Contrary to popular belief, technology doesn't distract students when used correctly. Prospective medical students should take advantage of the technological tools provided to them. Whether they're working on an essay, research project, or presentation, there are plenty of tools that can make this process much more engaging and rewarding. Here are some of the best tech tools to engage students outside of the classroom.

White Noise

White noise allows you to focus on your studies. Classrooms and coffee shops aren't the easiest places for that. Background noise can reduce or eliminate excess noise and allow students to concentrate on their studies. With less noise, they're able to concentrate. There are plenty of free white noise apps for both iOS and Android phones. There are also white noise videos on YouTube if downloading an app isn't your thing.

Mental Case

This mobile app allows medical students digital notes while on the go. These notes are like interactive flashcards that allow you to add audio, images, and video components. You can swipe through your notes while you're standing in line at the grocery store or cooking dinner. Notes are then divided into stacks, and the app keeps tracks of how often you reviewed your notes and if you answered them correctly.

Difficult questions are then marked to remind students to spend more time studying on a given topic. Mental Case is available only for iOS users. It can be used on an iPad, iPhone, and Mac, but the price for the app varies upon where you download it. While it's free for iPad and iPhone users, it costs $29.99 for Mac users.

Plickers

Plickers is an educational tool that both professors and students can use. It allows them to understand complex concepts and increase engagement with the studying material. Professors can ask questions on the screen while students answer those questions in real time. Students' answers will instantly appear on the screen, and teachers are able to see which answers are right and which aren't. This allows professors to get an idea of how many of their students are following along with the material, and adjust their lectures accordingly.

AnkiMobile & AnkiDroid

This mobile app is similar to Mental Case, which allows students to create digital flashcards. These interactive flashcards have the medical term on one side and an explanation on the other side. Flashcards are organized into separate desks and include audio, photo, and video attachments. This app keeps track of how frequently students review their flashcards and go through each of the decks.

If the students are too busy to create or use the flashcards, they can use Anki's Get Shared feature to find or add similar decks. Prospective medical students who use Android phones and mobile devices can download the app for the free, while iPad and iPhone users have to pay $24.99.

Venngage

Thanks to the increased use of data analytics, data literacy is an important skill for students to learn. Whether students use their own data or they aggregated it from other resources, allowing them to visualize their data in an infographic can be a useful skill. Infographics are perfect for textual and visual learners. Venngage provides a unique experience by offering a wide selection of infographic templates that students can customize to their needs.