We at Davin Workforce Solutions love technology.  Gadgets, software, innovative tools, even new lo-fi analog solutions, we love to try anything new.  So, each month, we’ll bring you gadgets and technology to help innovate your lives. 

With college finals only a few weeks away, we wanted to theme this month’s “Gadgets to help you…” around getting you prepared to ace those exams and head on into the summer knowing you don’t have to retake any of your classes next semester.

Without further ado, here are Five Gadgets to Help You Get Ready for Finals: 

Smart Pen

Studies have shown that handwriting notes help with both memorization and understanding, but what if you don’t want to lug around a semester’s worth of notebooks while you’re trying to study.  Investing in a Smart Pen can help reduce the strain on your back.  Made by a couple of brands (Livescribe & Moleskin), Smart Pens, along with their special notebooks, record everything you write (and hear) and store it digitally.  You can then access your notes through your computer or smart device. 

Flash Cards 

There is a reason you don’t reinvent the wheel because it works.  And that’s why we’re going old school on this one…flash cards work.  Type in “the benefits of flash cards” into a search engine, and you’ll be greeted by lots of sites saying the same thing.  It may seem boring and reparative, but that is what helps you learn.  When studying for your exams, don’t eschew this classic.

Calendar

Another old school idea, which you can update if you’d like with a smartphone app (or just a smartphone, because most come with a calendar).  “Knowing” when your exam is, is not necessarily the same as truly knowing when your exam is.  Take this from someone who has had many final exams, assuming you’re going to remember doesn’t work.  Exams can often be at different times than your class and in a different location.  Write down the time and location, set a reminder, and you won’t be running into your exam at the last five minutes.

Focus Apps

Let’s be honest, no matter how much you know you have to study, you can easily fall down a three-hour rabbit whole with a “quick glance on social media.”  I know, it has happened to me many, many times.  Good thing for you, some apps specialize in minimizing those distractions.  Apps such as StayFocused, Leechblock, and Freedom are designed to block websites for certain periods of time.  The best part, you can’t use the excuse, “but I need the internet to study,” because most of these apps will allow an “exception list” of sites you need to study while keeping you off of YouTube or BuzzFeed during your study time. 

Earplugs and Sleeping Mask 

No matter how much you study, going into any test with little or no sleep can set you up for failure.  And let’s be honest, dorms are not exactly dens of relaxation.  Between rowdy college students, nosy RA’s, and your roommate cursing themselves for not studying more, getting sleep can be difficult.  Take one more worry off your list by investing in a set of earplugs and a sleeping mask.  Just make sure that you sort out a way to make sure you wake up before your exam.

Finals are a stressful time, but hopefully, some or all of these gadgets will help you fly through your exams and get on to enjoying the summer.