How students can make the most of AI, the Internet, and computers in school

In today’s digital age, technology has become an indispensable part of student life. From accessing information to streamlining workflows, AI, the Internet, and computers have revolutionized how we learn, study, and prepare for exams. But with so many tools and resources out there, how can you make the most of them while ensuring your study strategies remain effective and relevant (and avoid getting distracted by games and socials every step of the way)? Here’s a deep dive into how you can leverage technology to your benefit, and why high-quality resources like Notes2u’s portfolio still remain essential to ensuring success.

1. Using AI to Your Advantage

AI tools like ChatGPT, Grammarly, and Quizlet are powerful allies when it comes to studying smarter. Here’s how they can help:

• Answering Complex Questions: AI-powered tools can break down difficult concepts into simpler terms, helping you grasp subjects you’re struggling with.
• Automating Tasks: From generating different but equally smart-sounding ways of saying the same thing, to filling out administrative calendar entries or summarising large chunks of text, AI saves time and effort, allowing you to spend more time focused on analysing and evaluating information and solving problems, which forms the core of studying.
• Practice and Revision: Platforms like Quizlet use AI to create flashcards and quizzes tailored to your learning needs, reinforcing your knowledge by manipulating the brain’s physiology, stimulating active recall and ensuring that you don’t forget any one of those terms for the exam!
• Learning Simulations: AI-driven platforms for coding, math, and science allow interactive learning, letting you experiment and make mistakes in a safe environment.

While AI is an excellent assistant, it’s always essential that you have a concise, easily indexed, and accurate source to verify its answers and cross-check any suspicious-sounding information. AI tools can sometimes provide incomplete or overly generic information, and a very quick “sanity check” might not cut it if you’re handing in a high-stakes assignment.

2. Harnessing the Power of the Internet

The Internet opens up a world of opportunities for students:

• Access to Free Resources: Websites like Khan Academy, YouTube, and government education portals offer free tutorials, lectures, and study guides which are often better than class or tutoring - yep, you’ve seen all the “glazing” comments in the educational YouTube comment section… Well, at least they’re learning!
• Collaborative Learning: Join online forums, study groups, or platforms like Reddit and Discord to connect with peers who share your academic goals (or might be able to solve that one horrendous question in a way that makes sense to you!).
• Specialised Platforms: Websites tailored to specific exams (like ATAR or HSC-focused resources) allow you to hear multiple perspectives and ensure you’re studying what’s relevant to your curriculum and personal situation.
• Research Made Easy: Google Scholar and academic databases make finding credible research papers and citations a breeze (although watch out, because these tools have a tendency to serve up articles that may not necessarily be the most relevant to your research.)

However, the Internet can also be overwhelming. With so much information available, it’s easy to waste time on irrelevant resources or outdated materials.

3. Computers as Your Study Hub

Whether you’re a high school student or a university undergraduate, your computer can be your greatest asset. Here’s how:

• Organise Your Study Materials: Use apps like OneNote or Notion to store, organise, and retrieve notes quickly, rather than having all your work on a messy piece of paper which is very much vulnerable to fire and coffee spills!
• Track Deadlines: Calendar apps and project management tools like Copilot or To-Do help you stay on top of assignments, exams, and study schedules, as well as track individual deadlines and keep yourself motivated.
• Boost Productivity: Tools like focus apps (Forest, Focus Booster) and website blockers (Freedom, Cold Turkey) keep distractions at bay. We particularly like the assortment of simple site blockers available as browser extensions - to stop you from impulsively opening YouTube when confronted with a work-intensive task due way too soon!
• Create Professional-Looking Resources: Programs like Canva and PowerPoint make designing study guides and presentations seamless, and if you’ve got an eye for design, it can be fun too.

Why Curated, High-Quality Resources Matter

In an age where AI and the Internet can provide instant answers and endless information, curated, you might wonder why high-quality resources—such as notes and essays—hold a unique and irreplaceable value. Well, we believe that while tools like ChatGPT, Google, and online tutorials are great for generating ideas or clarifying concepts, they’re only as good as the information they’re given - and they can’t always offer the structure, depth, and reliability that purposefully crafted study materials provide. Here’s why these original notes and essays are still game-changers:

1. Tailored to Your Curriculum

Unlike AI-generated answers or generic online articles, curated notes and essays are created with a specific audience in mind. Whether it’s HSC, VCE, IB, or university-level courses, these resources are tailored to meet the requirements of your curriculum. They break down key topics, offer relevant examples, and focus on what actually matters for exams and assignments.

• Focused Content: A set of notes written by a high-achieving student will directly address syllabus points or exam objectives, saving you from sifting through unrelated information.
• Targeted Insights: High-quality essays demonstrate how to approach questions in a way that meets marking criteria, giving you a clear path to better results.

2. Comprehensive Yet Concise

One of the challenges of using AI tools or searching the Internet is wading through an overwhelming amount of information. Curated resources, on the other hand, strike a perfect balance between clarity and detail:

• Conciseness: Notes condense complex ideas into manageable, easy-to-understand points, making them ideal for quick revision (yep, even when you’re standing outside the exam hall…)
• Comprehensiveness: Essays and detailed guides go deeper into topics, showcasing critical thinking and analytical skills that can inspire your own work (although don’t take that ‘inspiration’ too literally - there are a ton of rules against plagiarism and academic misconduct, which we explain thoroughly here!)

These materials are crafted to save you time while still giving you a complete understanding of the subject matter.

3. Consistency and Reliability

While digital tools like AI are excellent complements, they can occasionally provide inconsistent or incomplete information. Curated notes and essays, created by top-performing students or experts, are thoroughly fact-checked and designed to offer reliable support, and their coverage can be increased using AI and further research without compromising on quality or readability. You can even ask AI to imitate the tone of your existing notes when you’re making them!

• Proven Strategies: Notes often reflect the study methods, frameworks, and tips that worked for their creators, giving you tried-and-tested approaches to learning.
• Aligned to Success: High-quality essays demonstrate how to structure arguments, integrate evidence, and address marking rubrics effectively in a way that generic content can’t, because it doesn’t incorporate specific modules, rubrics or frameworks in its content from the ground up.

4. Building Strong Foundations

Curated resources help students in securing a work ethic, research and information processing skills, and forming links between key concepts in their minds. Once these strong academic foundations have been established, tools like AI can complement your roadmap of learning, enhancing your understanding and sparking creativity.

• Pairing AI with Notes: We highly recommend you use AI tools to expand on key concepts from your notes, or ask it to give you practice questions and mark your answers based on the criteria you provide. This is often as good as - or better than - having a peer look over your work, and it can be done at any time and place of your choosing!
• Supplementing Essays: Exemplars can help you learn how to analyse and critique, seeing writing from a marker’s perspective, and AI tools can similarly help critique work, generate alternative ideas or rephrase arguments that need improvement.
• Digital Exploration: A popular method used by many students is to start by reading traditional introductory textbook passages or worksheets, dive deeper into topics and answer complex questions with AI, then come back to curated resources to ensure base understanding, accuracy and focus.

5. Encouraging Multiple Perspectives

Another key advantage of curated resources is the ability to learn from others’ perspectives. Everyone has a slightly different way of approaching a problem or explaining a concept, and this diversity can significantly enhance your learning.

• Notes from Top Students: You can see how top scorers interpreted the same syllabus material in a unique and innovative manner, giving you alternative viewpoints which you can subtly weave into your own studies.
• Essays as Models: Understanding how successful students crafted high-scoring arguments allows you to adapt their ideas, points, methods, and topics to suit your own style.
• Combine with Digital Tools: We’d recommend using AI and Internet research to search for even more tools that we didn’t cover here, and see how they align with or differ from your own study methods and any curated materials you have in your possession.

6. The Perfect Complement to Digital Tools

While technology is invaluable for generating ideas, finding resources, and practicing questions, it works best when paired with structured study materials. Think of curated notes and essays as your foundation, and digital tools as the scaffolding that helps you build upon them.

Here’s some examples ChatGPT suggested!

• Start with Notes: use curated notes to master the basics of a topic, then test your knowledge with AI-generated quizzes or flashcards.
• Refer to Essays: Learn how to construct high-scoring essays, then use AI to generate alternative thesis statements or counterarguments to sharpen your critical thinking.
• Fill in the Gaps: If your notes don’t fully cover a topic, digital tools can help you explore it further while ensuring you stay aligned with your syllabus.

Why Notes2u is the Best Platform for Study Resources

At Notes2u, we take the guesswork out of finding reliable, high-quality study materials. Here’s why students love us:

• Expert-Curated Notes: Our platform is home to resources created by top-performing students, designed to align perfectly with your curriculum.
• Copyright Protection: All notes uploaded to Notes2u are screened to ensure they comply with copyright laws, protecting both buyers and sellers.
• Transparency: With fair pricing, clear commissions, and detailed descriptions of every resource, you know exactly what you’re paying for.
• Ease of Use: Our intuitive platform makes it simple to browse, preview, and purchase notes, ensuring a seamless experience.
• Exclusive Promotions: Regular deals and discounts mean you can access top-tier notes at an affordable price.

The Bottom Line

Technology has transformed the way we learn, offering students endless opportunities to enhance their studies. By leveraging AI tools, the Internet, and computers, you can save time, expand your knowledge, and sharpen your skills. However, the key to truly effective study lies in finding resources that are relevant, reliable, and easy to use.

That’s where Notes2u comes in. Our platform empowers students to achieve their academic goals by providing access to expertly curated notes and study guides. Whether you’re looking for fresh insights, exam prep materials, or time-saving solutions, Notes2u has you covered.

Ready to take your studies to the next level? Explore our collection today and see the difference for yourself!