I’ve never been the type to bring laptops to class. Every laptop I have ever owned has been 15” and too heavy to lug around regularly, so I’ve always relied on printing my own notes and limited internet access at school through public computers, e.g. at the school libraries. When iPod touch and smart phones became the norm, I was less restricted (meaning I could check my email and other websites if something urgent comes up), but the small screen size was still limiting. That’s where tablets come in!
Last term when I bought my electronic Hematology textbook it occurred to me that I can view it on the iPad instead of being confined to only using my laptop. Ever since then I’ve been bringing the iPad to school not only to read the textbook, but also to view the lecture notes in class. I like it because it’s much lighter than my laptop, and doesn’t take very long to load apps or files. The touch screen is also more intuitive and user-friendly than navigating with a mouse. Obviously it has limitations like the lack of a keyboard, but I don’t type on it much anyway. So far this has worked well for my needs (i.e. casual usage), and I don’t see myself needing to bring laptops to school ever again, except maybe to work on group projects or anything that require lots of typing.
Here are some of my most used apps:
Dropbox – I highly recommend this one if you don’t already use it! I sync all my school files from my laptop to Dropbox so I can access them on the go either on the iPad or on my smart phone. It’s useful for viewing lecture PDF’s or PowerPoint presentations in class if you don’t want to print them out, and you don’t have to install separate apps to view different file types.
VitalSource Bookshelf – This is the app for reading my Hematology textbook. It has the same functions as the Windows version on my laptop, but slightly easier to use.
Adobe Reader – I use this to view important PDFs that I’ve saved to the iPad in case I don’t have internet access.
Cell Atlas – This is a hematology atlas app. It shows images of normal and abnormal blood cells along with details on them. There is also a quiz function that tests you on your knowledge and makes a great study tool. I wish there was more of this kind of app for other subjects!