lot of the time students lose their notes whereas using this, its pretty much impossible! 

Office Lens by Liam

Name of App: Office Lens

Cost: Free

Device/s used: iPhone

Available on: Apple, Android and Windows Phone.

What was good about this tool?

Office Lens is a mobile scanner, you can take scans using your camera on your phone. You can choose the source you will scan from document, whiteboard, business card and photo. It allows you to import the scan into Word or PowerPoint, if your scan has text it will recognise this and convert into digital text. I can export it to a PDF, add to my Photo Library, email, Word, Powerpoint and OneNote.

What was bad about this tool?

It does link to OneDrive but not our Office365. If you have a personal OneDrive account you can link to it. 

How did you use this tool?

I use it to take photos of the whiteboard so I have a copy of the teachers notes. I also used it to have a copy of business cards, which I can then import into my contacts. I would recommend this app because it allows you to take a photo of written text and convert to digital text in Word. This app is really handy to have in my pocket as I can always do a quick scan of any important notes and discussions made.

Seesaw by Vicky

Name of App: Seesaw

Cost: Free

Device/s used: iPad/ iPhone

Available on: Apple, Android and Chrome Web Store

What was good about this tool?

You can document what you are learning, you can capture learning with images and videos. The work created by students can be accessed and shared to their teachers. It is a visual tool and a great way to display work. You can add almost anything to it from text, videos, notes to photos from your camera roll. I can create a portfolio anywhere at anytime. 

What was bad about this tool?

Nothing but for this tool to work well both teachers and students need to access it. 

How did you use this tool?

Seesaw is a digital portfolio and allows me to to show my work in a visual way. I would use this for my revision and as you could quickly take a photo of a book and add this to your portfolio. It is good revision resource as you can access it anywhere and it is easy to carry as it is on my phone!

Podcasts by Liam

Name of App: Podcasts

Cost: Free

Device/s used: iPhone

Available on: Apple Only (iPhone/ iPad), can be used thorough iTunes if on a PC or Mac. 

What was good about this tool?

There are lots of variety of topics in podcasts. such as English, computing and maths. The podcasts are free and are downloaded to your device.You can download more than one podcast. You can learn on your way to college. You can review the podcaster on the quality of the content, this can help when recommending apps and to see what content they provide. It also provides a related section where people can view similar content to the one they was listening too.

What was bad about this tool?

Like the internet the people on their may not know what they are talking about, as the author there can be anyone. I recommend to stick to authors that your know, as there is lots from well known companies and organisations.

How did you use this tool?

I used it for English and it helped me expand my vocabulary which can help me with my coursework. I think this is a great tool because you can have it tailored to your level. It can be used by anyone for any course.