Back to School Week - Day Two

If you missed it,
Day One

Upgrade your Gadgets for School

Upgrading Your Phone: You don't need a new phone to have an upgraded version for back-to-school. Like any item that needs a makeover, overhaul your phone to make it school-friendly.
First thing is first, delete the applications you don't use and erase old information. Do a contact list overhaul. With smart phones, I have found that I have duplicate names in my address book. To avoid this, login to your provider (for Android it'll be Google) and combine your address books.
I always download a new wallpaper, new tunes for notifications and edit my settings as to what notifications I receive. This makes a BIG difference when you're studying, so not every little thing can get set off and distract you.

Android Apps To Download:  These are all applications that I have downloaded and use for school, and LOVE!

• Advanced English & Thesaurus
• Mindjet - Mind Mapping application
• Google Translate
• Colornote - sticky note application
• Note Everything - note-to-self application/ notepad
• Tape-A-Talk

Upgrading Your Ipod: I LOVE that Itunes has Itunes University as well as so many free podcasts! All you have to do is type in your topic of choice and bask in the multiple topics available to you. I use podcasts and Itunes U as a way of adding to the education I'm getting in the classroom or as a form of continuing education on breaks or during the summers. Not only are they fantastic AND free, but most of the time the Podcasters are FANTASTIC about answering questions asked via podcast or e-mail, so you can always ask them questions!
Also, you can get social media podcasts, so you are listening to the news without wasting HOURS of your life hearing the same information. For this, I always look to TMS (The Morning Stream). It is a longer podcast, podcasted Monday- Thursday, but it is fantastic nonetheless. I get all my social media in 1.5 hours instead of 5.

Upgrade Your Computer: This is something a LOT of us forget about- upgrading our computer. The steps to this are also free and VERY easy to do. Delete all your unneeded files. Clean up Itunes, your photos, files, and unused applications and programs. Delete internet bookmarks you don't need. Like your phone, get new notifications, change notification settings and get a new wallpaper. Defragment your computer. Upgrade your anti-virus software and check for any and all available downloads. Make sure your computer is running smoothly and well.