Graphic by: Sarah Knoll
Organization in a remote learning environment can be hard, but there are free apps that can help. Agenda, Asana, and Noto are some of the best rated apps in the Google Play and App Store. For those struggling with organization and due dates, these three app reviews will help you get a better grasp of how you can get yourself more organized.
1. Agenda (4.5 out of 5 stars)
Agenda is primarily a note taking and task setting app that allows you to give your tasks due dates. The app syncs with your apple calendar to give you a better visual of your schedule and to set up alarms and reminders. The Agenda app is sorted into: The Agenda, Categories, Projects, and Notes.
The Agenda is a main page in which any specific Notes from any Category and Project can be seen. This allows you to get an overview of everything you need to accomplish and helps you prioritize certain tasks.
Categories are broad color-coded folders that hold Projects and Notes. Students can put their class titles like “ENG 1000 Intro to Academic Writing” or “SOC 3200 Social Problems and Action”.
Projects are more specific folders that hold the Notes. Students can title these “Writing Goals Essay” or “Read Chapter 12”.
Notes are the specific information, requirements, and/or steps needed for whatever you need to do. You can customize your Notes to have bullet points, check lists, hyperlinks, and you can assign them due dates by syncing your calendar to the app.
Pros:
Free version is good for the average person
Extremely customizable Notes
Calendar syncing
Multi-level organization
Mobile and desktop
Easy-to-use design
Cons:
Only available in the App Store
Personal organization over collaborative/team
2. Asana (3 out of 5 stars)
Asana is a collaborative team organization app. It allows you to not only create Projects and Tasks but also to assign Tasks to team members and give Tasks priority ratings.
Asana has an internal calendar which keeps track of all the due dates for team and individual Tasks. For a group powerpoint project, Tasks can be anything from “Put quotes into the slides” to “finish slides one through four”.
Once a Task is complete, the app gives you the option to “check” the circle by its name. When finished, Tasks don’t disappear but simply show that they’ve been completed. Students can use Asana to keep track of who’s doing what for group projects.
Pros:
Customizable tasks
Free app
Desktop and mobile
Available in the App Store and Google Play
Cons:
Confusing interface
Difficult to delete Projects and Tasks
Collaborative/team organization over personal
3. Noto (3.5 out of 5 stars)
Noto is primarily a personal note taking and folder making app. It uses a visual organization method with folder icons. You can customize each folder by color and its position on the home screen. Moving Notes between the home screen and different folders is as easy as dragging each icon to where you want it to go.
Users can figure out Noto’s features on their own, but the app does offer an initial how-to-guide and keeps an example Note in the home page which showcases all free and pro-features. These free features include: check lists, block quotes, hyperlinks, highlights, and general text customization. The pro-features include: math equations, coding, drawing/handwriting, and file uploads.
The average user can get by on the free version of the app, but if you are looking for a place to practice coding on the go or even solve complex equations, you might want to consider getting the pro-version.
Pros:
Extremely customizable Notes
Primarily a visual app
Free app
Desktop and Mobile
Cons:
Only available in the App Store
Free version features are limited
Does not sync with calendar
Personal over collaborative/team organization
If you’re a student who's struggling to keep track of assignments, meetings, and dues date—try these apps out! These three apps are some of the top rated, but just because they have high ratings doesn't mean they will work for everyone. Make sure to click around and find the best apps for your organizational style.