According to a 2015 study conducted by McGraw-Hill Education, 81 percent of college students reported using mobile technology for their studies and 77 percent reported that using tablets and smartphones has helped improve their grades. 

From early on in our homeschool journey, I felt that by the time Ben reached college age, mobile technology would be a must for his success. For this reason, I introduced using tablets such as the iPad and Kindle Fire practically from the moment they became available to us.

 

The quality (and quantity) of available apps has grown tremendously in the past few years. As Ben navigates his high school years, I am constantly on the look-out for apps that will both help him succeed now, and teach him the value of technology for his education, while training him to use this technology in a safe way. Weeding through everything available can be a challenge, and this list is certainly just a tip of the iceberg. But if you have college-bound high school students, I believe your students will find the following apps helpful. 

Wolfram|Alpha  ($2.99)

Remember the Star Trek computer? It’s finally happening–with Wolfram|Alpha. Building on 25 years of development led by Stephen Wolfram, Wolfram|Alpha has rapidly become the world’s definitive source for instant expert knowledge and computation.

Across thousands of domains–with more continually added–Wolfram|Alpha uses its vast collection of algorithms and data to compute answers and generate reports for you. Domains covered by Wolfram|Alpha include math, statisitcs & data analysis, physics, chemistry, materials, engineering, astronomy, earth science, life sciences, computational sciences, units & measures, dates & times, weather, places & geography, people & history, culture & media, words & linguistics, sports & games, colors, money & finance, socioeconomic data, health & science, food & nutrition, education, organizations, transportation, technological world, and web & computer systems.

iPad/iPhone

Kindle Fire

Android

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Evernote (free)

Let Evernote change the way you organize your personal and professional projects. Dive in: take notes, create to-do lists, and save things you find online into Evernote. Then sync everything between your phone, tablet, and computer automatically.

“When it comes to taking all manner of notes and getting work done, Evernote is an indispensable tool.” – PC Mag

Evernote gives you the tools you need to keep your work effortlessly organized, sync your content across devices,  to share, discuss and collaborate productively with others.

iPad/iPhone

Kindle Fire

Android

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My Study Life (free)

My Study Life is a cross-platform planner for students, teachers and lecturers designed to make your study life easier to manage. My Study Life allows you to store your classes, homework and exams in the cloud making it available on any device, wherever you are.

Unlike a paper planner or school diary, My Study Life integrates all areas of your academic life – see homework due and overdue for classes, classes which conflict with your exams and even add revision tasks for a specific exam – all in a free, easy to use application. Far from your standard calendar, My Study Life is optimized to work for your school life right from the start with support for week and day rotation schedules. Add your classes and view them in a beautiful, instantly identifiable, familiar week view.

My Study Life seamlessly syncs your data between devices, allowing you to use the app even when offline. You can add a task on the move from your phone or tablet and it will be instantly available on the web app.

iPad/iPhone

Kindle Fire

Android

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Microsoft OneDrive (free)

Do more wherever you go with Microsoft OneDrive. Get to and share your documents, photos, and other files from your iOS device, computer (PC or Mac), and any other devices you use. Use the Office mobile apps to stay productive and work together, no matter where you are. The OneDrive app for iOS lets you easily work with your personal and work files when you’re on the go.

iPad/iPhone

Kindle Fire

Android

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Vocabulary Builder from Magoosh (free)

Build your vocabulary with Magoosh’s free vocabulary game for your iOS device. Quiz yourself every day to learn the 1200 most important words!

• 1200 vocab words picked by an expert tutor
• Definitions and example sentences for every word
• Basic, Intermediate, and Advanced vocabulary sections
• Beat levels to unlock new words
• Track your progress as you study

This app gives you free access to all of Magoosh’s general, GRE, SAT, and TOEFL vocab quizzes. Sign in with a Magoosh account (or create a new one) to save your progress to the web. You can continue your practice online at http://gre.magoosh.com/builder/vocabulary

iPhone/iPad

Android

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iMathematics Pro ($2.99)

iMathematics is your personal maths tutor. It is used by millions of students every day, and it’s the only app about math that includes everything you need to successfully pass your exams.
• Learn quickly from over 120 topics, including the most advanced topics and all those that we will add in the future.
• Easily repeat formulas, theorems, definitions and properties, thanks to the effective synthesis.
• Practice with various interactive calculators which you’ll find in some subjects.
• Quickly find the topics that matters to you thanks to the advanced search algorithm.
• Save your Favorites arguments to have them always at your fingertips.
• Add your personal notes to topics, to remind you something.
• Solve the exercises with some Utilities, like the Advanced Calculator, the Fraction Approximator and the Equation Solver.
• Get Interactive multiple choice Quizzes, with which you can practice and get a rating of your level of preparation.
• Discover the step by step Solved Examples, to help you understand the methods to correctly solve problems.
• Get the Advanced Utilities, like the Graphic Calculator, the Systems Solver, the Matrices Solver 3×3 and the Math Glossary.
• Discover the Tips&Tricks, that are curiosities about a topic or tricks to solve problems faster.

iPhone/iPad

Android

iPhysics Pro ($2.99)

iPhysics is your personal physics tutor. It is used by millions of students every day, and it’s the only app about physics that includes everything you need to successfully pass your exams.

• Learn quickly from more than 120 topics, including the most advanced topics and all those that we will add in the future.
• Easily repeat formulas, theorems, definitions and properties, thanks to the effective synthesis.
• Quickly find the topics that matters to you thanks to the advanced search algorithm.
• Save your Favorites arguments to have them always at your fingertips.
• Add your personal notes to topics, to remind you something.
• Get Interactive multiple choice Quizzes, with which you can practice and get a rating of your level of preparation.
• Discover the step by step Solved Examples, to help you understand the methods to correctly solve problems.
• Get the useful Unit Converter, to solve your exercises quickly.

iPhone/iPad

Android

iChemistry Pro ($2.99)

iChemistry is your personal chemistry tutor. It is used by millions of students every day, and it’s the only app about chemistry that includes everything you need to successfully pass your exams.

• Learn quickly from more than 120, including the most advanced topics and all those that we will add in the future.
• Easily repeat formulas, laws, definitions and properties, thanks to the effective synthesis.
• Quickly find the topics that matters to you thanks to the advanced search algorithm.
• Save your Favorites arguments to have them always at your fingertips.
• Add your personal notes to topics, to remind you something.
• Get Interactive multiple choice Quizzes, with which you can practice and get a rating of your level of preparation.
• Discover the step by step Solved Examples, to help you understand the methods to correctly solve problems.

iPhone/iPad

Android

Get the Complete Student Pack for iPhone/iPad ($6.99)

With this Bundle you will get the all 3  Math, Physics and Chemistry apps at a 22 % discount. 

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gFlash+ (free)

Long recognized as the best free flashcard app on the market, gFlash+ offers users a robust platform for creating, downloading, and manipulating flashcards in every subject under the sun. This latest release is jam-packed with new features including a Matching Game study mode, improved user interface, and full support.

With even more free features than before, this version of gFlash+ is a must-have study tool for students of all ages.

iPhone/iPad

Kindle Fire

Android

Get the Pro version for iPhone/iPad ($3.99)

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TED (free)

Feed your curiosity and expand your world with TED Talks. Explore more than 2,000 TED Talks from remarkable people, by topic and mood, from tech and science to the surprises of your own psychology. Download the TED app to stay curious, informed and inspired.

Browse the entire TED Talks video library, with subtitles in over 90 languages.
・Play on your device or send to your home entertainment system via AirPlay or Chromecast.
・Discover inspiring, funny, or jaw-dropping talks.
・Let us build you a custom playlist — tailored to your time frame.
・Bookmark talks to watch later.
・Download talks to watch offline.
・Listen to an on-demand playlist of TED Talks audio.

iPhone/iPad

Kindle Fire

Android