Keep reading to discover our top tips about how to introduce technology into your revision.
When you start thinking about ways to approach your revision, your initial thoughts may be to type up your notes or highlight important points in your textbook. Although these methods can work for some, active revision techniques are proven to be much more effective.
In today’s technology-driven society, there are an increasing number of apps and websites that you can use alongside traditional pen and paper revision techniques to keep yourself engaged and make your revision more effective. Remember, revision is a personal process which means that techniques that work for some students do not work for others. If you have not found a technique that works for you or want to try something new, keep reading to find our top tips about how to introduce technology into your revision.
Flashcards are a simple way to condense your notes and highlight key equations and vocabulary. As well as traditional paper flashcards, apps such as Quizlet allow you to create your own sets of flashcards or study pre-made sets from other users. A study into the effectiveness of Quizlet when used to learn vocabulary found that it “is effective to increase the students’ motivation in learning vocabulary. Students felt more enthusiastic, did not get bored easily, and thus showed high interest when learning vocabulary via the app. They also did the tasks provided in that application independently.” The intelligent features of the app mean that it focuses you on the cards that you struggle with, something that you may not actively do with paper flashcards. Quizzes and the option to add images to your cards also help you engage more with the content.
Taking study breaks from 5 to 60 minutes can help increase your energy, productivity, and ability to focus. When planning your revision, do not be tempted to spend long days in the library or studying at your desk without a break. One way to track how long you can study for is by using a timer on your phone or computer. When you start revising, start the timer. Once you find that you are losing concentration, pause the timer and take a break for 5-10 minutes. As a starting point, you can also try out the Pomodoro Technique, which consists of studying in blocks of 25 minutes with 5-minute breaks. As you continue to time more of your sessions, you will get a better idea of how much time you can revise for before you need to take a break. This can help you track your productivity and plan your days more effectively.
Online revision timetables are also a handy way to track your progress and plan your day-to-day revision. Apps such as Adapt can help you allocate time to each subject according to your exam specification and your confidence rating for each topic. Having a digital schedule means that you can access it anywhere, and you have the ability to amend your schedule if you need to focus more on a particular topic.
Have you ever experienced the horror of misplacing your revision folder just a few days before an exam? With digital notes, there is no risk of losing your notes. Applications such as Microsoft OneNote allow you to keep all of your notes in one place so that you can access them anywhere at any time. You can split your notes into sections by subject and topic, and the search bar allows you to find specific notes when you need to. The tag feature means that you can categorise your note as a definition, question or others type of text that you can review altogether when you are testing yourself.
If you are struggling to understand a specific topic, instead of endlessly Googling and agonising over the topic, why not try an online less with a tutor. One-to-one sessions allow you to target the topics you need to work on and the benefit of someone who knows and understands the ins and outs of the syllabus. Online lessons can incorporate a wide range of activities, including the use of whiteboards and share screen functions that make them both engaging and informative. If you are interested in online lessons to support your revision, be sure to contact UK Study Centre for a free consultation.
Let us know in the comments if you have tried out any of these techniques or have any other tips and tricks. Happy revising!
