App – Stuff Students Need To Know

Referencing for n00bs

So if you are anything like me, you probably find referencing the absolute worst part of writing assignments. I sit there for hours trying to smash out an assignment because, as usual, I’ve left finishing it off to the last minute, then just when I think I’m done…SURPRISE!!! There is still a whole reference list to go that, for some stupid reason, fails to write itself every time.

So if this sounds like you, keep reading, because I have some wonderful solutions for you.

Believe it or not, there are some awesome phone apps that can reference for you. You just need to download the app, search for your book — or if you’re real lazy, scan its barcode — select the reference style you want and BAM! You have yourself a correctly referenced book!
Some of these apps that I know of include:

Easybib (FREE!)
Easy ultimate referencing ($2.49)
RefME (FREE!)

Another way to make referencing less of a drag is to save your references in Microsoft word (convenient right?). So here’s how to do it:

Click on the references tab up the top
Click insert citation > new source
Select the type of source, chuck in all the details and write in a little tag in the bottom left so you know what the reference is in your future list

Heypresto! Like magic, all the hard work is done for you. Now you just have to put the reference into your actual assignments. That is done like so:

In-text reference
- Click references> insert citation > then just click on the reference you need!
Reference list
- Click references> Manage sources > copy all the references you need into the ‘current list’ box
- Now click references> bibliography> references. And now a reference list should magically appear where ever your cursor was

So these are just a couple of tricks I use to make life a little bit easier when referencing. If you know of any more then comment below and we will add it in. Hope this makes everyone’s life a little bit easier.

– Damon

Exercise, study and apps

Do you ever stop and ask yourself, ‘am I exercising enough?’ or ‘am I eating the right foods?’ You probably have. Probably with extreme guilt. But I’m here to tell you that there’s an easy way to start responding to those questions while studying.

University is jam-packed with what seems like a never-ending amount of essays to write, exams to study for and tutorials to attend, and sometimes it can feel as though, before you know it, you’ve been consumed by university life and have forgotten about the importance of maintaining a healthy balance. Exercise can not only make you feel good by releasing endorphins, but it can also help improve concentration levels, which can be great for study . By exercising for only 30 minutes a day you can reduce your risk of many potential health problems.

In our world full of technology and smartphones, what better way to include both study and exercise? If you have a smartphone, there are a variety of apps that can help with your studies that are course specific. They usually have practice exam questions plus loads of other cool study stuff. For the exercise component there are a wide range of fitness apps to get your heart rate up, increase your endurance and all over physical activity. I have taken the initiative and done some app browsing and testing to find an app that seems very promising!

It’s called couch to five km (c25k) and is available on iOS and Android. This app only takes half an hour of your day and can turn you from being a ‘couch potato’ to a marathon runner! Well, maybe not a marathon runner, but I’m pretty sure there’ll be an app for that too. Anyway, this app slowly takes you through, step by step, week by week, the stages of being able to run a continuous 5 km. It takes 8 weeks to complete and, like I said before, only takes up half an hour of your day! That’s like 2% of your day (Okay, it’s 2.08%, but I rounded down).

I understand that not everyone will be able to do this activity whilst others may find it completely boring, pointless or have absolutely no interest in being able to run 5km. It is important to find an activity to do that you find enjoyable. You might want to join a local yoga class to ease your mind while exercising at the same time. Or maybe join a boxing class to get your frustrations out in a controlled and fun way. Perhaps you’re more into exercising alone, so taking a brisk walk or light jog can be a great way to start including exercise into your daily regime.

As long as you’re doing something, your mind and body will thank you 🙂

– Bec

App Review: StudyBlue

It’s coming up to that time where we are all finishing up with classes and about to undertake exams. For some people, it’s a stressful time, especially if you haven’t quite understood everything in some classes. But never fear, as this app review will help you with your endeavours to study over the next couple of weeks before exams (but not the day before. Don’t leave it ’til the day before).

The app that helps me with some of the harder concepts in class is StudyBlue (available for Android and Apple). What StudyBlue does is allow you to create flashcards with terms and definitions of particular concepts you may have come across in class, and then quiz yourself on what they mean through multiple ways (such as true or false, or a nice feature I like, a kind of “Wheel of Fortune” guess the definition). It also grades you on your performance in the test and remembers what concepts you understood, and ones you may need to study more, meaning you can take the test again from easiest to hardest, randomly, or the least studied.

It also automatically creates a review sheet, which for you maths and science students could be used to create a cheat sheet if your exam allows it (you’d have to take a screenshot then upload it to your computer to print off).

However, the best feature is this: you can share notes and review sheets with friends and classmates, meaning you can help not just yourself, but a struggling mate with the concepts behind a course. If you’re like me, you’ll find it much easier to study with a mate and discuss certain concepts rather than just being right or wrong, and StudyBlue can also be used by multiple people on the same device.

StudyBlue is on both the Google Play store (Android) and on iTunes and is free to use/download (there are some extra features that are not mentioned here that come at a premium price); it also requires either a Google or Facebook account to sign in and an internet connection to use most features.

– James

App Review: iStudiez Pro

Hello my lovely little kittens!

I’m here to tell you all sorts of fun things about an app that helps with study. Yay! My most used (actually, my only used) app for study is called iStudiez Pro. I know, it’s a super cool name. I particularly like their use of ‘z’ at the end of the name. Makes it feel so much more student-y, right? Unfortunately it is only available on Apple products, so all you fancy Android people are missing out. Sorryyyyyyy.

So. The app. All the things. It’s really just super handy for keeping up to date with when assignments are due, but also tells you when your classes are. Firstly, you get to put in all your classes for each semester, and it also lets you add your lecturer and tutor and any other teaching staff that may be part of your course. Then you get to pick a pretty colour for each of your classes, because colour co-ordination is kind of great. After that, when you finally feel like wading through your course descriptions, you can add all your fun fun assignments and their due dates. This does, of course, save you from having to wade through your course description every week or so when you forget just what assignments you have to do and when they are due. Because we all know that happens. You can also add exams for each course and all that fun stuff that you just KNOW you want to remember.

The best part is that it gives you a nice little reminder when your assignments are due. You can set this however many days in advance of the due date as you like, and then it can either just notify you quietly, or even if you want can give you a ridiculously annoying alarm sound of your choice to tell you to get your bum into gear and ASSIGNMENT TIME.

This app can sync across all your devices (if you buy it on them all. I know, annoying), and can also sync with your regular phone calendar so that you always know when your classes are. Yeah, I know, mind blown right?

I particularly like the nice little notes it gives you in the “Today” section. Sometimes it tells you that you may have some assignments due that you should check out, and other times it just tells you to have a break and do something fun. Yep. It’s almost like talking to a real person. Except not at all.

Overall, this app is just a pretty darn wonderful way to keep track of assignments and classes. And if you are anything like me that is a super handy thing to have. I get far too distracted doing all the cool things like knitting and drinking tea and sometimes I just completely lose track of the fact that my 3000 word essay is due in twelve hours. It happens. But it doesn’t need to anymore, because you’ve got iStudiez Pro! For only $9.99 on your Mac computer and $2.99 on your iPhone and iPad combined, you too could have magically easy study reminders! Here are some quotes from some happy customers:

“Wow. Just wow.” (Tegan 2014)

“It’s just like a diary. Only more study-ish. And on your phone.” (Tegan 2014)

“I like biscuits.” (Tegan 2014)

Yep, you’ve heard it first hand, folks. What an app. There are just no words sometimes.

Okay, I don’t know why that suddenly turned into an infomercial, but it did, and now we shall move on and pretend it never happened. Or maybe I should just leave so that you can quickly rush to your Apple device and buy this app. Because I know that’s exactly what you want to do after hearing what I have to say.

Soooooooo I guess I’ll say farewell and see you fine friends next time for my next fun blog post on who knows what! Wow, there were far too many ‘f’s in that sentence. Okay. I’m going now. Bye.

Tegan 🙂

App Review: Zombies, Run!

The mayday goes out and I hear the helicopter go into a tailspin. We’ve been hit, and god knows by what. The sounds of a crash engulf me, and for a moment I’m left with little more than a ringing in my ears. There’s no word from the pilot. They’re all dead. I’m the only survivor. My radio crackles to life. A man identifies himself as Sam. He can see my position from his tower in the town of Abel. If I can reach them, I’ll be safe. His voice is cut off by his own gasp. There’s a mob of shadows moving on my position. Zombies. They heard the crash. He screams at me to run, and I don’t waste a second.

This is Zombies, Run!, a running app designed around making fitness fun. Before I go on, let me say that I’m not a runner. At all. The thought of exercise makes me so depressed that I end up curled on the couch with a block of chocolate. But this app made me want to try it. And boy was it worth it.

Each time you go on a run, you select a ‘mission’. Each mission serves as a chapter in a longer story, while having some particular task for that run. The plot is well-developed and entertaining, and the developers proudly state that they have over 100 missions. Simply select the mission you’re up to, the songs you want, and head off.

At heart, Zombies, Run! is an interval trainer. You receive snippets of story, with your own music woven throughout. Every five minutes or so, you’ll be told that a mob of zombies is closing on you, and you’ll have to increase your speed for one minute to escape them. Beware: these chases are brutal. I expected that, if I was doing a light jog, I may have to briskly jog. Nope. Not even. These are zombies, for christ sake, and you have to run!

The advantage of this, though, is that it caters for all fitness levels. If you’re not confident in your ability you can walk during the story portions and only jog during the chases. If you find that too easy, maybe increase your pace.

Now if a detailed story and being chased by zombies isn’t enough to get you out there, this app offers even more. On each run you’ll collect items. When you finish the run, you can then use these items to develop the township of Abel, with a full town map. It’s a strategic town management game with resources reliant on your runs.

There are a bunch more features, including a detailed online component, but if I listed every feature this app had you’d be reading an essay, and it’s way too early in the semester for essays. Whether you want to get running but need extra motivation or you’re a regular runner looking for some extra entertainment, this app will do it. I’d recommend this to just about anyone. Really, the fact that it got me out there — and more than once — should be testament to just how engaging this is.

You can purchase Zombies, Run! for iOS on the App Store for $4.49, for Android on Google Play for $4.49 or for Windows Phone for $10.00

Ryan

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