5 Apps to study better

Study Apps for Better Learning

Algor Education is a highly recommended web app for visually organizing ideas and concepts, memorizing topics, and exploring concept maps. It is an Italian platform that allows you to create, customize, and share concept maps online easily and quickly, even starting from text files such as PDF or Word documents.

Example of a concept map on Agenda 2030 created with Algor Education, click here to open it.

Its uniqueness compared to other similar apps is the ability to create maps with the help of automatic suggestions from the text. For example, with the Quick Map function, you can enter any topic and the app, through its robot, will create a ready-made map skeleton for you with questions and answers automatically generated as branches of the concept map. Using it is very simple, just enter the topic you want to explore and click on the robot to obtain an automatically generated map from the text.

Furthermore, Algor Education stands out as the most inclusive web app for students with learning disabilities or special educational needs. The interface uses colors to distinguish visual elements. The editor allows you to use high readability fonts, switch from the digital book to the map in a few clicks, and listen to your documents with text-to-speech: a tool to play back the texts of digital documents with artificial voices, also with highlighting, in different languages and speeds.

Being a web app, it is compatible with any device that has access to a browser and does not need to be downloaded. Algor Education has a free version and two paid packages that allow you to have more storage space, unlimited number of maps, and use features such as inserting images, videos, audio, exporting and printing, highlighted text-to-speech.

Create Flashcards and Interactive Quizzes: Quizlet

A highly recommended application for studying is Quizlet. This tool allows users to create flashcards (a type of digital card that contains a question on one side and the answer on the other side) and quizzes of various types to help them memorize key concepts and information. It is a versatile tool that can be used for various subjects, from mathematics to science, from history to English.

Quizlet also offers a range of features, such as the ability to compete with other users in games, which make studying more interactive and engaging. It allows you to create your own flashcards and quizzes, or choose from a wide range of existing study sets created by other users.

Quizlet logo, an app for creating flashcards and interactive quizzes.

To use Quizlet, users must first download the app on their device and create a free account. It is available for various platforms and devices, including iOS, Android, Windows, and macOS. Users can download the app for free from the App Store or the Play Store and use it on their mobile devices or computers. Additionally, Quizlet also offers a web version that can be used on any browser (e.g., Google Chrome), without the need to download the app. This means that users can access their study sets and flashcards on any device, anytime and anywhere.

Take and Organize Notes Effectively: Evernote

Another ideal application for studying is Evernote, which allows users to take notes, organize them, and access them from any device. It is a great tool for keeping track of notes and study materials and can help users stay organized and better follow the flow of their work. With Evernote, you can create different notebooks for each subject and easily search for and access notes whenever you need them.

Evernote logo, an app for creating and customizing notes and reminders.

You can also use Evernote to store and organize other study materials, such as PDFs and images, and share them with classmates or study groups. Evernote is a powerful tool that can help you stay organized and focused during your study sessions and make the most of your time. In addition to offering a smartphone app, there is also a web version that can be used on any browser, without the need to download the app.

Focus and avoid distractions: Forest

Forest is an app that helps users stay focused and avoid distractions while studying with a very unique method. The app works by growing a virtual tree, which will continue to flourish as long as the user stays focused and avoids using their phone or other distractions. If the user gives in to distractions and exits the app, the tree will die.

Forest logo, an app to stay focused while studying by growing a tree.

One of the advantages of Forest is that it encourages users to stay focused and make the most of their time, minimizing distractions (such as scrolling through TikTok or Instagram feeds) and increasing productivity. Additionally, the app also supports a good cause, as for every virtual tree that is planted, the company supports the planting of a real tree in the real world.

Manage and optimize time: Focus Keeper

Focus Keeper is an app that helps users manage their study time and increase their productivity. As suggested by the logo, the app uses the Pomodoro technique, which involves dividing study time into periods of active work (25 minutes) interspersed with short breaks (5 minutes):

• During the active work period, students must focus on a specific task without distractions, using Focus Keeper to track the time.
• At the end of each period, students can take a short break to relax or do a different activity before starting the next work period.

The app will then track users' time and remind them when it's time to switch from work to breaks. This can be a useful tool for students who want to make the most of their study time and avoid burnout.

Focus Keeper logo, an app to optimize time during studying with the Pomodoro technique.

Additionally, Focus Keeper also provides time usage statistics, which can help users identify any weaknesses and improve their productivity.

Study apps, choose the one that suits you best!

With apps like Algor Education, Quizlet, Evernote, Forest, and Focus Keeper, you can better memorize concepts, take notes more easily, avoid distractions, and manage study time more effectively. Clearly, an app alone is not enough to overcome every difficulty in studying, but these 5 tools we have shown, if used to their full potential, contribute to making studying more stimulating and engaging. If you are looking for technological support to achieve better results in your studies, take a look at these apps and choose the one that suits you.