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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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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New AI solutions and improvements to Microsoft Cloud for Nonprofit

New AI solutions and improvements to Microsoft Cloud for Nonprofit

Microsoft has announced a suite of new AI solutions and improvements to Microsoft Cloud for Nonprofit. These solutions are designed to transform the nonprofit industry by helping fundraisers engage with donors, manage campaigns, and optimize operations. The company also announced a limited private preview for nonprofits to experience a new AI-powered fundraising propensity model. This model will allow participating nonprofits to test new AI tools that can predict fundraising goals and identify donors most likely to donate to a campaign or cause.

According to Justin Spelhaug, Vice President and Global Head of Tech for Social Impact at Microsoft, “AI can and will be a game-changer for nonprofits and fundraisers.” With these new AI solutions, Microsoft aims to empower nonprofits and fundraisers to achieve more and create a more positive and rewarding experience for donors.

Nonprofits often struggle to make budgets go further and do more with fewer resources. Since 2020, many fundraisers have seen a decline in the number of donors giving to causes. Data can help nonprofits identify promising prospects, predict donor behavior, and measure fundraising outcomes. However, access to data and the ability to form actionable insights based on fundraising analytics is a major roadblock for many organizations.

volunteers helping sort out donation items into a box, new Microsoft Cloud for Nonprofit AI features announced

Microsoft Cloud for Nonprofit new AI solutions

Microsoft Cloud for Nonprofit now includes new tools such as a Fundraising dashboard built on Power BI’s data visualization platform, Dynamics 365 Marketing integration, and AI capabilities in the Fundraising and Engagement tools. These tools will help nonprofits leverage data in a powerful way to attract, retain, and grow their donor base.

In addition to these new capabilities in Microsoft Cloud for Nonprofit, Microsoft is developing an AI-based donor propensity model. This model will help nonprofits identify constituents most likely to donate or engage with a campaign or cause based on predictive donor behavior. Interested nonprofits can sign up to participate in this private preview.

These new AI solutions are built on Microsoft’s trusted cloud platform, Azure, which offers enhanced security, scalability, and reliability. They are also integrated with Microsoft’s existing solutions for nonprofits such as Microsoft 365, Power Platform, Microsoft Dynamics 365, and LinkedIn.

In 2017, Microsoft launched Microsoft Cloud for Good to help mission-driven organizations get access to technology to do more. Click to visit to learn more about these new AI solutions for nonprofits. Here is how nonprofits in Africa can benefit from the offer.

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