Stay on Track: Top Calendar Apps for Schools and Colleges

Stay on Track: Top Calendar Apps for Schools and Colleges

Schools and colleges are busy places. Between regular classes, unexpected club meetings, and everything in between, students, teachers, and school staff have a lot on their plates. It can be a challenge to stay on top of everything and make sure nothing is overlooked. That’s where tools like calendar apps come in handy. They help everyone stay organized and on track. 

The Calendar App for Schools by VirtoSoftware is a popular choice, but there are many other options out there. In this article, we’ll take a look at some of the best calendar apps that can make life in an educational setting a bit easier. 

The Rising Need for Academic Calendar Apps

 1. Centralized Schedules: Access to all activities, events, and deadlines in one unified space.

2. Collaborative Planning: Facilitates seamless sharing of dates, assignments, and reminders.

3. Timely Alerts: Prevents overlooking crucial tasks or events with timely notifications.

A Dive into the Best Academic Calendars

 The Virto Calendar for Colleges for Schools isn’t just another app; it’s an experience. Picture a digital realm where every event, big or small, is meticulously mapped. From an urgent teacher’s meeting to a long-awaited college fest date, everything finds a neat corner. Its synchronized updates are like the gentle nudges, ensuring you’re always in sync with real-time changes.

 Google Calendar, meanwhile, is akin to a trusty old friend who knows just what you need. Its strength lies in its simplicity and integration. Whether you’re working on a school project using Google Docs or setting up a virtual class on Google Meet, this calendar keeps tabs, making sure you never miss a beat. The color-coding system? Think of it as the artist’s palette, allowing you to paint your schedule in hues that resonate with your mood and activity type.

 Stepping into the world of Microsoft Calendar is like entering a well-oiled machine. It’s a universe where every cog, bolt, and gear is interconnected. If your academic life heavily revolves around Microsoft’s ecosystem—be it Teams discussions, OneNote musings, or Outlook emails—this calendar becomes the central hub, orchestrating seamless symphonies of schedules.

 When students crave a sanctuary that understands their pulse, the myHomework Student Planner steps in. It’s not just about dates and alarms; it’s about presenting a holistic view of their academic journey. From that daunting math assignment to the much-anticipated science fair date, everything gets a spotlight.

 For the minimalists, Timetable emerges as the epitome of elegance and efficiency. Stripped of any distractions, it presents a pristine interface where every class, assignment, or meeting is treated with reverence. And its thoughtful feature, like the auto-mute, is like that silent guardian ensuring tranquility during classes.

 ClassUp is more than just a scheduling tool; it’s a canvas. Every student, teacher, or administrator becomes an artist, sketching out their unique academic narratives. From quirky annotations to vibrant visuals, it celebrates the individuality of each user.

 Any.do is like that meticulous friend who remembers everything. Its smooth interface makes task tracking seem like a breeze. Students and faculty alike can set reminders for assignments, meetings, or even the next coffee break. With integrations like Google Calendar and Outlook, it’s a seamless extension of one’s academic workflow.

 Fantastical is often hailed as the magician of calendar apps. Its natural language processing lets you create events using simple phrases like “Coffee with Prof. Smith at 3 PM tomorrow.” For college students juggling between classes, assignments, and social commitments, Fantastical becomes a trusted aide.

 Study Cal takes the essence of being a student into its core. Apart from basic scheduling, it assists in tracking grades and managing assignments and even gives a visual representation of one’s academic progress, making it an all-in-one academic companion.

a calendar showing a planning schedule post about top calendar apps

 Challenges and Solutions: Making the Most of Your Calendar App

 Navigating the academic world can sometimes feel overwhelming. Here are a few common challenges and how the right calendar app can provide solutions:

 Overlapping Schedules: With classes, club meetings, personal study sessions, and extracurricular activities, students often find their schedules overlapping. Advanced calendar apps allow users to visually block out times, ensuring they don’t double-book themselves and can plan rest periods in between activities.

 Forgetting Deadlines: It’s easy to lose track of when that big project is due or when an important test is scheduled. By setting up advanced reminders, users can get notifications not just on the day of the deadline but days or even weeks in advance, ensuring ample preparation time.

 Coordinating Group Projects: Group assignments often mean coordinating with several people’s schedules. Shared calendar features allow group members to sync their availability, making planning meetings a breeze.

Criteria to Consider: How to Choose the Right Calendar

Ease of Use

A user-friendly interface ensures that everyone, from tech-savvy students to educators, can navigate and use the app effectively.

 Integration Capabilities

A calendar that seamlessly integrates with other commonly used apps can greatly streamline academic processes.

 Customizability

The ability to personalize aspects of the calendar—be it color-coding or adding notes—enhances user experience.

 Accessibility

Choosing a platform that’s accessible across multiple devices ensures continuity, especially in our increasingly mobile world.

 Security & Privacy

Given the sensitive nature of some academic information, security features should be top-notch.

Beyond Calendars: Other Essential Digital Companions for Academia

While calendars keep your dates in check, the academic realm demands an arsenal of digital tools to keep everything else in order:

  • Task Managers: Tools like Trello or Asana can help in organizing group projects, delegating tasks, and ensuring timely submissions.
  • Note-Taking Apps: Evernote and OneNote come to the rescue, ensuring that every iota of information is captured, be it a lecture note or a sudden spark of inspiration.
  • Document Management: Google Drive or Dropbox keeps all academic documents organized, shareable, and accessible, ensuring collaborative endeavors are smooth.
  • Communication Platforms: Apps like Slack or Microsoft Teams foster communication, ensuring everyone stays on the same page.
  • Reading & Research: Tools like Mendeley or Zotero streamline the process of academic research, making referencing and bibliography a breeze.

Conclusion

 In today’s digitized academic environment, tools like the Calendar App for Schools by VirtoSoftware have become indispensable. But these calendar apps are more than mere schedulers. They’re the navigational compasses guiding students and educators through the intricate maze of academic commitments.

 The right calendar is akin to a reliable compass, helping users smoothly traverse the diverse landscape of academia. From integrating schedules and setting reminders to fostering collaboration, these digital aids are at the heart of modern academic success.

 As we merge education with technology, the essence isn’t just in adopting a tool, but in harnessing its true potential. It’s about maximizing productivity, alleviating stress, and ensuring that every academic moment is both organized and purposeful.

 

 

3 impressive Ways AI is Improving Customer Loyalty

3 impressive Ways AI is Improving Customer Loyalty

As technology continues to rapidly develop, the idea of artificial intelligence (AI) taking over human roles and being present in everyday life is becoming a reality. Today, AI programs such as Midjourney and DALL-E are capable of creating hyper-realistic images and complex works of art in a matter of seconds. Meanwhile, Open AI’s ChatGPT started making headlines in March 2023 for its impressive ability to craft well-written essays, solve mathematical problems, code, and engage in conversations with users. As tech magnate Bill Gates said, humanity has entered the AI age.

Numerous industries—from not-for-profit organizations to e-commerce and gaming—already are looking for ways to integrate AI into their operations. While some fear that AI will replace human labor and creativity, others are tapping into the technology’s potential to improve how businesses interact with their customers.

In what follows, we break down three remarkable ways in which artificial intelligence is facilitating customer loyalty.

AI robot in thought with text on the board in the background
AI

Data collection

One of the main strengths of AI is its ability to collect and organize high volumes of user-generated data. This type of data is incredibly valuable for any business, as it reveals a lot about the customer, including website interactions, purchase history, and social media engagement. In isolation, that data may not mean much. However, once analyzed by AI, it can be streamlined and converted into digestible insights and visual charts.

Taking that data into consideration, marketers can make informed decisions that drive marketing strategies, targeted and market-entry campaigns, product launches, and more.

Personalized recommendations and offers

By using collected data and specialized algorithms, AI can assist in delivering customized experiences and interest-based content to individual customers, which makes them feel as if the brand understands their preferences and tastes.

Perhaps one of the most notorious examples is content recommendations on streaming platforms. On its Help Center site, Netflix clearly states that they “estimate the likelihood that you will watch a particular title in our catalog based on a number of factors”. Such factors include the user’s viewing history and rating of previous titles coupled with the information provided by other members with similar tastes and information about the titles (genre, actors, release year, etc).

Another industry that utilizes this strategy is gaming, particularly casino platforms. Overall, reputable casino sites focus on building customer loyalty by offering a number of benefits to players, including deposit bonuses, free spins, and VIP programs. But, with AI, they can go a step further and tailor their messaging and content to each individual player.

24/7 support availability and quick responses

Customer service is a detrimental factor in customer loyalty. In fact, 83% of customers agree that good customer support will turn them from one-time shoppers into lifers.

With the help of chatbot technology, businesses can provide their customers with automated customer service that is available around the clock. Medium to large-scale businesses and brands likely have customers all over the world. This means that human customer support agents won’t be always able to address urgent requests and issues from customers residing in different time zones. In this way, AI-powered chatbots are a convenient solution.

Using AI assistants is also a great way to ensure that customers get quick responses to simple queries whenever customer support agents are too busy solving more complex cases.

To conclude

Artificial intelligence has the potential to change the way businesses interact with their customers, giving them a more personalized and meaningful experience. This helps to strengthen customer satisfaction and loyalty, ultimately increasing the business’ overall success.

Just as the industrial revolution changed how people worked, the AI revolution is altering how people communicate with businesses.

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Featured image: Unsplash (Mohamed Nohassi): https://unsplash.com/photos/-0xMiYQmk8g

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Discover the exciting new features of iOS 17

Discover the exciting new features of iOS 17

Apple’s latest operating system, iOS 17, brings a host of new features to enhance the things you do every day. From new ways to express yourself when calling or messaging someone to convenient new ways to share content, iOS 17 offers new experiences for your iPhone. The company made the announcements at WWDC 2023 where it introduced other innovations.

new iOS 17 plus bottom in iMessage feature

One of the most exciting updates is the new plus button in iMessage. This button allows you to view all the things you send the most, such as photos, audio messages, and your location. You can also swipe up to view the rest of your iMessage apps. Additionally, there is a new catch-up arrow that lets you jump to the first message you haven’t seen in a conversation and you can now swipe to the right on any message to send a reply.

Another great feature is the ability to share your location or request a friend’s location from the plus button. When someone shares their location with you, you can view it directly within your conversation. Audio messages are now transcribed so you can read them in the moment and listen later.

new iOS 17 features announced at WWDC 2023 for apple iphone users

The new stickers drawer lets you access all your Live Stickers, emoji, Memoji, and other sticker packs in one place. Your stickers sync with iCloud so they are available on your iPhone, iPad, and Mac devices. You can use Markup to add stickers to photos, documents, screenshots, and more.

There are also updates to FaceTime. You can now record a video or audio message when someone misses your FaceTime call. Additionally, there is a new reaction feature that fills the camera frame with fun 3D augmented reality effects like hearts, confetti, fireworks, and more.

One of the new features in iOS 17 is the Smart Home Lock Screen. This feature allows users to control their smart home devices directly from their iPhone’s lock screen. The Control Center has also been updated to provide quick access to frequently used controls and settings.

Another new feature is Live Activities. This feature allows users to stay on top of things happening in real-time. Active Widgets are another addition to iOS 17, providing users with glanceable information and quick actions for their most frequently used apps.

NameDrop is a new feature in iOS 17 that allows you to share your contact information with someone else by holding your iPhone near their iPhone or Apple Watch. You can choose which phone numbers or email addresses you want to share and can also share your Contact Poster instantly. This feature makes it easy to exchange contact information with someone you’ve just met.

NameDrop new iOS17 feature

The Health App has also received updates in iOS 17. Users can now track new types of data and receive personalized insights and recommendations to improve their health and well-being. Apple Music has also been updated with new customization options, allowing users to personalize their listening experience even further.

These are just some of the many new features in iOS 17. Here are the compatible iPhones that can upgrade to the new OS.

iPhones compatible with iOS 17

  • iPhone 14
  • iPhone 14 Plus
  • iPhone 14 Pro
  • iPhone 14 Pro Max
  • iPhone 13
  • iPhone 13 mini
  • iPhone 13 Pro
  • iPhone 13 Pro Max
  • iPhone 12
  • iPhone 12 mini
  • iPhone 12 Pro
  • iPhone 12 Pro Max
  • iPhone 11
  • iPhone 11 Pro
  • iPhone 11 Pro Max
  • iPhone XS
  • iPhone XS Max
  • iPhone XR
  • iPhone SE (2nd generation or later)

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10 new things announced at WWDC 2023 for developers

10 new things announced at WWDC 2023 for developers

Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC) 2023 was jam-packed with exciting announcements for developers. Announcing a series of major and minor innovations at one of the most anticipated events in the tech industry.

Apple introduces a new Apple Vision Pro device as it ventures into the spatial computing world. New 15‑inch MacBook Air with M2, Mac Studio with M2 Max and M2 Ultra, and Mac Pro with M2 Ultra. There are now previews of iOS 17, iPadOS 17, macOS Sonoma, and watchOS 10. But that’s not all there are more improvements to make your everyday living comfortable, productive, and easy. Watch the video below for a quick tour of the new improvements and read on for more.

Here are 10 new things that were announced at WWDC 2023 for developers

iOS 17

new iOS17 features announced at WWDC 2023 for developers and apple users

Apple showed off a heap of new functionality coming to iOS 17 during this year’s installment of its annual developer conference. Here are some of the features:

Smarter ‘transformer’ word prediction model: iOS 17 introduces a smarter new ‘transformer’ word prediction model, with sentence-level autocorrection and improvements for the language model used for voice dictation.

New contact cards: As part of iOS 17, Apple has extended the same thinking to contact cards. As well as a bold full-screen image, when a contact calls, you’ll also get a depth-mapped caller name, and the ability to customize both the image and the font size and color.

Live voicemail: iOS 17 looks to take the experience of managing your voicemails even further, with live voicemail displaying a real-time transcript of the message that’s being left.

FaceTime messages: A small addition, but iOS 17 will let you leave FaceTime video messages, should whoever you’re calling be unable to pick up.

New functionality to Messages: iOS 17 looks to be bringing a sizable suit of new functionality to Messages, from search filters and inline replies to more easily navigate your chats, to inline location sharing.

Apple Vision Pro headset on display at WWDC 2023

Vision Pro VR headset

An Apple-branded augmented reality/virtual reality has been rumored for years and years, but it’s finally here. The final part of the WWDC keynote was dedicated to the Vision Pro AR headset.

15-inch MacBook Air

Apple announces a new 15-inch MacBook Air at WWDC 2023. The 15‑inch laptop comes with a Liquid Retina display and is powered by the M2 chip, with up to 18 hours of battery life.

New Mac Studio and Mac Pro

Apple also announced the new Mac operating system macOS Sonoma with widgets and game mode. The new Mac Studio comes with M2 Max and the new M2 Ultra, whilst the Mac Pro features M2 Ultra and PCIe expansion.

Journal app

Apple announces a new Journal app at WWDC 2023 that will be coming later this year. The Journal app will make personalized suggestions of moments for you to remember and write about. Using on-device machine learning based on your photos, music, workouts, and more.

These are just some of the exciting new things that were announced at WWDC 2023 for developers. The week-long event will feature other technical sessions, hands-on labs, and networking opportunities for developers from around the world.

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Kenya team wins Microsoft Imagine Cup World Championship

Kenya team wins Microsoft Imagine Cup World Championship

Team TAWI, winners in the education category of the 2023 Imagine Cup world finals qualifying round have gone on to win the World Championship. The team qualified from 48 competing global teams to be selected among the top 3 to compete in the World Championship at Microsoft Build. They win the grand prize of USD 100,000, a mentorship session with Microsoft’s Chairman and CEO, Satya Nadella, and Level 2 access to Microsoft for Startups Founders Hub.

They faced winning teams from the Americas and Asia regions; Eupnea from the United States, and CS-M Tool from Thailand, respectively. Winning the competition showcasing their solution that seeks to help people with auditory processing disorder communicate more easily. It leverages speech recognition tools from Azure Cognitive Services and OpenAI Whisper to enhance speech, reduce background noise, and transcribe speech to text in real-time.  

winners of the 2023 imagine cup world championship from kenya

Team TAWI consists of Muna Said Nomy, John Onsongo Mabeya, Syntiche Musawu, and Zakariya Hussein, The Applied Computer Technology and Data Science and Analytics undergraduate students of the United States International University (USIU) – Africa in Nairobi, Kenya have become the second African team to win the competition. The former also from USIU became the first student team from Africa to win the competition in 2021.

The team will work to take their solution to the next phase and scale it. Watch the full 2023 Microsoft Imagine Cup World Championship event and hear more about their solution.

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The ROG Ally: A Next-Gen handheld gaming machine

The ROG Ally: A Next-Gen handheld gaming machine

Republic of Gamers (ROG) announces the launch of the ROG Ally, a new Windows 11 gaming handheld. The ROG Ally runs on an AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme processor and can breeze through AAA games and indie titles in 1080p with ease. It will be available for sale worldwide on June 13th, 2023 for $699.99, with pre-orders starting May 11th.

The next-gen handheld ROG Ally offers Full HD gaming on the go. It promises to run modern AAA titles faster and smoother than any other handheld on the market. Since it runs Windows 11, it can play any game from any platform and includes 3 months of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate right out of the box.

The Ally is powered by an all-new Ryzen Z1 Series processor from AMD. Built on the “Zen” 4 architecture combined with AMD RDNA 3 architecture-based graphics, the Ryzen Z1 Extreme processor rivals the prowess of game consoles with 8 cores, 16 threads, and up to 8.6 teraflops of graphics processing power.

Making this possible is ROG’s Zero Gravity thermal system, which uses a dual-fan system with ultra-thin heatsink fins and high-friction heat pipes to ensure the Ally stays cool in any orientation. The Ally also comes equipped with 16GB of high-speed LPDDR5 6400MHz memory, 512 GB of PCIe Gen 4 storage, and a UHS-II microSD card slot to further expand its storage capacity.

Flagship gaming performance demands a panel to match, and the Ally does not disappoint. Equipped with a 120Hz Full HD (1080p) panel with AMD FreeSync™ Premium technology, gamers will enjoy supreme motion clarity in fast-paced games, with no tearing or stuttering.

The ROG Ally takes handheld gaming to new heights. With a Full HD screen and hardware capable of 60 FPS in many of the latest titles, the ROG Ally provides an on-the-go experience that will satisfy gamers of all stripes. Compared to the 720p resolution of competing devices, the ROG Ally offers superior image and motion clarity thanks to its Full HD panel and AMD FreeSync™ Premium technology.

The Ryzen Z1 Extreme equipped model with 512GB of storage will be available for pre-order starting on May 11th and available for sale for $699.99 at Best Buy on June 13th. The ROG Ally model with the Ryzen Z1 chip will be available later this year.

ROG Ally windows 11 gaming handheld device connected to a monitor, dock and ame controller

ROG Ally specifications

Operating SystemWindows 11 Home
ProcessorAMDRyzen™ Z1 Extreme ProcessorCPU: Zen 4 architecture, 8-core /16-threads, 24MB total cache ,up
to 5.10Ghz boostGPU: 12 RDNA3CUs, up to 2.7GHz, 8.6TFlops, default 4GB RAM
capacityAPU Power: 9-30W
Display7-inch, FHD (1920 x 1080) 16:9, IPS-level, glossy display, 500 nits peak brightness,sRGB:100%, Gorilla® Glass Victus™, Gorilla® Glass DXC, Touch Screen (10-point multi-touch), Refresh Rate:120Hz, Response Time:7ms, Support Dolby Vision HDR, AMD FreeSync™ Premium
Memory16GB LPDDR5 on board (6400MT/s dual channel)
Storage512GB PCIe® 4.0 NVMe™ M.2 SSD (2230)
I/O Ports1 x 3.5mm Combo Audio Jack
1 x ROG XG Mobile Interface and USB Type-C combo port (with
USB 3.2 Gen2, supports DisplayPort™ 1.4)
1 x UHS-II microSD card reader (supports SD, SDXC and SDHC)
Control and InputGamepad controls:A B X Y buttonsD-padL & R Hall Effect analog triggersL & R bumpersView buttonMenu buttonCommand Center buttonArmoury Crate button2 x assignable grip buttonsThumbsticks: 2 x full-size analog sticks with capacitive touchHaptics: HD hapticsGyro: 6-Axis IMU
AudioAI noise-canceling technology
Dolby Atmos
Hi-Res certification
Built-in array microphone
2-speaker system with Smart Amplifier Technology
Network and CommunicationTriple band Wi-Fi 6E (802.11ax) 2 x 2Bluetooth 5.2
Battery40WHrs
Power Supply65W USB Type-C PD 3.0 power supplyAdapter: 65W AC Adapter, Output: 20V DC, 3.25A, 65W, Input:
100~240V AC 50/60Hz universal
AURA SYNCYes
Weight~608g (1.34 lbs)
Dimensions (W x D x H)28.0 x 11.1 x 2.12 ~ 3.24 cm (11.02″ x 4.37″ x 0.83″ ~ 1.27″)
Xbox Game Pass3 months of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate included
SecurityBuilt-in Fingerprint SensorMicrosoft Pluton security processor

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