Final Thoughts by Chloe

Becoming Student Innovator I have learnt a lot about apps. I attended the BETT show which was very helpful and learnt a lot about different exhibitions and me, Jess and Catherine presented about Student Innovators and why theses apps like Aurasma can help with assignments and learning throughout the college.

I have learnt about new apps that can help me with my assignments for example popplet. Being a student innovator has built my confidence, by presenting at the BETT show to audience. I have also used Popplet to help with my assignments, which has been a very successful way when planning my assignment out.

At our department team meeting is where we will be presenting apps that we have chosen, that we think will be helpful to students at the college and to also help the teachers. By telling teachers what we have been doing as a Student Innovator, we will then be bringing awareness of apps like Aurasma and why they will be useful to students and teachers.

A skill that I can take away is some of the apps that I have found useful, I can take them to university where I can use the apps like popplet to help me with my assignments there.

Final Thoughts by Jessica

I have been a Student Innovator for the last year and have enjoyed working with a range of people in exploring new apps and how this can help in the development of learning.  

I chose to become an Innovator, as I enjoy the concept of technology and finding new ways of developing ideas.  I've enjoyed communicating with Julie Haines, our Head of Department and other staff members in creating and discussing future opportunities for the project.  

With the development of the blog on the Student Innovator page, this helps to create a central platform for students and staff to find useful information, of apps reviewed by fellow innovators.  This function can also help develop English and Maths skills through review writing.  

A few apps we have focussed on this year include Kahoot and Aurasma, which we presented about at the BETT Show in front of a large audience in London; which was an excellent trip.   

Overall, it has been a great experience, where I've built in confidence and met lovely staff members who are all helpful and supportive.

Thank you Catherine for all your help!

Good luck future Innovators! 

Final Thoughts by Emily

From being a Student Innovator at Gloucestershire College I have enjoyed experiencing new apps that are helping with both learning and teaching for students and teachers. I now have gathered information about Pinterest, Evernote, Aurasma and other apps and how they can be used. Aurasma was our main Student Innovator project where we have designed our own auras using images, music and text to capture interest and aid better learning.

I decided to become a Student Innovator because I strive on learning new things and becoming part of a project I find exciting especially when knowing that technology is advancing. The project will be widely used and more people will be finding Aurasma beneficial. Jess, Chloe and I had a discussion with Julie Haines, understood any feedback she had and now are attending  our department team meeting to increase awareness for any apps we find beneficial and to explain what Student Innovators is about. Future innovators can develop Aurasma within the college and further promote it.  

Final Thoughts by Sasha

I became a Student Innovator because someone suggested that I would enjoy the experience, which I have. It has provided me an opportunity to explore different apps and see what range of apps there are. I will take away the confidence to try new technology and new apps in the future.

I would recommend this for future students to have a go!

Final Thoughts by Bekii

I decided to continue my journey with the Student Innovators throughout my second year at college because I enjoyed contributing back to the college and helping the new college students to find apps that can make their studies easier.

This year I have reviewed mostly revision style apps such as Gojimo and Khan Academy and even set up a revision hub in which students could come and try out revision apps and ask any questions they have had about the reviewed apps. I was also given the opportunity to help to give a speech at DigiFest about what we do as Student Innovators. This was a great learning experience and something that a will help me in the future with presentations.

I would recommend any student to become a Student Innovator as it is not a huge commitment and the fulfilment you feel from helping other students and partaking in college activities is worth donating a few minutes to review an app that could even be of use in your own studies. You learn many functional skills from being an Innovator and can even earn a skills badge.

Final Thoughts by Liam

I became an Innovator because I enjoy testing out new apps and enjoy helping people find apps relevant to them. This year I have looked at IT related apps, such as Team Viewer and Virtual Box which I recommend to other students who are interested in using IT. I attended JISC DigiFest and I took away knowledge about IT, I enjoyed finding out about VR linked with the Playstation, there was also free food!

I recommend being an Innovator because I can see new apps and try them out to recommend to other students for their studies.

Study Blue by Alex

Name of App: Study Blue

Cost: Free

Device/s used: iPhone

Available on: Apple, Android and Online

What was good about this tool?

Can create basic notes/terms to remind yourself in exams revision, access on the go notes! You can only make your own but you can share ideas which is good if you are covering a big topic!

What was bad about this tool?

Found hard to be able to login at home, due to this cannot use certain account types, i.e Hotmail

How did you use this tool? 

Good use in English/Maths and for exam based subjects. 

Would you recommend this tool? 

I would recommend this for those doing exams, yes!

Diigo. by Josh Bradshaw

Name of App: Diigo

Cost: Free

Device/s used: PC

Available on: any platform excluding consoles

What was good about this tool?

It will help you to save time as you are able to highlight and save links to your Diigo library of which for research purposes will be very useful and timesaving app. You can also use your Google account as a means to login. I Highly recommend using the extension as it is at the top of the browser when needed,

What was bad about this tool?

N/A

How did you use this tool? 

Games Research

Would you recommend this tool? 

On a scale of 1-10 I Give it a solid 10. Would recommend it because it will allow more time for leisure as it is a timesaving app.

Virtual Box By Liam Phelps

Name of App: Virtual Box

Cost: Free

Device/s used: PC (Windows 10/7)

Available on: PC, Mac, Linux

What was good about this tool?

You can install any Operating Systems on the virtual box to gain more knowldge about them. You could do this to test if a software is going to work on a certain operating system with a certain about RAM and CPU power. So it is really good for troubleshooting.

What was bad about this tool?

Nothing is bad about it!!!

How did you use this tool? 

Learning about network operating systems and testing software out!

Would you recommend this tool? 

Yes for people wanting to test out installing an OS or using older OSs.

GoConqr by Bekii

GoConqr 

The app itself is just a ‘base’ for the other apps. There are four other apps: GoConqr Flashcards, GoConqr Mindmaps, GoConqr Slides, and GoConqr Quizzes. GoConqr requires you to set up a profile which you use across all the apps so you can save your projects. Any projects you create using any of the apps are automatically uploaded to the internet so that other users can access the resources and you can access other users’ resources which is useful if you are short on time. Personally, I could not work the Mindmap app and there were no tutorials or instructions. The Slides app is similar to powerpoint in that you can create a sort of presentation of slides on which you can apply images, text and links to external resources. This may be useful for topics that have too much content to use flashcards as revision.

I found the Quizzes app the most useful for me as you can create many different forms of quiz questions such as multiple choice, true and false, and longer answer. You can also add in an ‘explanation’ that pops up if you get the answer incorrect so you can understand where you went wrong. The Flashcards app is useful for quick revision of key terms or studies that you may need to refresh your memory of, every once in a while, leading up to exams.

Overall, I would recommend that you look into each of the variations of the apps and find what works best for you, as everyone learns in different ways.

Evernote Scannable by Chloe

Evernote Scannable


Evernote Scannable is a 5 star rated app. How you use it, first you find information you want to scan for example receipts or business cards. You then hold he scannable over the paper, this is to then scan the paper, it is a quick and easy process. A good example is scanning your business card this can then help you complete your LinkedIn page and it can also link to your LinkedIn page. You are able to send your scans to people, the scanner can be used on different devices.

This app is very highly rated by the public, I would recommend it, this is because it is a well designed app, which can be used very often in different situations. It's is a quick and easy to use and you can send yours scans via email.

Evernote by Emily

Evernote

Evernote is an app where you can update notes, share pictures and complete your own handwriting note which was fun to use. It is good at helping to organise time and plan for a meeting for example without having to take in pen and paper. Phones however already have a note app downloaded so therefore may not be needed especially with it being complicated with many tabs. After using it for a while it gets easier and extremely helpful therefore I recommend this app for those with a busy lifestyle.

Evernote is widely available on most platforms including Apple and Android. You can also access it online and install onto your PC or Mac.

Skitch by Jess

App Review for Skitch




Efficiency - 8

Functionality - 9

Design - 9





An additional version of snapchat.  Skitch uses innovative and interactive technology to create an immersive user experience.

Good
- Multiple purpose use for educational to social
- The use of a vertical toolbar available is made easy through the use of clear icons
- Edit images easily

Downside
 - Similar to snapchat, doesn't have the use of filters
 - Platform is more difficult to share
 - Files can't be downloaded locally


Available on Apple, Android and Windows.

Flipboard by Sasha

App: Flipboard

Device used: iPhone

Available on: All platforms!

What was good about this tool?

I liked the set up of the app, it was easy to see the headlines. You can pick topics to follow which is good for a variety of subjects. It is is always up to date with the latest news. 

What was bad about this tool?

It was hard to navigate using my phone, you have to swipe sideways to view the different topics. 

How did you use this tool? 

To keep up to date with what is happening.

Would you recommend this tool? 

I prefer the BBC app as it is easy to navigate and provides similar headlines. You could use it for researching topics for assignments. 

Team Viewer by Liam

Name of App: Team Viewer

Cost: Free

Device/s used: iPhone

Available on: All platforms

What was good about this tool?

 Just allows for easy IT support.You don't have to do face to face. You can support from anywhere to anyone as long as there is a internet connection.

You can do a video chat and text chat.

"Cross-platform PC to PC, mobile to PC, PC to mobile, and even mobile to mobile connections that support Windows, macOS, Linux, Chrome OS, iOS, Android, Windows Universal Platform, and BlackBerry."

What was bad about this tool?

Mobile apps might not have all of the features that the PC one has.

How did you use this tool? 

Controlling my personal computer from college.

Would you recommend this tool? 

Yes for anyone that wants to give or receive support.

Gojimo by Bekii

Gojimo:

This is a self-quiz style app to aid revision. It covers many different course types such as: A-levels; GCSE; Driving theory etc. I used this app for revision in A-level psychology, sociology and Chemistry and each set of quizzes was tailored specifically for the exam board (including recent exam changes) and was split into sub-topics. This made it easier for subjects such as psychology where the exam board gives you an option of topics to study and you can choose the one that the college is providing in lectures so you don’t have to answer questions you do not need to study.

All the questions are multiple-choice so can help with revising the breadth of a subject to highlight your weak areas. Though you will need to find another source of revision for those subjects which expect you to answer essay questions where detail and understanding are key.

In the app you can also save your progress across all devices so you can keep track of all the quizzes you have done whether they be online, on your ipad, or on your iphone etc. This is extremely helpful so that you that if you forget to bring your phone or something to college then you can simply log onto the computer and start where you left off.