Hardware

Students Sound Off: What Technology Can’t You Live Without?

We asked three university students which tools were most important to them. Here’s what they told us.

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Andy Viano is a journalist and editor at EdTech: Focus on Higher Education.

College students have been through a whirlwind in the past three years. After spending most of their educational lives in traditional classroom settings, a once-in-a-generation pandemic interrupted their early university days or their final years of high school and threw everything we, and they, knew about education out the window.

Now they’ve come out the other side, wiser to education’s possibilities and more comfortable with once unheard-of ways to attend class, pace out their learning and prepare themselves to enter the workforce. Attending classes online, in person or a little of both is a choice nearly every college student now has — and more than anything, freedom and flexibility seem to be key to attracting this generation of students.

What facilitates that freedom and flexibility is technology. Modern learning wouldn’t be possible without the tools universities have invested in for instructors and students, and the investments students have made in their own tech.

At EdTech, we wanted to know which technologies have been the most useful for students to get the most out of their education. So, we asked three of them, all interns at CDW during the 2022-23 school year: What piece or set of technology will help you the most, or what piece of technology can you not live without?

Here’s what they told us.

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Carianne Asberry, Louisiana State University

Working through the school year means maintaining schedules, deadlines, assignments and, most importantly, creating time for self-care and balance. It can be challenging to plan for the necessity of pouring back into oneself while simultaneously being able to focus on projects.

That is why Intel does an amazing job powering the Samsung Galaxy Book2 Pro 360. The cutting-edge technology includes a two-in-one display that lets you flip from laptop power to tablet precision, and it has touch screen. It’s great for in-class lectures and Zoom meetings to include notes on the go and to use split-screen view for active participation.

The long-lasting battery lets you go plug-free during the school day, and 128 gigabytes of storage gives you plenty of space for photos and files. Saving files for important presentations and turning in assignments has become easier with the new system, and more efficient. I often buy new hardware or cloud space for personal computing systems because of the limited space on old laptops, but the built-in storage of the Pro 360 makes it seamless to store huge files while keeping the quality for deliverables.

One of my personal favorite things about the Pro 360 is the durable frame and spill-resistant keyboard for late-night study sessions surrounded by coffee and snacks for the boost of energy. I have destroyed electronics from water spills countless times and lost important documents from minor accidents. Now, my mind is at ease when my dog wants to cuddle and slobbers during his naps.

A dog nuzzles in next to Carianne Asberry's Samsung Galaxy Book2 Pro 360. Photo provided by Carianne Asberry.

Dylan Castro, Arizona State University

Technology has become so integrated into society that it’s more of a necessity than ever. While factors like the pandemic have definitely sped this up, it is not uncommon to assume that everyone has a smartphone, a smart TV or a laptop. Technology has engulfed the way processes are done in everyday life and has allowed people to work more efficiently than ever.

Since embarking on my college endeavors, a piece of technology I cannot live without is my Apple iPad. Currently, I use an 11-inch iPad Pro with Wi-Fi and cellular connectivity, which has 256GB of storage. It comes with an A12X Bionic chip that makes it extremely fast and compatible with high-processing tasks.

The power of this chip is truly evident when paired with my MacBook Pro in Sidecar. Sidecar allows the iPad to be turned into a second display, which is great when I’m doing work on campus and need an extra screen.

I also use an iPhone, MacBook Pro and AirPods. In combination with the iPad, it’s easy to stay on top of everyday tasks with the accessibility of the Handoff mode installed on Apple products. I can share notes and AirDrop various documents across all of my devices.

When taking notes in meetings or in classes, my go-to app is Notability. I use it for all my classes, customer meetings and personal planning.

I currently have a second-generation Apple Pencil that I use for handwritten notes and editing PDF files. This is super helpful, especially being left-handed, to neatly incorporate thoughts and ideas I have when working or going to class. It’s easy to import PDFs, Microsoft PowerPoint files and articles into Notability, which allows me to annotate directly on the files. You can download Notability onto a MacBook or an iPhone, so I can access my notes wherever I am.

When I’m not doing work or school, I use my iPad to decompress by drawing or watching YouTube. It is amazing because it has the power of a computer but the ability to let my creativity flow freely. I am impressed every day with what I can do on this tablet and what goals I am able to achieve through it. It truly is a tool that more students and workers should use in their everyday lives.