Study Tips

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Learn about some of the most useful study tips to help you with your course content.

Study Tips for a Variety of Situations (PDF)
Learn about small techniques you can use in your courses no matter what the format of the course is.

Claro MagX - Mobile App that can help magnify documents

Functionality:

• Hold your phone in front of an item you need to magnify and use the app to zoom in and apply color filters

Help & how to get started:

• ​Search for 'Claro MagX' on the App Store (iOS) or Google Play (Android)
• Download to your device

Cost: Free

Dictate - Use your voice to type

Dictate is now part of Microsoft Office 365. Microsoft Office 365 is part of SUNY Potsdam campus. You can access this software when logging into your email.

Tips for using this tool at Potsdam:

• Get content written down without needing to type
• Useful for quickly getting down ideas to polish later
• Write emails or documents with your voice to get a break from typing.

Help & how to get started:

• Go to Home tab select Dictate.
• Click the Dictate button
• When the microphone icon changes to show a red dot and you hear a sound you can begin dictating, the dictated words appear as text on screen.
• Click the microphone icon again when you have finished dictating.

Cost: Free

Diction Feature for Mac users

Help & how to get started:

• Hit the function key (FN) twice and wait for a microphone to appear
• When the microphone icon appears you can start speaking

Watch Mac Speech to Text video for more information and helpful shortcuts 

Grammarly - Check your writing for spelling and grammar errors in real time.

Functionality:

• Grammarly is a plugin for Microsoft Office or the Google Chrome web browser
• It will highlight mistakes in your writing in real time and offer suggestions
• Will explain the errors it finds to develop your writing skills​

Tips for using this tool at Potsdam:

• Use to check the spelling and grammar of content you write on the web (email, social media articles) or in Microsoft Office programs (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)

Help & how to get started:

• ​Search for 'Grammarly' in the Chrome Web Store
• Download the Microsoft plug in  for free

Cost: Grammarly is free by default

Note: The free version will correct the most common errors. For more detailed corrections you can upgrade to a premium plan for a monthly cost.

Hemingway - Help with making your writing clear and readable.

Functionality:

• Type or paste text onto the Hemingway website 
• The tool will highlight sentences that are hard to read and suggest simpler alternatives

Tips for using this tool at Potsdam:

• ​​​Improve the clarity of your written documents, research papers and assignments

Help & how to get started:

• ​To access this service, go to the Hemingway website and paste text or write directly onto the homepage
• Download the desktop app

Cost: Hemingway is free to use on the web

You can download a desktop app to use on the go for $19.99

Rewordify simplifies difficult English.

Functionality:

• It will simplify complex words into easier to understand text, for fast understanding. 
• The reworded words are highlighted— click them to hear and learn the original harder word.

Tips for using this tool at Potsdam:

• Use when you are having trouble understanding websites, textbooks, or handouts. Great for understanding scholarly articles and journals. 

Help & how to get started:

• ​Go to rewordify.com 

Cost: Rewordify is free 

Microsoft Accessibility - A written guide about the accessibility features built into Microsoft devices

Functionality:

• A written guide about the accessibility features including screen, audio, mouse and keyboard settings

Tips for using this tool at Potsdam:

• Configure your Microsoft device to make the best use of in-built accessibility functions

Help & how to get started:

• ​Access the Microsoft Accessibility guide online
• Microsoft Accessibility support resources

Cost: Free

MindShift - App to support people who suffer with anxiety

Functionality:

• Learn how to relax, develop more helpful ways of thinking, and identify active steps that will help you take charge of your anxiety.
• This app includes strategies to deal with everyday anxiety, as well as specific tools to tackle:
  • Making Sleep Count
  • Riding Out Intense Emotions
  • Test Anxiety
  • Perfectionism
  • Social Anxiety
  • Performance Anxiety
  • Worry
  • Panic
  • Conflict

Tips for using this tool:

• ​​​Manage anxiety and reduce worrying

Help & how to get started:

• ​Search for 'MindShift' on the App Store (iOS) or Google Play (Android)
• The MindShift website also includes some downloadable books and other resources

Cost: Free

Quizlet - Create flashcards and learning tools

Functionality:

• ​Create flashcards to develop memory retention and practice learning
• Create own cards or download exiting cards

Tips for using this tool at Potsdam:

• Students - use to help with revision for exams or tests
• Staff - use to create learning and study material for students

Help & how to get started:

• ​To get started, go to the Quizlet website and sign up for a free account
• To download the mobile app, search for 'Quizlet' on the App Store (iOS) or Google Play (Android)

Cost: Quizlet is free by default

For extra functionality you can upgrade to Quizlet Plus for a monthly cost.

Seeing Al - Take pictures of text and translate into OCR or text-to-speech

Functionality:

• Mobile app available for iOS devices
• Designed for the low vision community, Seeing Al describes people, text and objects
• The app will describe a color, read handwriting out loud, identify currency and even recognize people
• Use your iOS device to take a picture of text and render as instant text to speech or convert it via OCR

Tips for using this tool at Potsdam:

• Digitize analogue paper work quickly using a mobile device
• Make accessible copies of teaching or office resources

Help & how to get started:

• ​Search 'Seeing Al' on the App Store on your iOS device
• Read more about the app online

Cost: Free