iPhoneGlance [rating=5]
The campuses and the hallways are filling with hustle and bustle as yet another school year is beginning. Ah, the smell of new books and clothes, the chirping of excitement as students meet new educational challenges. Today with the advent of technology, students have a new weapon in their note taking and study arsenal. House of File has entered into the Appstore with a new app called School Notes, giving every student a means of taking quick and accurate notes using either their iPad or their iPhone.
School Notes has a breezy chalkboard look and the initial setup menu lets the student establish their course load. The user can enter Class Notes in C-Note fashion using the Note Screen, or the interactive Note Board allows for handwritten notes. The notes can be readily shared with others using iTunes File Sharing or good old fashioned email. Flash Cards can be created and shared using the VGA connection. Video and Audio segments can be created, or uploaded from teacher made videos.
My recommendation would be to use the media functions first, which would allow the student to transcribe the notes and set up their study requirements at a later time. Typing the notes during the lecture might be a little daunting at first to get the hang of the app. Also, remember that auto-correct is in play and if not careful the notes may take on a totally different meaning if you don’t review them as soon as you done with the class. (Note: turning off auto-correction would be the remedy) Another great feature of School Notes is you can easily sync your notes on all your devices using iCloud.
School Notes has included handy math, science and periodical charts for the student’s easy access. The calendar and daily reminder section is excellent for the student to plan for upcoming exams, keep track of assignments due, but it is also the only means notes are catalogued for review. Making changes to notes and figuring out how you want to search for notes is the only weakness in the app. An overall search mechanism on word strings would have been beneficial, but that can always be added to the app at a later time. Currently the user needs to remember the date of the notes were created, and the headline used in the Subject/Objective field.
Overall School Notes is a great tool to help students in high school or university to organize their study notes and class schedules. iPhoneGlance.com gives School Notes a 4 out of 5 star rating.
App Details
Title: School Notes
Price: $2.99 – £1.49
Category: Education
Developer: Michael File
