With the new school year beginning it’s time to ensure the home study is ready for action.
The basic items needed for a study space include a comfortable chair, desk with room for a notebook, lamp, magazine holders to hold important papers, drawers for pens and paper and then there’s the electronic gadgets such as printer, tablets, smartphone, laptop or desktop computer.
Ensure the desk is in a well-lit, quiet area and receives lots of natural light. The chair should be adjustable for maximum comfort.
With so many devices requiring power points and leads for connectivity advancing technology is making it easier than ever to go wireless as cloud-based learning tools expand from the classroom to the home. The technology will help reduce clutter on and under the desk and eliminate the need for multiple power points or powerboards. But, more importantly cloud-based technology is enabling students to access items no matter where they are and for them to print from multiple devices.
“The ability to print from anywhere from any device provides increased flexibility, while scanning and copying to cloud-based applications can take student learning to even greater heights,” says David Borg of Fuji Xerox Printers Australia & New Zealand. “The benefits of printing applications are often overlooked but they have a range of features and applications that can support a streamlined and organised study environment. Familiarise yourself with the range of features to ensure you get the most from your printer.”
David’s study tips include:
- Set aside a designated study area that is quiet, well organised and equipped with everything needed for optimal study. A spacious desk that has room for a computer monitor and printer is essential. Drawers and shelves for storage will also help keep the study area organised.
- Proofread final drafts on a dual sided print out, as opposed to the computer screen, to help better identify spelling and grammar mistakes and ensure page layout and fonts are consistent. Proofreading may save valuable mark deductions so read documents thoroughly and always give eyes a rest by taking short breaks to avoid skipping over familiar text. If possible, ask someone else to proof read the document as they may identify things that may otherwise be overlooked or alternatively try proofreading the document out loud.
- Set up mobile printing for convenient printing from any device, without the inconvenience of having to transfer work between a computer and mobile devices. Print homework or an essay from a laptop, an assigned reading from a tablet or photos from a school excursion directly from a tablet or mobile.
- Scanning is one of the most overlooked and under-utilised tools for students. Scanning will provide a digitalised version of documents such as worksheets, study notes and class tests that can then be stored for easy reference ahead of exams. Parents can also help children prepare for exams by scanning a PDF of a class worksheet, blanking out the answers, then reusing the worksheet as a practice test.
- Embed projects and assignments with hand drawn charts and pictures, that can then be scanned as a JPEG file and then added to a document. Likewise, pictures from books and magazines that aren’t found online can be scanned and added as visuals.
- Print a backup of any important assignments or reports. Having a paper backup of a draft version of document can be a lifesaver if the computer file is accidently deleted or corrupted. The backup copy can then be scanned and saved as a text file.
- Print common learning or reference templates such as times table grids, grammar rules, or fact sheets and pin them somewhere prominent. This can be a useful study prompt ahead of an upcoming test and a regular reminder to quiz yourself each day.
