Siri for Calendar and Time Management.

siri screengrab

Siri asked to check appointments on 22nd September

Siri is brilliant for calendar management and time/task management, but underused, you can verbally manage your calendar/ tasks which, I personally find reduces the burden on my working memory and is more intuitive .  The speed of which I can set myself a reminder by taking the phone out of my pocket rather than searching for a pen and paper which I inevitably end up losing anyway is astounding!  I really like iOS accessibility. I definitely find low maintenance strategies with gainful upsides work well.

Useful wikihow page on how to turn on Siri

John Hodgson
Study Needs Assessor

iStudez Pro on the iPad

iStudiez ProIStudez Pro has been specifically developed for those studying in the usual school/college/university setting with schedule planning, assignments,classroom changes, tracking marks etc. It can be used on the iPad, iPhone and Mac computer (£1.99) but there is an iStudiez Lite version for free, although this does not offer all the options mentioned.  MA felt that the Pro version was “good, helped with personal organisation and managing deadlines. Useful to set reminders for assignments up to seven days prior due date. Colour coding feature ability useful allowing user to ‘check at a glance’.

I do not use this app as often now as I no longer find myself needing to check my schedule daily; however it is an extremely useful app to help with organisation.”

MA University of Birmingham

YouTube video App Review: iStudiez Pro for Students!

Using CalenGoo for sending reminders via text and email

I have an Orange / T-mobile account on my iPhone and with CalenGoo syncing with my Google calendar I can set up SMS reminders as well as email or pop up ones.  The app costs £4.99 but allows for so many more options compared to the built in calendar on the iPhone including the chance to sync with multiple calendars. This means calendars can be set up for special projects.  Colour coding and large fonts with zoom make it a calendar that is easy to read even on a small screen. Lots of online support is provided by the developers

CalenGoo is also available for Android phones and costs £4.63

YouTube Video showing the app on an Android.

BrailleSense schedule manager for appointments

“I do not tend to use a calendar.  However, for critical appointments, I put them down in my BrailleSense’s schedule manager.”

This works well with a PC and screen reader.  It has a calendar and clock for alarms.  Appointments can be made very quickly using Braille,  whilst having a conversation or in a lecture. It has an internet connection, can be used for social networking and word processing.

Sam – Live and Studio Sound

Google Calendar synchronise appointments with alarms for reminders

“I keep a diary for appointments then I have a Calendar for committee stuff with reminders and I set alarms that all synchronise.”

Aiden – Oceanography
Google Sync for Mobile YouTube video