Must Have Back-To-School Gadgets for 2011

I can still remember going shopping for school supplies with my mother before school started every year. If you could look back in our shopping cart then, you would see completely different items than what you would see on today's school supply lists. With two kids in school myself, I have to keep reminding myself that times and technology needs are much different now than when I was in school. Here is a short list of five of the must have back-to-school tech gadgets for students.

Laptops can be extremely useful

When my teenager first asked for a laptop to use for school, my first reaction was to say, "I never had a laptop for school, so you will just have to find some way to survive without one." On second look, there are models out there like the HP G62-435dx ($399) or the Sony EB42 ($599) that come with everything a student would need and won't break the bank. They are portable and easily used in a bedroom or dorm room. Make sure to buy a laptop lock for about twenty bucks to ensure that the laptop doesn't vanish and help another student. I encouraged my teen to start babysitting to raise some money for the laptop, and I would help her pay the rest. With all the word processing and access to knowledge on the internet, laptops are not a bad idea to help your student keep up.

Livescribe Pulse Smartpen - a pen that digitally takes notes

So this is one of the cooler tech gadgets for students that I wish I would have been able to have in school. The Livescribe Pulse ($79) is not much bigger than a Sharpie, but it has 3.3 gigabytes of storage space and a built in digital audio recorder. It records your notes digitally as you write them down on required special Livescribe paper ($13). There are some syncing features that allow you to share your notes with your friends. Also, when reviewing your notes, just tap the pen on the word in your notes, and instantly listen to the digital audio recording of the teacher or professor!

Digital Reader can lighten a backpack by storing digital books

Most of the books these days have a digital copy available, including educational textbooks and other required reading books. A digital reader like the Amazon Kindle DX ($379) can store up to 3500 books and has free 3G access for instant downloading anywhere 3G is available. Digital readers are made by several different companies, but perform the same function which is reading digital copies of books. These are also money savers as the digital copies of books are much cheaper than the traditional paperbacks.

Novatel Wireless MiFi '" create a hotspot anywhere

Mainly the idea is to use the internet as an interactive learning tool in the classroom. Having a MiFi will allow students to create hot spots anywhere on campus, including in the classroom. The Novatel ($99) works with the Sprint and Verizon network and creates a 30 foot hot spot for up to five users. Users can expect to pay about $60 extra in data fees to their carrier, but having the ability to access your network while being bored to death could be priceless.

Solar Charger for your iPhone and other USB devices

Probably one of the most useful and inexpensive gadgets that can be used by students today for their portable electronics, this solar charger ($29) is not much bigger than a standard cell phone and comes complete with charging ports for USB and Mini USB, a LED reading light, and suction cups for windows. I rode my bike everywhere when I was in college, but there weren't a lot of places to plug in my phone if I was running low on juice. This solar charger can be used anywhere and provide a charge for your USB devices. I would have found a way to mount it to my bike to charge while riding to class. Have you ever seen the look on a professor's face when asked to use an electrical outlet in the classroom?

There are tons of new gadgets out there, but this filtered list was created to narrow down to a few of the best, and also keep costs way down.

Sources:

http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1913479_1913595_1913520,00.html

http://www.geek.com/articles/mobile/18-essential-back-to-school-gadgets-20100728/

http://www.forbes.com/2010/08/10/back-to-school-shoppping-tech-forbes-woman-time-gadgets-children.html