How the iPhone 4s and Other Gadgets Can Help You in School

If you're debating getting the new iPhone or thinking of putting a Kindle or iPad on your list of must-have tech gadgets for the fall, but need to sway your parents, think about this argument: They could help you do better in school, too.

A bunch of colleges already give free iPads to their students. Textbooks will become more common (and probably less expensive) on the iPad or Kindle soon, too.

It still may seem like a difficult argument to make if your parents are footing the bill, which could not only include the cost for the gadget but monthly charges for service. But read on, and then give it a try.

1.    Be a big shot during a project. - Gone are the days of projects on poster board (so elementary school). The iPhone4 now allows people to edit video clips on the phone, impressing classmates and teachers with your ability to pull together a multimedia project in the palm of your hand.

2.    Calculate the toughest equations with ease. - No need to whip out your laptop when you have the Wolfram Alpha App for iPhone or iPod Touch. The app promises to help you instantly computer answers to questions, whether the subject is math, finance, medicine, or more.

3.    Don't get lost during the discussion. - If your professor's vocabulary is a little bit over your head, don't be obvious that you don't know the definitions by bringing up Dictionary.com on your laptop. The smaller handheld devices with the free Dictionary.com app allow you to hide your search and keep in the loop if you have no clue what your professor just said, and impress others with your vocabulary skills, too.

4.    Keep track with your busy schedule. - With sorority or fraternity events, your class load, dating, clubs and campus activities, and periodic visits to see the family, you need to easily see your schedule. Luckily, there are tons of apps for that. You even can block out time when you're going to study for a midterm, so maybe you can avoid those multiple all-nighters.
 
5.    Use social networking for more than checking up on your significant other. - Having an iPhone can help students in particular majors, such as public relations, meet class requirements that they make social networking about more than just gossiping with friends or a boyfriend. Students who need to constantly update Twitter or Facebook pages as part of class projects to market a product or client, will be able to do so.

6.    Video chat when you're sick. - Your professor may not believe you're too ill to come to class, until you're able to sit in bed and videoconference with your professor using the camera on the phone. FaceTime video chat application works over Wi-Fi. That way, you'll be able to prove that your sickness is not just an excuse, which could give you extra time to make up assignments or postpone a test.

The investment now could not only make you the envy of friends or other dorm residents but also pay off in the classroom. Gadget on!

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