We live in a technology driven world, so you may as well harness that technology and use it to your benefit as you begin your firefighter promotional exam prep. Using technology to support your firefighter promotional exam journey can help keep your study sessions on track, organized, and focused.
How To Use Technology to Benefit Your Studies
Reminders
You can use your phone to help you stay on top of your studies in several very simple ways such as your phone calendar and alarm. Utilizing your phone's calendar to set alarms and reminders for when you need to be studying can really help you stay organized and on track. Even if you are not forgetful, setting alarms will help keep you accountable and on track. In addition, you can use your phone alarm to set a timer for how long you want your study session to last to be sure you utilize every second, if you get distracted you can even add more time to the alarm. Phone alarms can be especially helpful if you are the type of person to get lost in your studies, an alarm to remind you to take breaks can be helpful so you don't overdo it. Studying for too long can be a bad thing in some cases, so making yourself take breaks is just as important as making sure you study enough. Some study methods even recommend timing yourself so having your alarm available as a tool is beneficial in that way. Using your calendar app can also be helpful to keep track of group study sessions and most importantly your approaching test date. There is no excuse to forget to study when alarms are set and ready to remind you.
Deter Distractions
While phones are known to cause many distractions while one is trying to study, they can also help you stay focused. All smart phones can keep you on track by using screen time timers. There are apps available on all phones that limit your screen time, some phones also have screen time limiters already installed on phones. The screen time timer on phones works by setting a timer for how long you can be on certain apps or websites, then when the timer goes off your phone locks itself automatically, locking you out of those apps and websites. These same timers can be set on computers for specific things if you are using your computer to study and tend to wander off to other things. These types of apps can be beneficial to people who are easily distracted while studying. They force you to focus on your studies and you can use the unlocking of the phone as a reward to yourself when you are finished studying for the day.
E-books & Audiobooks
More great technological tools you can use to help you study for your firefighter promotional exam are ebooks and audiobooks. Nowadays it seems pretty much every book can be found digitally and usually as an audio version. Having ebooks and audiobooks allows your book to be at your fingertips all the time, you don’t have to lug heavy textbooks around from place to place. This means you can study basically anywhere you want so long as you have your phone or computer. In addition, audiobooks allow you to be able to listen and learn anywhere. You can use them while you drive, cook dinner, workout and so on. While listening to audiobooks may be active learning for some, others may need to go back and reread what they listened to to actually learn the information. Technology allows you to study on the go for added study sessions you may otherwise not have been able to have.
Digital Storage
Similarly to ebooks and audiobooks, using technology in the form of a phone or laptop’s digital storage to store your study materials can make life much easier. Digital storage means even more mobile studying and ease of organization because everything is in one place. Using digital study guides, practice tests, and other study materials allows you to stay organized because it is all in one place. You don’t have to worry about losing papers and books when you bring your study materials with you. There are even apps available now so you can create digital flashcards, so you don’t have to lug them around and risk losing them. Digital storage allows all of your study material to be in one place and ready to use when and wherever you go.
Record Voices
Another great way to use technology to help you study is the use of voice recording and voice memos. If you are working with a study group, using technology allows you to record your study sessions to play back later if you missed anything or just want to review. You can also use voice recording to save notes, this can be beneficial because you are creating digital study guides you can take anywhere. In addition, both speaking and hearing your own voice improves memory. So reading your notes and recording them and then listening back to them on your voice recorder is another unusual study method that may just benefit you.
Experts At Your Fingertips
Having the internet as a study buddy means you have experts at your fingertips twenty-four seven. The internet allows you to find answers to almost any study question you may have. So if you are having a late night study session and get stuck on a problem you will likely be able to find the answer on the internet instead of waiting for the next day to ask a fellow firefighter for help. In addition, if you are just seeking out knowledge you can find so many scholarly articles online and use them as you see fit.
The Takeaway
Technology provides us with many advantages, and helping you study for your firefighter promotional exam is one of them. Technology allows you to have mobile study material, digital storage, reminders, and distraction eliminators. Using technology as you see fit when studying for your firefighter promotional exam can help you take your study session to the next level.