If you have ever read any of my blogs, you probably know that I have a weird affection for apps. This semester, I am trying somewhat of a self-study to see if I can get through the entire semester, only using an iPad. Here are the rules:

1. All of my textbooks will be on my iPad using either the Kindle or BryteWave app

2. All note taking must be done on the iPad using NoteSuite, Evernote or ExplainEverything

3. House all handouts and pdf articles on NoteSuite

So why would I want to do this? Have I just completely sold out and bowed down to the all mighty Apple? No. Not really. I am doing this for two reasons.

1. The first reason is health related, after tearing my left rotator cuff in a car accident a few years ago, I can not use a traditional book bag to carry around my 1000+ page textbooks, binders and computer. Also, in full disclosure, I no longer have full use of my primary writing hand so taking notes in class is pretty difficult now. I tried using a rolling book bag but I found that that was beginning to damage my good shoulder as well. I figured that if I can prove that I can condense everything that used to go into my book bag (60+ lbs) into my 1.3 lbs iPad, I can help someone else who may be in the same situation.

2. I’m trying to go green. There are about 12.5 degrees in my immediate family which means there are about 40 years worth of huge textbooks that are sitting in a basement just gathering dust. After some brief math, I realized that during my college and grad school years, I have probably gone through 100 notebooks and thousands of sheets of paper. It all seems so wasteful. Strictly using my iPad will be good for the environment.

Only using my iPad does have its pros and cons. As much as I would love to say this solution is perfect, that is just not true.

Pros
It saves money. I spend roughly $100 per semester on paper and writing instruments (pens, pencils, highlighters, etc.). Furthermore, purchasing a digital textbook could cost 25% or more less than the traditional, paper textbook.
Keeping notes organized is much easier using apps. with most note taking apps, you can use keyword searches to find information making studying more efficient and productive
All of the notes can be synced with a cloud service such as iCloud, Google Drive or Dropbox

Cons
You don’t have to charge a traditional textbook. Forgetting to routinely charge your iPad can cause a lot of issues
Unless you are a very fast typist, taking notes on an iPad can be complicated. This is definitely something you would have to get used to.
An iPad in class can be distracting… VERY distracting. Especially with the FaceBook notifications on.

After the first week of trying this out, I have no complaints! I will give updates as the semester progresses. If anyone has app suggestions, other pros and cons, success or failure stories or recommendations, I would love to hear them in the comment section.

For all of the traditionalist, don’t worry, I will carry on notebook as a fail safe. Technology isn’t perfect so I will have the notebook just in case.