BRAINSCAPE

While out shopping for school supplies this year, don’t forget to look into getting the best apps to make this school year the best one yet. Brainscape is a must have app for every student. With Brainscape you can find, create and share thousands of smart flashcards covering almost any topic.

Brainscape uses three sources for creating its flashcards—Educational experts, students and you! Top experts in the field lend their expertise to ready-made flash cards in fields such as Foreign Languages, SAT prep, and AP exams. You can also browse for flashcards from over a million subjects created by other students and teachers. Finally you can create and customize your own set of flashcards for any subject you want. You can also share your creations with other students!

Brainscape works by personalizing the timing between different cards. You rate how well you know a subject and the app creates a unique pace that is ideal for each individual user. Brainscape boasts that they offer "flashcards on steroids." With data from over 800 academic studies backing them up, Brainscape is a must have for all students. Click hereto read for yourself.

• Name of App: BRAINSCAPE
• Audience: All ages
• Platform: iOS
• What the App Does and why we recommend it: This app gives students access to over a million ready-made flash cards and the ability to create their own in order to learn quicker and more efficiently.
• What platform we used to recommend the app: iOS 
• Cost (at time of review): Free 

Charity Miles: Give Back While You Get Fit

Getting fit is becoming a national phenomenon.  Everywhere you turn newspapers, magazines, TV and the internet are telling us all the benefits of getting fit.  Even though we know it is good for us, many lack the motivation to start their fitness journey.   Charity Miles is an app that can help you with that.  For every mile you bike or walk/run Charity Miles makes a donation (10 cents per mile you outdoor bike and 25 cents per mile you walk/run) to the charity of your choice.  There are several charities to choose from including Stand Up to Cancer, The Alzheimer's Association and Autism Speaks.

The app is very easy to use.  You set up a profile, select your charity, start the app and off you go.  The app keeps record of how far you go and will also let you set up "reminders" to let you know when it is time to work out.  This app also allows you to Tweet or put a post on Facebook regarding your progress.  So give your workout a purpose and download Charity Miles.

Name of App:  Charity Miles

Audience:   Adult and Teen

Platform:  iOS and Android

What the App does and why we recommend it:  The app tracks your activity and gives a donation to a charity of your choice giving you extra motivation to work out.

Cost (at time of the review) :  Free 

Goodreads App: An App for Readers on the Go

Sometimes keeping track of your reading can be challenging, especially if you are an avid reader. I see many people come into the library with notebooks where they keep their lists of books that they want to read or have read. There is another option for those of you who would rather keep that information with you wherever you go--after all you never know when you will be popping into the library or a bookstore.

Goodreads.com is a website I use to track all the books I have read. With Goodreads, I can track my reading, keep a list of the books I want to read, and even add shelves to organize books based on genre. I can even rate and review books on the website so I can remember what I thought about the book when I first read it.  Goodreads.com is also a social site, so you can make friends, follow other reader's reviews, follow authors, and just keep adding to your lists of books.

Goodreads.com also has a free app. While the app isn't my favorite place to write reviews (I personally prefer typing reviews on a full keyboard rather than a touch screen), it is a great place to keep track of the books you have read, look up books, and scan books to add to your shelves.  For instance, let's say you are visiting a bookstore while on vacation and see a book you would like to borrow from the library, but are afraid you will forget it when you get back. You can open the Goodreads.com app and scan the book using the scan feature in the app, or just look it up using the search function. You can then just add it to your "To Be Read" shelf and look it up again when you get back to your library.  The app can also help you remember if you have read a book or not. If you add all your read books to Goodreads.com you can search for the book, or search your "Read" bookshelf for the book to see if you rated or reviewed it. 

I use Goodreads.com to keep track of all of my books. The app is a great resource you can take with you on the go.

Goodreads App

• Name of App: Goodreads
• Audience: Adult and Teen
• Platform: iOS, Android
• What the App Does and why we recommend it: The app will help you keep track of the books you have read and the ones you want to read, so at a glance you can see if you have read a book you are looking to check out or buy.
• What platform we used to recommend the app: iOS 
• Cost (at time of review): Free