As we count down our last few days of summer break, and another school year approaches, students are gearing up with the best tech to add to their backpacks. Whether you're heading back to campus or continuing with remote learning, having the best of the best can make a significant difference in your academic year. Here are the top 10 tech must-haves for school this year:
Laptop or Tablet
A reliable laptop or tablet remains indispensable for schoolwork, from taking notes to writing essays and participating in virtual classes. If your prehistoric laptop is not maintaining a battery charge anymore, perhaps it’s time to shop for a new one!
Noise-Canceling Headphones
Perfect for blocking out distractions during study sessions or online lectures (or escaping your loud and obnoxious roommates), noise-canceling headphones can make or break your day-to-day experience.
External Hard Drive
Don’t wait for the blue screen of death to eat all your hard work! Back up your most important files with an external hard drive that keeps all your files safe.
Smartphone
Everyone has one these days, but the fall is always the best time to be on the lookout for smartphone deals with updated models about to be released (get the best deal for last year’s models that are still to be a significant upgrade at a huge discount).
Portable Charger
Avoid being stuck on campus with 4% left of your battery on your phone when you’re planning on studying at the library for the next several hours. Keep your devices powered throughout the day with a portable charger, ensuring you're never caught with a dead battery.
Wireless Printer
Although printers tend to be the bane of our existence, a wireless printer at home can simplify life when we’ve hit the snooze button a few too many times one morning and need a quick print-out of our assignments.
Ergonomic Accessories
With countless hours being spent on our computers, invest in an ergonomic keyboard, mouse, and even computer chairs to help prevent strain during long study sessions.
Digital Note-Taking Device
Whether it's a smart pen or a digital notebook, these allow you to jot down notes digitally, facilitating organization and easy access to your notes.
Cloud Storage Service
Sometimes we don’t want to give 100% trust into our hardware devices and cloud storage is the way to go. Utilize cloud storage like Google Drive or Dropbox to store and share files securely across devices to make sure your covered from every direction.
VPN Subscription
Often overlooked, it’s smart to protect your online privacy and access restricted content with a reliable VPN service. With hundreds of platforms to choose from, you can get your VPN set up in a matter of minutes that can be used from anywhere in the world.
Long gone are the days where all we needed were an upgraded calculator and a colorful pencil case. Although school items have gotten a lot more tech heavy, you don’t have to worry about pinching pennies when you can get what you need by leasing them at your favorite retailers with Progressive Leasing. Happy learning!
