2 premium apps available for free to Elon faculty and students
Last time we spoke to library staff members Lynne Bisko and Vicky Siler, they recommended Zotero as a way to organize and collaborate with your research. Now, they suggesting to other tools to benefit Elon students: BrowZine for find the newest and most relevant research articles and Mango for modernizing the way to learn languages.
BrowZine
BrowZine is a database that organizes the latest scholatrly articles from across the Internet into a simple bookshelf format. You also can search through custom collections according to your discipline. Siler likes the program because it allows you to create a personalized experience and stay up-to-date.
“You can save other articles in BrowZine and put them aside [onto your personal shelf],” Siler said. “You can also set it up so you’re notified when new articles [in your field] are published.“
When you open an article in BrowZine, it will be in a PDF format, which allows you to flips the pages and zoom easily. BrowZine prides itself on being an easy-to-read, easy-to-browse database.
Bisko believes it is a wonderful program to learn as a serious researcher, because BrowZine makes finding all the right, up-to-date information in a field easier than ever.
“This is more useful for students who are doing more serious research as a way to stay on top of new research in their disciplines,” Bisko said. “It’s an easy way to have the research accessible on their tablets (and other devices). They can find online reading or export them to DropBox or Zotero.”
MORE: Check out what Siler and Bisko said about Zotero, which works in conjunction to BrowZine
Mango
Mango is a language training application that allows users to practice over 45 foreign languages. Mango uses memory-building and critical thinking exercises, so users will gain a well-rounded comprehension of the language they’re learning. Bisko says Mango is a good program to go hand-and-hand with on-campus language class.
“I think it’s a nice way to supplement a language class,” Bisko said. “You can brush up on language skills at a beginner and an advanced level. You can practice conversation by reading a sentence, hearing what it sounds like and then practicing it.”
One of its greatest features is the fact that while it can be used on a computer, it is also available on iPhones and Andriod phones, which makes the program easy to bring on-the-go.
“It’s portable,” Siler said. “You can listen to it in the car, because it will read to you. It also keeps track of courses you’ve taken and how far you’ve progressed.“
Elon pays for Browzine and Mango, so students can make accounts and use these services for free. You can check out how to make your own BrowZine account here and your own Mango account here.
Image via Flikr user CGP Grey / CC BY 2.0
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Casey Brown
Casey Brown is the Writing Intern for Technology with Elon University's Teaching and Learning Technologies Department.
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Great article Casey! I am a huge fan of BrowZine in particular since it makes staying on top of scholarly articles so much easier.