Innovative Tech for College Students
As college students gear up for the new school year, here are some of the most innovative technologies coming to the campus.
As college students prepare for the new school year, many are packing up their belongings to fit into narrow dorm rooms. Beyond adjusting to cramped quarters, today’s undergrads are entering the era of smart campus living and learning. A new survey from American Express reports that parents are planning to spend 33% more on back-to-school equipment this year, with technology leading the bump in spending.
Here are some of the most innovative tech tools making life better for college students, as well as a list of must-have essentials:
Virtual Assistant
Amazon’s Tap ($115) has all of the same cloud-based features as the Echo, including voice assistant Alexa, but the smaller version requires a “tap” to turn on and doubles as a portable Bluetooth speaker — perfect for students taking their tunes on the go. Alexa can also order pizza, call an Uber, and tell you how to mix a margarita, among other things. Looking for more educational uses? Ask her to convert centimeters to inches, search for information on Wikipedia, or read a book from your Audible account. Keep in mind, students may need to set up a personal hotspot on their PC with software such as Connectify to use Echo on their campus’ secure wi-fi network.
Writing Tools
Microsoft recently announced that it is bringing machine learning to its Office 365 suite (starting at $70/year). For students writing term papers, the new Office tool “Researcher” uses Bing to suggest relevant quotes and materials from reliable sources, and even add citations and references automatically. “Editor,” another new Office tool, is designed to help a variety of writers sharpen their syntax by utilizing natural language processing capabilities. And for iPhone users, Microsoft’s latest app update lets users draw notes and highlights with their fingers directly on Word, Excel, and Powerpoint.
Virtual Learning
While students won’t be expected to purchase expensive VR headsets themselves, it’s more and more likely that they will be using them in the classroom. Simulated educational experiences have emerged as a huge supplement to the learning environment. For example, Labster, which uses virtual reality to immerse students in Ivy League-level science labs, is being used at schools such as the University of New England and California State University. VR learning platforms such as Unimersiv are creating apps for the Oculus Rift and Samsung Gear VR to give students the experience of exploring the International Space Station and the microenvironments of human anatomy.
Personal Safety
In light of recent campus crimes that have drawn national attention, safety is a big concern for college students and their families. Numerous startups are developing personal safety tools that students can use to protect themselves. ROBOCOPP is a keychain device that emits a loud siren when triggered. Revolar is a wearable that shares your GPS location with a close circle of contacts — pressing a button twice for a yellow alert signals that the user is uncomfortable; three presses or more triggers a red alert, meaning that immediate attention is needed. Companion is an app that alerts friends and family of the user’s whereabouts if he or she is feeling nervous or walking late at night. The app also displays a button to call 911, and can emit a siren.
Must-Have Tech Items for Students:
- A reliable laptop or tablet
- Additional power strips and cords
- Portable hard drive
- Mophie case or portable charger
- Flash drives
- Noise cancelling headphones
- Saving & budgeting apps such as Mint or YNAB
- Payment apps such as PayPal or Venmo
- Password protection apps such as LastPass
Have more tech tools for students to share? I’d love to hear them — please leave a comment!
