Making Student iPad Life Easier: myHomework App

HBA has jumped on the modern technology bandwagon by giving its students their long awaited iPads.

Being able to subtract a few pounds from the textbook load is definitely a plus, but there’s one more benefit other than the improvement to a student’s spinal health: the myHomework Student Planner.

This app is open for free download in the App Store and has a wide variety of organizational tools to help sift through day-to-day homework loads. It’s an advanced alternative to the laminated student planner given out every year, although this application doesn’t come with a nifty ruler/bookmark.

 

[one_third]In the myHomework Student Planner, users are presented with an interface that lists assignments according to either class, priority or type of homework.

To the left of the list is yet another list, except this one houses all of the student’s classes: a helpful window for people whose tired high school brains aren’t awake enough to remember their multitude of responsibilities. It happens.[/one_third]

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[one_third]Users are also allowed to switch their view of assignments to a calendar type setting, beneficial to anyone easily overwhelmed by long, growing lists.[/one_third]

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[one_third]When uploading an assignment, there is a selection of features to keep the work as specific and thorough as possible. First is title, followed by class, type of assignment, due date, due time, priority and whether or not an alarm-like reminder is needed to be set. Once the user is finished with said assignment, they can simply swipe to the right of the box and send it on its virtual way to, yes, another list. Luckily, this list is probably more encouraging to look at, as it presents every article of work that has been completed. Swipe to the left and watch as that certain unit of homework is sent off to a computerized junkyard of deleted items, also a possibly encouraging feeling.[/one_third]

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[one_third]While this app is primarily helpful for students to organize their responsibilities, it also has the option of connecting with teachers. In the sidebar there are two tabs: one labeled Teachers and the other labeled Announcements. In the Teachers tab, the user is able to see any assignments or additional information their instructor has uploaded through a separately downloaded app. The Announcements tab is pretty self explanatory, as this feature houses any announcements (ie. deadline changes, reminders, etc.) that need to be communicated to students.[/one_third]

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All in all this app is a very helpful alternative to writing things down and/or scrambling around through notebook pages and cluttered class notes. It’s a way to get things done without rushing to stuff another layer into a bursting backpack.