Distance education has taken a turn towards the digital, and with the surge in popularity and availability of smartphones and tablets, apps have become valuable tools in helping students make the most of their learning experience. To-do lists, news sources, organizers, and even social apps can all contribute to the distance learning experience and give you the help you need in seconds—just as long as you know which ones to download. While you can always read reviews or play around with the app yourself, we thought it might be easier to provide you with a few resources that have done that legwork for you. Here are some links highlighting the best apps for students—many of which are free—that will make distance learning more immediate, more interactive, and even more fun!

What’s so cool about the integration of smartphones in education is that apps (and the devices that run those apps) are constantly in development, always looking to improve their user-friendliness and functionality. While I only had a smartphone for my last two years of college, I know that even the most basic functions, like instant e-mail access, helped me in many different situations at all hours of the day. If you have time to download any of the apps from the lists above, or have others that you have found valuable in your learning experience, leave us a comment and let us know what you think!