Month: July 2015

Posted on by Edsys

Millions of Indians are mourning the demise of beloved former President, Dr.APJ Abdul Kalam. Did you know that United Nations Organization (U.N.O) had declared his birthday (October 15th) as “World Students Day“. It was back in 2010 that United Nations had decided to honour this great man.

[Read: Google Bids Farewell to APJ]

It is an honour that the man rightly deserves. He wasn’t just the people’s president, but an inspirational personality who also was a teacher, scientist, author, professor and policy-maker [Read: Indian Education Framework Needs to Change Completely: Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam]. Despite having such great qualities, the most endearing feature of his personality was his simplicity.

Dr.APJ Abdul Kalam was born on 15 October 1931 in Rameshwaram, Madras Presidency, British India.  He worked with DRDO and ISRO as an aeronautical engineer. Famously known as Missile Man of India,  Dr.APJ Abdul Kalam  played major role in India’s Ballistic Missiles development. He also played a vital part in the 1998 when India tested its nuclear weapons. From 2002 to 2007, he served term as the 11th President of India.

This gem of a man has also authored numerous books, the most popular of them being Wings of Fire, India 2020 and Ignited Minds.

Besides these roles, he was an inspiration to students and youth of the country. Perhaps rightly, his last conscious moments was spent in front of students at IIM Shillong. His was a life largely spent learning and teaching. United Nations Organization (U.N.O) couldn’t have honoured the great man in a better way. During his lifetime, the Indian government had honoured him with the Padma Bhushan in 1981, the Padma Vibhushan in 1990 and the Bharat Ratna in 1997 for his work with ISRO and DRDO and his role as a scientific advisor to the Indian government.

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As you are probably aware, Knowledge and Human Development Authority aims at upgrading Dubai private education sector to international standards.  This government institution issues KHDA ranking to schools after conducting strict inspections regularly. The rankings thus procured speak about the quality of schools.

KHDA usually informs schools about the inspection three weeks ahead of schedule. Obtaining a better ranking in KHDA is a licence for schools to hike their fees. This is to encourage schools to maintain their educational standards

Ratings of KHDA and fee hike depending on it

  1. Outstanding – 6% hike
  2. Good – 4.5% hike
  3. Acceptable – No
  4. Unsatisfactory – No

School Inspections

Schools get three weeks time to make necessary changes for better ranking. Instructions are given to teachers, students and schools staffs for better behaviour. The sole purpose of rehearsals is to impress the inspectors.

Good performance can win schools better ratings. Better rating yields a licence for fee hike. Teachers and students turn to be actors and school a theatre during the inspection day. Things become normal after the day of inspection. Teachers and students are left to no choice, but to go with the flow.

Mock Drills for Perfection

Yes, you heard it right. To reassure that everything is well-organised, schools conduct mock drills of the inspection. Hiring fake inspectors for mock drills is a common practice.

A school borrowed maths teacher from another school, as its own teacher did not have eligibility criteria.

“Teachers from our sister institutions double up as dummy inspectors and come to our school where they hold several rounds of mock inspections to iron out the kinks. It’s like a fire drill, but more exhaustive,” said a teacher

There are more tricks

Certain schools even change the seating arrangement during inspection. Bright students are placed at back rows, average students at front and below average in the middle rows. It’s a psychology that the inspector asks questions to the last benchers. Even if they are unaware about the answer, students should raise their hands.

Schools told some 11- grade students to showcase a skit for the morning assembly during the day of inspection.

“The school wanted to show that such skits are a routine feature. The fact is they’re not,” said a student.

Parents, it’s your turn

Parents also play a major role to make a fool out of KHDA inspections. Schools arrange parents for ‘special briefing’, a weekend before the inspection.

 “We were told not to pack junk food in the tiffin that week and teach our children everyday so that they come prepared,” said a parent.

School authorities force parents to say good things about them. Parents fear that after rated ‘outstanding’, schools issue fee hike.

Teachers are also stressed

Teachers stay back even after working hours to prepare for KHDA inspection. The school management wants teachers to struggle for good ranking. Teachers can scarcely concentrate on their daily lessons due to the preparations for inspection.

“In the past fortnight or so, I’ve barely slept for three hours. Most nights were spent tweaking lesson plans, preparing self-evaluation reports and making teaching aids. KHDA wants evidence of all school activities we have done over the year. We’ve proof of a few, the rest have been faked. But in trying to pack a year’s work in one week, my blood sugar has shot up… I’ve no time to see a doctor,” a kindergarten teacher expressed.

Unrealistic Picture

Real picture of the school is different from the one shown to KHDA inspectors.  Often unrealistic pictures are the basis of school ratings. This year 80% private schools in Dubai have increased their fees on the basis of the ratings.

Is this of any use?

Most of the parents questions about the advantage of informed school inspections. It’s like inspection for the sake of inspection. Parents are against the inspection method done by KHDA. It’s easy for schools to hide their problems that reduce ranking if the inspection date is already informed.

Explanation of KHDA

The issue had created quite a stir among parents. Jameela Al Muhairi is the Chief of the Dubai Schools Inspection Bureau (DSIB) at the KHDA. She clarified that there are reasons behind three-week notice period before inspection.

  1. KHDA needs key documents before inspection
  2. KHDA needs to confirm that the inspection is fair, rigorous and well-organised
  3. Students ands parents might not be present during un informed inspection

“We want to work with schools and parents as much as possible to gain an accurate and fair view of the typical work of each school,” she added.

So, what do you think? Would it help if there is a new process set up to make surprise inspections necessary or is the issue just being overblown? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section.

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“Every child you encounter is a divine appointment.”- Wess Stafford

While schools strive to elevate children’s learning experience to the next level by EYFS syllabus, what are the contributions to children with special needs?

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Each child is unique, so are their requirements. EYFS syllabus that instills love for learning in students is not enough for children with special needs. They deserve something more. It’s not that they lack potential but requires special care to shine.

If you are a parent or teacher of a child with special needs, you cannot afford to teach them with limited resources. Special education needs better research.  Discover the potential of your students with the right support. The tool you might need to polish their intellect is here.

Here are some great special education websites:

  1. About.com

About.com is the perfect destination for a wide-range of topics. It’s easy for both parents and teachers to find what they need. This website can help you stay updated about special education information. Articles by expert Jerry Webster is of great use for parents and teachers. You can easily find lessons, activities and general information about special needs education in About.com.

  1. Cast

Cast consists of everything related to special education. It is a non-profit education research and development organization. Cast aims at expanding learning opportunities for all individuals through Universal Design for Learning.  It consists of 40 talented employees who include world-class educators, learning scientists, instructional designers, literacy experts, policy analysts, and graphic designers, software engineers, along with a first-rate administrative and executive staff.

  1. ADDitude

ADDitude is a magazine founded in 1998 by Ellen Kingsley, an award-winning journalist. The printed material in the magazine is also available in a fabulous website. The site is every inch useful for those living with ADHD (Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) and parents of children with ADHD. The site provides clear, accurate and user-friendly techniques from experts.

  1. Understood

Understood has got partnership with 15 leading non-profit organizations like Common Sense Media, CAST, the National Center for Learning Disabilities and more. The site provides great articles with practice tips. The effective Parenting Toolkit in the site includes personalized advice and resources, a simulation tool to understand things from your child’s perspective, a tech finder, and a parenting coach tool. All you need is under one roof.

  1. LD Online

LD online is yet another website which contains articles, multimedia, columns by noted experts, first person essays, children’s writing and artwork, a comprehensive resource guide, community forums, and a referral directory of professionals, schools, and products. The site provides resources for teenagers transitioning between high school and college. This material rich website can be used by people belonging to all age groups.

  1. Do2Learn

Just like the name suggests, the Do2Learn website consists of numerous activities that can easily stimulate social skills and behavioural regulation in children. The site has to its credit, thousands of free pages which provide guidance, communication cards, academic material, and transition guides for employment and life skills.

  1. BookShare

Knowledge can never go out of trend. Its mainly reading that enables knowledge. For people with print disabilities, BookShare has gifted world’s largest accessible online library. People with print disabilities due to visual impairments, physical impairments, and learning disabilities can depend on BookShare for books with digital formats.

  1. Bridging Apps

Bridging Apps is an effective site started by two parents and therapists of special needs children. It provides searchable database for iPhones, iPads and Android devices. The app is available anywhere and anytime. Bridging Apps provides the best resource for those living with disabilities and helps their parents to teach better.

  1. Apps for Children with Special Needs

Apps for Children with Special Needs concentrate on providing support for parents and teachers of special need children.  The app is developed by the parent of a special need child. This site appears to focus only on iOS apps. Apps for Children with Special Needs consist of videos along with relevant information and advice from source you can trust. This site encourages you to buy sensibly.

Get Best Free Parental Apps (Check it Now)

  1. Graphite.org

Graphite.org is used for finding materials of special education. The site is maintained by the largest and independent non-profit organization – Common Sense Education. The site was built by teachers for teachers. Collections of apps are produced by Graphite on various topics including special needs.

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Three objects were considered essential across all participants, cultures and genders: keys, money and mobile phone.”

– Jan Chipchase, Nokia

Jenn is 3; she uses her mother’s phone with great interest and amusement.  If she couldn’t find the phone at her reach, she would cry her eyes out.

Ann is 9; still she demands to have a mobile phone for herself. Peer pressure must be the reason. She doesn’t want to depend on her mother for mobile access anymore.

Stella is 12; she needs the best- branded phone. She cannot take the risk of bringing a normal phone to school.

Jenn, Ann, and Stella are not individual cases. If you are a parent you must have noticed your child’s obsessions towards Smart phones. From the time they start understanding their surroundings; smart phones become an important priority for them. Parents love their children but are confused whether it’s good or bad to gift children smart phones.

Everything you need to know before surprising your child with a smart phone:

Most parents believe that it’s not wise to give mobile phones for children. The decision has become tougher with the arrival of kid-friendly apps and interesting videos for children.

According to survey conducted on mobile phones and children,

  • 56 %of children ages 10 to 13 have a smartphone
  • 25 % of children ages 2 to 5 have a smartphone

But the right age of introducing children to smart phones till remains a mystery. Let’s forget about the right and wrong, we can evaluate the uses of mobile phones.

Family circumstances, child’s maturity level, the real use of mobile phones are all factors that must be considered before gifting children mobile phones.

Compared to indoor learning, we know that children enjoy EYFS syllabus. The way they are made to learn is crucial. Just like the interactive learning experience of EYFS, there are numerous applications available in smart phones that can make learning a whole- new experience for children.

The prominent question is, “What’s the phone for?” the manner in which your child uses the phone must be taken in to consideration. There are useful apps out there that can be used to enhance children’s knowledge. But the social media circle is too early for small children to be a part of.

The educational possibilities of smart phones must be taken in to consideration before declining its use as well. There are numerous exclusive apps waiting for your children at the play store.

Be Double Sure About Your Decision

Emotional maturity

Child psychologists confirm that there is no specific age when children are ready for smart phones. It is noticed that introducing children to smart phone at an early age provides them solid foundation of the digital world. The parents must be well-aware about their children’s emotional and physical maturity before gifting them a smart phone.

Children after sometime might become frustrated with technology this may develop hatred towards everything in life. Face to face interaction is equally important for children to develop emotionally.

Love yourself

It’s important for children to love their own company. With smart phones they remain constantly in touch with one another. Nowadays when people are alone, they reach for their phones rather than involving themselves in personal activities.

Parental involvement

Parents must be involved in their child’s electronic device experiences. You can help your children gain more knowledge by indulging with them in the right usage of smart phones. The interaction with children surely will enhance your relationship with them. Along with interactive mobile phone sessions, spend time for outdoor activities as well. At the end of the day, they have to live in the real world.

How you use is important

It cannot be ignored that the way you use your mobile phones determines the outcome. Parents should distinguish between entertainment content and educational content. While selecting apps for your children always go for age-based apps. Choose apps your child can handle easily and effectively. There are numerous apps available which are distinguished according to the age group.

Limited Screen Time

  1. According to studies:
  • Do not allow 4 to 5 years old to sit more than half an hour per sitting
  • Do not allow 6 to 7 year olds to sit more than one hour per sitting
  • High school students should limit the use to two hours
  1. Other problems
  • Never allow your child to interact or use mobile phones while taking dinner.
  • Over-usage of mobile phones can result in eye problems. 20-20-20 rule must be followed. Every 20 minutes, spend 20 seconds looking at something 20 feet away

Random facts you may find useful:

  • If you are thinking of gifting your young children mobile phone. Opt for ones that dial only your contact number with pre-paid connection
  • Always opt for a basic handset for children
  • Apps your children download must be given special consideration
  • The social media usage must be under strict control

So, go ahead and teach your children the right smartphone habits.

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Technology is taking over our lives for better. It’s astonishing to notice that it’s even affecting children. There are smart apps for preschoolers out there that can help your child to revolutionize their learning experience.

With your help, children can learn the basic concept of Phonics and Letters even before starting school. Not with strict timetables and lesson plans, but with the help of smart apps for preschoolers.

It you are a smart parent, you cannot ignore smart apps for preschoolers. Your children will love it. Making children understand Phonics and Letters is a tough task. But you cannot be oblivious to it. Here is where smart apps for preschoolers works.

Here are some effective smart apps for preschoolers

  1. Alpha Tots App

Alpha Tots App, an award winning prestigious app uses action verbs to teach children alphabet and phonics. It consists of puzzles, interactive mini-games, and a sing-a-long song built around the ABCs. Alpha Tots App is built with fascinating bright designs in order to attract children. This smart app for preschoolers doesn’t encourage the popping out of third-party ads. The app is available on iTunes and Google Play.

  1. Endless Alphabet App

Endless Alphabet App is one among the most adorable smart apps for preschoolers. This fabulous app helps children learn ABCs using grown-up words. Children will love to experience building vocabulary with admirable monsters in the app. over 50 words are available for your little ones to learn and to explore. The app is available on iTunes for $6.99 and is free to download from Google Play Store.

  1.  Reading Rainbow App

Within 36 hours of introducing this app to iTunes, it became the most downloaded educational app. It’s easy for kids to access over hundreds of quality books and to enjoy video field trips with a fascinating show host Lavar Burton. They can also head out to explore themed islands such as Animal Kingdom. Reading Rainbow app allows parents to track how much time their kids have been spending with the books and what they have been reading.

  1. Learn With Homer

With fascinating stories, sweet songs, engaging drawings and cute characters, Learn with Homer is one among the best smart apps for preschoolers. The app maintains Common Core literacy standards as it is created by literacy experts. The level of interactivity is awesome in the app.   Learn with Homer consists of traditional phonics lessons and exercises. With the app it’s possible for children to record their own voices. Tracking individual progress of children is really simple.

  1. Writing Wizard App

Children love animated stickers and games, that’s why they will love Writing Wizard App. Audio and video in the app helps children to trace while learning the phonemic sound of each letter. They will find it cool to trace the words of their choice, like their name. With the app it is possible for parents to adjust letter size; they can also choose the letter show-hide modes.

Smart apps for preschoolers have a lot of positive effects:

#Learning is no more tiring

#Enables hand-eye co-ordination

#Encourages healthy lifestyle

#Prepare kids better for future

Some parents believe that it’s better to keep children away from technology. But, there’s is no denying that children benefits from it. Make your child understand the basic concepts of Phonics and Letters in an engaging way with smart apps for preschoolers.

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To enhance the play and learn experience, schools follow EYFS syllabus. Play and learn method works best. The attachment of children towards EYFS syllabus shows their obsession towards activities. It’s a platform for them to learn beyond the print.

Just like EYFS, you can also plan exciting activities for your children. Have your ever considered listing hands-on nature activities with your child? Exploring and learning keeps the fun going.

Check out some fascinating Hands-on nature activities

  1. Bug Hunting

Bugs are always fascinating for children. When they fly and buzz, it lightens the mood of children. Make a visit to your backyard along with your children and get closer to nature.

Let your child observe bugs carefully. Talk to them about the colour of the bug. Explain about their life, how they protect themselves from external danger. With patience, teach them anything and everything related to a specific bug.

Materials you need

  • Container
  • Waxed paper
  • Rubber band
  • Spoon
  • Apple
  • Honey
  • Magnifying glass

Direction

You must attract bugs first. For that, there are several methods. Something sweet can attract them, so you can consider the mixture of an apple with honey. Mix both honey and apple; place it outside for a while. If you want you can place the mixture on a tree. Have regular check. You could have attracted new bugs. Draw what you see with the magnifying glass. It’s exciting to find new comers during night.

You can select any bug that you feel like observing. When you place the bug in a container make sure that it has bottle cap of water and green leaves inside it. Cover the container with waxed paper with small holes. Within twenty-four hours return the bug, where you found him.

  1. Create Rock Art

This week, plan a rock hunting venture with your children. Collect small rocks with different shapes, sizes, and colours. After getting back home, let your child decorate the rocks collected. They can also draw faces on them. When the colour dries up, store it in a box. Decorate your garden with the beautiful rocks.

Materials you need

  • Rocks
  • Glue
  • Paint
  • Paintbrush
  • Play dough
  • Ribbon or lace

Direction

Collect rocks and clean them. Colour it with paint. You can also make it look fantastic with accessories made out of play dough, ribbon and lace.

  1. Summer Memento

If your child is crazy about collecting memento, don’t stop them. That’s a good outdoor activity that you can try with them. Plan a trip to the beach, playground, or other summer destinations and allow your child to collect mementos. You can decorate your home with these beautiful items. Hang them in the walls of your home.

Materials:

  • Heavy cardboard
  • Bowls or pots that are large- and medium-sized
  • Paintbrush
  • Glue
  • Flowers, leaves, sand, small pebbles and seashells
  • String
  • Scissors
  • Decorative items

Direction

Make a wreath on cardboard. Paint it with the colour of your choice. You can poke a small hole in the top of the wreath with scissors. Through the hole, thread string or yarn and tie the ends. After sliding the string, knot must be hidden behind the wreath. This is the “hanger.” Using the paint brush cover the wreath completely with glue.

By dusting a layer of sand over the glue cover the entire wreath. Leave it to dry. After 10 minutes, gently shake off any sand that hasn’t stuck to the glue. Decide the exact position where you want to stick your summer mementos. Glue each of them to the wreath. When the wreath is dry, hang it up to remember your summer fun.

  1. Pressed Flower Place Mats

Let your child turn his/her favourite flower into place mats. All year long they can enjoy the flower. Allow your child to grab his/her favourite flower and then help them to make a mat.

Materials you need:

  • Flowers and leaves
  • Clear contact paper
  • Construction paper
  • Scissors
  • Ribbon (optional)

Direction

Collect the flower you want to make a mat out of. After removing the flower blossoms and leaves place it on contact paper which is clear. Once placed it won’t be able to move. Cut the contact paper according to the number of mats you want to make.

After peeling the back side of the contact paper, arrange the flowers and leaves on the sticky side of the contact paper and press them. If you want you can decorate it with ribbon.

After peeling off the back of the remaining piece of contact paper, cover your place mat (sticky-side down) with the contact paper. In order to avoid wrinkles or air bubbles, flatten your place mat once more. Then use the scissors to trim any uneven edges. Now you’re ready to set the table!

  1. Nature Bracelet

Let your child love nature with accessories. It’s really simple. Have a light walk with your child outdoors and collect fascinating items for them. You can easily make accessories out of different flowers, leaves, and even grass all make great additions!

Materials you need:

  • Masking tape
  • Scissors

Direction

Before going for a walk, wrap a piece of masking tape to his wrist with the sticky side up. While exploring the wonders of nature attach colourful leaves, flowers, and other interesting discoveries to his bracelet. After the walk, use a scissors to trim and you natural bracelet is ready.

  1. Nature Hunt

This summer, collect some natural objects with your children. Let grabbing bird feather, wildflowers, and green leaf be the game. It’s family time!

Materials you need:

  • One paper bag per player
  • Natural objects collected from players

Direction

After listing the of natural objects like bird’s feathers, smooth rock, wildflowers, leaves and so on, give each player a paper bag. They must collect all the objects in the list. You can set a time limit for collecting to make the game more fun. The first player with all the items will be declared as the winner.

#Caution: Never leave your child alone to explore nature. It can be dangerous. Accompany them, let them enjoy in your presence. 

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“An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.”– Benjamin Franklin

While worries about the quality of private education institutions minimises with the involvement of organizations such as KHDA, EYFS makes necessary steps to encourage activities among children.

But are we really concerned about the process of learning? Anything taught to them, must be taught well. That’s really significant. In fact, it’s the essence of EYFS as well.

Teaching Them Time:

When it’s about teaching children, the whole new concept of time is far more complex than it appears. There are numerous doubts that children faces.

Like in many other tasks, mobile applications come to the rescue this time too. There are smart applications out there that help in teaching children the concept of time.

Check out some of the smartest apps that help you with this:

  1. Learn to Tell Time

Learn to Tell Time is an innovation of Redbytes, a team known for making attractive apps for children. The whole concept of time is taught by this fascinating app in a simple way.

This mobile app has two different learning options for the users to select from- Auto Learning and Self-Learning. Introduction to both analogue and digital clock, its features and purposes are done by the app.

Activities of the app

Age appropriate activities are added advantage of Learn to Tell Time. Activities of the app includes

  1. Matching: The activity is really simple. Digital and analogue clocks showing the same time should be matched by the child.
  2. Set Time: Asks child to set time on the clock and evaluates them.

Each aspect on the app is designed with utmost simplicity.

     2. Jungle Time learn how to tell time

Jungle Time is an interactive app that teaches children how to tell time. The time can be set in multiple skill levels. It teaches both 12- hour and 24- hour clocks in both analogue as well as digital formats.

Jungle Time can be set to numerals in order to make it look little tough. The clock in the app can be set to different animal faces. Children find it fascinating when they receive smiles and roars for the right answers. It is possible to drag the clock hands to set time, just like a real clock. Jungle Time works well and looks great.

  1. Tick Tock app

Tick Tock is a fascinating app used for learning to tell time. The app can be set in multiple levels, which is really important for telling time. You can start with 0’Clocks and then move up to Half Past, Quarter to, 25 past etc.

  • It has a basic look compared to other apps, with just a smiley clock face.
  • It teaches from analogue to digital and vice versa
  • Digital to words and back again
  • Analogue to and from words

The operation of the app is little complex, but once you understand, it works fine. 

  1. Telling The Time

Telling The Time app cover three ranges 4-5, 6-8 and 9-11. It includes the practice of key concepts. The app helps children to learn the concept step by step.

The app helps children to learn o’clock, days and months to telling the time to the minute in 12- and 24-hour format and calculating time intervals and durations of train journeys.

Each app in Telling the Time has got three main areas:

  1. Quick quiz section that consist of selection of random questions that helps children to decide what to practice and when to take a progress test
  2. Practice quiz helps to build confidence
  3. Progress tests helps to grade ability of children and track scores that matches to National Curriculum expected progress.
  1. Around The Clock app

Quite different from conventional apps that teach children on telling time, Around The Clock app concentrates on teaching children about time and clock.

The app includes interesting games such as alarm clock ring, breakfast and packing backpacks along with a wide range of challenges, waiting during the day.

24 mini games are available one for each hour. There are wide ranges of games with different challenges. The illustration of the app is beautiful. It’s easy as well as fun to use.

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Whenever you start learning and whatever course you choose, you obviously think of the how-to-make-my-studying-easier issue. The way you organize your workflow matters as it directly influences your productivity and progress.

You can actually go one of two ways: Use classical at-hand tools or take advantage of some trendy digital ones. Saying “classical,” some might think of something like a pocket notebook. Despite the fact that pocket notebooks are always fine, nowadays you’ve got so many other alternatives to pick up. Would you like to try some new online tools?

Educational App Directory List

Check your writing assignments

You might be certain that your written papers and essays are good enough to earn high grades, but double-checking is always a good idea. Sometimes you just need one more pair of hands and eyes to proofread and check for mistakes. Find a person who can do it for you on proofreading websites or use plagiarism detection engines to find out whether your writing needs citing.

Kibin – Editing, Proofreading, Revision Services

Kibin suggests services for different types of clients: authors, businesspeople, academicians, students and others. Kibin can assist you with professional editing, revision or proofreading. As a student, when experiencing some difficulties with grammar or writing style, or just in order to make sure everything’s well-done in your work, well, just submit your paper, choose a deadline for the Kibin team on the payment page, and have your work edited.

Unplag – Plagiarism Detecting Tool

Unplag.com is a plagiarism detection tool that can help you a lot with making your content original. You can both check to ensure your writing doesn’t contain plagiarized elements and, on the contrary, whether anybody else on the web has copied your paper. Unplag is a time-consuming tool since users have a chance to simultaneously check many works, and it takes a few minutes only. Just imagine, a decade ago, people were trying to find plagiarism manually. And it was really, really time-consuming…

Notes and Stickers

Can you imagine studying without taking notes? Noting information can help you memorize it since your notes are always at hand and you can look them through. Tastes differ, and people prefer taking notes differently, too: Some people use sticky notes, while the others are fond of traditional spiral or Moleskine-like notebooks. Now you have a chance to replace pen-and-paper noting with digital methods or just combine these two types of keeping ideas together.

Padlet – Virtual Dashboard

You can create a Padlet dashboard, where you add or upload any kind of material – URLs, photographs, videos, maps, slideshows, documents and other things you need. Drag-and-drop functionality allows you to easily arrange your materials on the board. You can share your dashboards with the Internet community or make them private.

Diigolet – Bookmarking, Highlighting, Adding Sticky Notes

Being a part of the Diigo project, Diigolet is one of the tools suggested on the Diigo website. The advantage is that you don’t need to download or install the tool, you just add it to your browser (so it’s always at your fingertips whenever you’re online), and now you can enjoy all the functions Diigolet performs – bookmarking, highlighting, adding sticky notes.

Data Visualization

Not all the tasks in college are boring and exhausting. Lucky you. So, let’s say you have prepared a report about tools that make students’ lives much better. You can find amazing materials and deliver information smoothly to your classmates, but your audience is quite likely to forget information you picked up so carefully as soon as you leave the classroom.

The proven fact is: People tend to memorize visual information far better than the one presented in text or aurally. First, visual information amounts to 90 percent of all information stored in our brains. Second, visual messages come to the brain faster than text ones. And third, visual messages stick in our long-term memory. You should not have doubts regarding the relevance of visual information.

Easel.ly – Infographic Resource

Nothing can be easier than using Easel.ly. For sure, this service has a place in any list of easy and handy tools. This resource offers a collection of infographic templates with movable elements. A user-friendly drag-and-drop feature will enable you to create the most suitable picture to depict your ideas. Besides, you can use the website templates for free.

Prezi – Presentations

While studying, you’ll definitely need some tools to create online presentations. Why not make use of Prezi? You can present your topic on your iPad, iPhone and Android devices, or alternatively on your browser or desktop. It’s possible to create a presentation even on your phone and later synchronize it with other devices. You can also take advantage of the options available in the website library and have a chance to use Prezi templates.

Time and Tasks Management

Sometimes, managing your time and daily tasks is “Mission: Impossible.” What’s on your list? To write an essay, to make a presentation, to prepare a report for the literary club, to grab some food and get ready for a party? Do you often succeed in doing everything on time? If you don’t have a task manager at your disposal, you can easily forget something vital and then be late with accomplishing some other important task. Mind your time, and mind your tasks!

Tick Tock Timer

It’s high time to write your paper! Tick Tock Timer won’t let you forget about the fact you’re still a student. If you still think that this tool is useless and you’re able to cope with your daily tasks without outside help, check 20 ways to Use Tick Tock Timer.

Remember the Milk – Reminder

You create tasks and lists using Remember theMilk, set due dates, and later receive reminders via SMS, email, and instant messengers. This tool is a great help if you study in a group as well: Share and send your entries with other students. Now you get no chance to be absentminded!