Lifelong learning is the constant and self-motivated earning of knowledge for either personal or professional reasons. Lifelong learners need not be a specific class of people, everyone keeps learning
at every moment of life. This habit can inculcate social awareness, active thinking and personal development, and in contrast also competitiveness and employability.
With the change in times, societies evolve and thus there is a constant need for people to evolve and learn constantly. With the revolution of technology, learning has become readily available. Smartphones, tablets, etc. have made knowledge available on “fingertips” of people. There are a lot of apps and features available for constant learners. The apps can be used for both personal and professional needs. Here’s a list of a few such amazing apps.
History and Geography
Google Earth : One can explore the world in veritable real-time through satellite tracking, thanks to the detailed Google Earth tool, now available on the iPad, android and windows.
World Atlas HD : Learners can download this stunning, popular digital atlas by the National Geographic Society and educate themselves about the planet’s physical and cultural properties and relationships.
National Geographic Today : The official app of National Geographic which gives daily offerings like, news, videos, quizzes, articles, and stunning photos.
Language, Reading, and Writing
Goodreads : A social network and catalogue for reading books. In the app one can mark books to read, currently reading, and to be read, as well as check and ask for recommendations from other users with their ratings.
iTranslate : One of the most common choices of Lifelong learners is learning a new language. For those who want to pick up a second language will get huge help out of this handy app helping them with their vocabulary possibly in more than 50 tongues.
MyScratchWork : A great multi-tasking app, MyScratchWork allows one to take notes and browse the web while having the two side by side to avoid flipping between them. It also provides a custom math keyboard. Thus, a perfect solution for researchers, writers, bloggers, etc.
Open Source and General Learning
TED: The increasing popularity of the venerable open source institution TED through its impressive suite of video lectures on every subject imaginable has led to development of the app available for iOS, Android and Windows for maximum infotainment. With the app one can keep records of the upcoming episodes, and also browse and download the previous ones.
Khan Academy : Like TED, Khan Academy features some incredible videos by experts hoping to educate viewers about anything and everything they might find interesting. The app has a good user interface but can be found for iOS and Android only.
iTunes U : With the great success of itunes’ podcasts, they have now developed their own app iTunes U, exclusively for iOS wherein some of the top universities in the world contribute to providing open source content to keep users constantly learning.
Wikipedia : The revolutionary open source encyclopedia is now available as an app for both browsing and editing, and they can use it to both add to their own knowledge banks and contribute to others’ constantly over the years. It is also available for all the platforms, i.e. iOS, windows and android.
Ask.com : A mixture of search engine and forum/community, Ask.com encourages participants to post up questions and receive detailed answers.
Guinness World Records: Sometimes the records people break are quite silly indeed, but that doesn’t mean Guinness’ official app isn’t worth keeping on hand for quick factoids and debate settling.
Encyclopaedia Britannica : Often Wikipedia’s open editing format makes people doubt the information. For them this app will let them clear all their doubts though a subscription fee is required.
Science and Mathematics
The Elements : One of the most popular apps of all time which dives deeply into specifically the periodic table through videos, photos, and detailed information about every element.
MathBoard: This app is mainly targeting kids however, critics have a very high opinion of MathBoard for its accessible lessons in addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. People who try to avoid maths or needing a little push in the math department might want to check out what it has to offer.
Mythbusters HD : The official app of Discovery Channel’s fabulous Myth busters is a keeper and to maintain the tempo, its crew keeps on blending entertainment and science together via videos exclusive to the iPad app.
PLoS Reader : Sometimes on lazy days when people would rather read than interact, the PLoS Reader lets them scan articles from seven different scientific journals.
Miscellaneous
Evernote: It turns your device into an extension of your brain, helping you to remember anything. Notes to Snapshots to recordings, one can put it all into Evernote. It can synchronize with a server to allow you to have access on any type of OS.
Dropbox: A great help for sharing and syncing file online to multiple computers.
Apart from all the above there can be apps for local newspapers, and weather forecasts, financial ups and downs based on the different platforms and location which are also a keeper for lifelong learners.
