4 Visual Learning Apps for College Students

Each one of us has a different way to learn. Many people are visual learners and consume information best by seeing it. Others are auditory (hearing) or kinesthetic learners — they learn by action or by doing.

If you are a visual learner, you might be pleased to know there are a variety of tools out there for students of all ages.

We hand-picked four of the best visual learning tools to kick off the new semester:

1. Brainstorming With SimpleMind

There are quite a few tools out there for brainstorming, but we chose SimpleMind because it’s one of the best for casual thinkers. It allows you to create ‘mind maps’ that have dozens of connecting nodes to help you map out your ideas. You take a single topic and expand on it by branching out with nodes.

The resulting map is an easy-to-use, easy-to-read visual representation of your session and notes.

SimpleMind is available for Android and iOS and includes Dropbox integration.

Price: Android $4.99, iOS $5.99, Free version available

2. Map out Stats and Information With Google Public Data

Google Public Data is unique in that the platform already has access to an endless stream of information. This is because it is powered by — you guessed it — Google.

You can take any available public information or stats and create beautiful infographics. Your infographics can then be used for reports, school projects or even personal organization.

It’s an incredibly valuable tool, and it helps that it’s free.

Price: Free

[tweet_box] New semester. New apps. Check out these 4 apps for visual learning. [/tweet_box]

3. Learn to Code With Tynker

One of the most valuable skills to learn today is coding. Every day we learn to rely more and more on technology, and coding or programming is the foundation that allows us to do that. It involves working with the languages we use to communicate with technology or computers.

Tynker is a neat visual learning tool that allows you to build games — while learning to code —  with a drag-and-drop interface. With it, you can create your own game characters, worlds, music and more. It’s more than just a game-building tool as you’ll complete puzzles and challenges along the way.

Tynker is available for both Android and iOS.

Price: Free

4. Learn New Languages With Drops

Visual learning tools are a dime a dozen when you’re in grade school, but it can be tough to find them as you grow. Learning a new language is also tough, especially when you’re older. That’s why visual learning tools like Duolingo and Drops are so great.

Drops is for visually-oriented students, and you can use it to learn a variety of languages like Spanish, French, German and more. With each new word, you are also introduced to minimal yet attractive visuals that help you understand what you’re learning.

It’s an especially great app for those who learn best visually because you’re not just looking at a wall of text trying to memorize it all. Everything is presented in an easier-to-visualize, easier-to-understand fashion.

For example, the word ‘bread’ is shown with a loaf of bread and the related translation of the word.

The Drops app is free, but unfortunately, it’s only available for iOS — iPhone or iPad.

Price: Free

It can be frustrating being a visual learner in the collegiate world, but don’t lose hope. These tools will hopefully give you an idea of where to look to keep your visual self engaged and learning — and maybe having some fun while doing it.

Image by Josh Felise