There’s an App for That

School looks a lot different this year with lots of radical changes, including the switch to online or hybrid learning, getting used to a number of different educational platforms like Google Classroom, keeping track of a class schedule that varies by the day, and learning to motivate yourself without a teacher standing over you to remind you.

In these circumstances, is it any wonder that the number of failing students has taken a huge jump? While it’s no wonder that students who tend to procrastinate have had a particularly difficult time making the adjustment to virtual learning, even self-motivated students have had a hard time keeping track of everything, or for getting extra help on a challenging subject.

So what kind of apps have FCHS students found helpful under these circumstances? Here are just a few you might consider adding to your phone

Duolingo
FCHS freshman Sydney Gibson listed this app as one of the most helpful apps she’s found. “Duolingo is good for when you are learning a foreign language. Duolingo is a helpful tool for me because it’s interactive when trying to learn a language. It’s not boring, reading multiple-choice questions. It almost has a game feel to it,” said Gibson.

This app provides lessons and explanations for dozens of languages. Users receive personalized results and feedback at the end of each lesson and practice. Duolingo is recommended for anyone learning a new language. Duolingo is free but provides optional in-app purchases.

Socratic
Socratic is a high school and college-level tool for every subject– math, science, history, etc. In Socratic, you can search any question, and get results and explanations. All results you receive will be in one place, and you can even find professional study guides. Socratic is recommended for anyone that help on any subject. Socratic is a completely free app.

Freshman Taylor Gillian uses Socratic as a helpful study app. “[Socratic] is good when I get stuck on a question,” she said of the free app.

Grammarly
“Grammarly helps make sure any document is spelled correctly and grammatically correct. It is very helpful towards students,” said freshman Karsyn Botikin.

Grammarly checks writing for various problems and helps you fix them. This app provides clarity in its explanations for suggestions. When using Grammarly, you can also create goals for your paper, including goals for formality, tones, audience, and purpose. Grammarly is recommended for everyone trying to improve their writing. Grammarly is free with an option of a premium subscription.

Flipd
Freshman Keira Haseltine uses Flipd as a time management tool. “Flipd helps me manage my time and set aside a certain time to study. I can make my own timers for certain activities or classes I need to study for.”

Flipd has productivity timers and insights. Productivity timers can be personalized for your needs. The time you spend studying is recorded, so you can see how much you studied for any of your timers, and this is reported to you at the end of each week. Flipd is free and offers purchases within the app.

Elevate
Elevate is a free app that trains your brain in a personalized manner. Elevate strengthens your understanding in reading, writing, listening, and math. This app also tracks your learning and improvements. The Elevate app is for students that want to sharpen certain skills.

Freshman Alexis Perry listed Elevate as one of her study and learning tools. “Elevate is an app that consists of brain games that can improve skills for what the user wants to improve, and for me, I chose math and reading as my primary subjects. There are different levels of difficulty depending on where I place and questions that will help improve certain skills,” Perry said.

Spotify
Perry said that she uses Spotify to reduce stress. “Spotify is a music app which I use to listen to something calming that will reduce any stress I have, or to enjoy any genre of music. Spotify has a large variety of music that I can use in leisure time or for school,” she noted. She added that when it comes to school, “a relaxing playlist that can help me stay focused while blocking background noises out.” Lots of students find Spotify to be a great stress reliever during school and in leisure time.

You might not realize that Spotify also has numerous podcasts, and you can create a playlist containing any song or genre of music or podcasts. The app makes daily playlists based on your recent listening habits. Perry recommends Spotify for anyone that wants to listen to diverse music to lower stress levels. Spotify is free with an option of a premium subscription.