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10 Must Have Back-to-School iPhone Apps

A list of applications that can make your school year much easier.

Time Magazine recently released its list of the top 10 iPhone apps for students headed back to school.

We took the time to tweak the list and add a few of our favorites as well.

Whether you're headed to your first year of high school or your first year away at college, these apps will make your life significantly easier.

  1. myHomework: According to its website, myHomework allows you to track their classes, homework and projects so you will never forget an assignment again. The app is free.
  2. AroundMe: AroundMe is perfect for those students going away to school in a new town. According to a story on Mashable, "the app finds the nearest banks, hospitals, bars, gas stations, hotels, coffee shops, restaurants, taxi companies, theaters and supermarkets." Best part? The app is free.
  3. Grades 2: "What do I need to score on my next test to be on track for an A? There's an app for that." The Grades 2 website couldn't have said it much better. If you want to know where you stand after each assignment, there is no better app available.
  4. CourseSmart: CourseSmart allows you to "view the full text of more than 30,000 textbooks on your iPhone." We're on a nice trend here, because like the last two apps, CourseSmart is also free. However, the e-textbooks expire after a certain amount of time. Time Magazine says that period is typically 180 days, a little more than the length of a normal semester at college. Another note: one of the major complaints with this app is that the text is tough to read because the zoom feature is non-existent.
  5. Snoozerr Recording: Have trouble focusing in class some days? Snoozerr allows you to record lectures and go back later to listen in on what you might have missed. According to Mashable, "The app includes a time-stamped photo function, so you can take pictures of a graph or diagram on the board which corresponds to class notes." Sorry, but this one will cost you a whopping 99 cents.
  6. Dictionary.com: A dictionary and thesaurus right at your fingertips. It will only set you back $2.99 but might come in handy more than you think.
  7. Mint.com Personal Finance: This app is certainly aimed more at college students, especially those who will be taking care of their own finances for the first time in their young lives. The Mint.com app allows you to manage your money, budgets, expenses and bills. The personal finance app helps your budget from the start of your download, because it's free!
  8. Stanza: English majors and book lovers will like this one. The app allows you to "purchase popular new books from a selection of over 50,000 contemporary titles available in various partner stores, or choose from an additional 50,000 free classics and recent original works available from Project Gutenberg, Feedbooks, and many other sources." The app is free.
  9. Graphing Calculator: According to Time, "Somewhere between the iPhone's built-in calculator and those Texas Instruments behemoths lies the Graphing Calculator app. Along with an expanded scientific calculator, the app includes the ability to graph multiple equations and e-mail the results." It won't cost you anywhere near the amount that a Texas Instrument calculator would ... because it's free.
  10. Patch: Want to know what's going on with your hometown while you're away at school? Download the Patch app and receive updates and breaking news right to your iPhone. Of course, this one is free!

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Just a short thought to get the word out quickly about anything in your neighborhood.
Share something with your neighbors. Write a new post... What's up? Make an announcement, speak your mind, or sell something
Bojames May 17, 2013 at 08:15 pm
All above by the original writer notwithstanding it is morally reprehensible that people who did ,Read More do not, would not send their children to public school but rather private school, religious or secular, sit on a public school board of education. They are there for one reason only ;to keep taxes as low as possible because those that elect them carry private school tuition. That is NOT an acceptable reason to direct/control/guide the education of public school students. Any position put forward that disputes this as the basis for parents of private school students being on a BOE is a lie.
Tova Markowitz May 17, 2013 at 05:18 pm
I'm amazed and shocked to hear about the shenanigans. Thank you for revealing what has been goingRead More on. I will forward your article to my friends and make sure we vote for Nachum. Thank you and your family for your dedication and efforts. Stay strong. We need you ,,
Gail May 21, 2013 at 05:33 pm
Chris - Educators also receive a $200-$250 tax credit on their personal income tax returns.
Chris Albanese May 17, 2013 at 04:05 pm
It's not just the teachers... As a parent of 2 going on 3 school aged children, I'm amazed at howRead More much our free public schools cost. We get a supply list every year of things like crayons and pencils which I get, although I don't see why it HAS to be crayola. The red crayon in the box from the 99 cents store is just as red as the one in the $4 box from someplace else. Also, I don't understand why I need to send in 4 boxes of tissues, paper towels, wipes, etc per child. When I was a kid, I remember keeping a little pack of kleenex in my desk for when I needed it. I'm sure the district can buy in bulk at half the cost to us and store it in the schools until needed. Also, as far as the teachers go, I'm not sure if they do it on LI, but when I was a SBM in the NYC DOE, we had what was called Teacher's Choice which was a check for $250 that every teacher would get on March 15 (?) to help pay for the classroom supplies they bought throughout the year. It always amazed me how many of the "supplies" were purchased on 03/14. I had the pleasure of denying some of the more bogus expenses. Also, anything they would spend above and beyond their reimbursement is now tax deductible I believe. My wife, sister, cousin and many friends were and some still are classroom teachers. I know firsthand how the good ones give much more than they get in their check(s). The trick is to weed out the ones that are only in it for the money, benefits and summers off and not the kids.
Shirley Hanein Lane May 19, 2013 at 05:50 pm
lilly, i just created a group on Facebook (Hewlett-Woodmere District 14 Budget Discussion) forRead More residents of district 14 to share and question. Maybe someone on the board will look at it. Please tell your friends. A copy of the budget is uploaded and can be reviewed. I believe residents should make informed decisions. Read it and see what jumps out at you and looks good, fishy, or just normal.
lilly May 19, 2013 at 03:36 pm
thanks Shirley- we have to keep posting to vote NO for the budget- I try to go to meetings and it isRead More ridiculous to hear how no one comes to the table with ideas of how NOT to SPEND our money! If there were only more people that would attend and stand up and speak up maybe it would change.
Shirley Hanein Lane May 19, 2013 at 02:39 pm
Lilly, you are so correct that there are so many houses for sale and stores for rent. Who wants toRead More move to a district that looks like a ghost town? And let's not forget about the homes that were affected by Hurricane Sandy? People are still rebuilding. Download the budget from the district website and go over it item by item. You will see that the increases are mainly in textbooks and retirement, bus matrons, and BOCES, not "for the Kids" as the lawn signs say. District 14 is so used to getting what they ask for because no one bothers to read the budget. Many residents have drunk the Kool-Aid and would never question the decisions of the administrators or the School Board. And NOT ONE of the candidates mentions FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY! They seem to think that residents are an endless fount of money, when is that going to change?!?!?
Luncheon at Mother Kelly's
paul May 11, 2013 at 11:25 pm
Way to go Harvey! Happy Birthday and keep up the good work... Others depend on you....
Donna Galinsky April 25, 2013 at 09:07 pm
It is possible to find a rental, though it might not be easy. Many rentals are in co-op buildings.Read More They are typically not flexible and it is unlikely that you will be able to get into one of those. Your best bet would be in a multi-family house, There you are dealing with a homeowner, rather than a co-op board and a management company, who might be willing to listen to your plight. If you find a sympathetic homeowner you will be OK. It might take patience, but you should find someplace.