<p>Someone mentioned a PDA in another thread. My D has been used to using a paper planner all through HS to keep organized. For those with kids in college, do kids use PDA's ? A paper planner? Nothing???! </p>
<p>I love my PDA - it's a basic one but I love having it right in my purse with all kinds of info right at my hands...</p>
<p>In my day, there was quite a bit of PDA in college! Oh! But you're not talking about "Public Display of Affection" are you?
How things have changed... :)</p>
<p>(Ha! That will NOT help with organization!)</p>
<p>I had same thought and as son is ADD, thought perhaps a PDA would help him to stay more organized. I, like you, keep mine in purse and like having it. Son vetoed idea and said it would just be something else to enter things in, keep up with, charge, etc. He likes just paper notes for his "to do" list and uses his cell phone for alarm reminders like appts with professors or deadlines to email a paper. Of course he likes as little extraneous stuff as possible and even refused an alarm clock--just uses cell phone for that too.</p>
<p>D used an agenda throughout her high school years. She started using one her first semester at college and got rid of it. She uses a weekly white-board that is hung on the wall next to her bed so she can see everything at a glance. She erases at the end of the week and starts over. I asked her why she stopped using the agenda and she basically told me that she wasn't like me.............she could actually remember things. :)</p>
<p>I don't think a pda is necessary and most of her friends do not use one either.</p>
<p>mkm56: My D got rid of the alarm clock too. Says the cell phone works much better. :)</p>
<p>My D uses a tiny day-planner (notebook) that she carries around. In her dorm, she uses an on-screen sticky note program on her laptop.</p>
<p>My son also carries a small day planner. He has a desktop calendar too. He transfers important info over to his laptop.</p>
<p>I agree with the majority, or should I say D agrees with y'all. She uses a lowtech dayplanner, transfers what is necessary to her laptop. Everything else is the cell phone.</p>
<p>Xposted with coronax. Sorry.</p>
<p>Is the laptop computer calendar program something that was already installed or did you buy some special program? Just wonderin...</p>
<p>How about the "sticky" program - my daughter is the queen of post-it notes - sounds right up her alley...!</p>
<p>I'm using a PocketPC loaned to me by the IS department (that's where I work, so I'm sort of beta testing it). It's pretty sweet...all my email and calendar items work through Outlook Exchange, so when I sync the PocketPC with my computer using WiFi, all my appointments and email are on both.</p>
<p>The post it program is here: <a href="http://www.3m.com/us/office/postit/digital/digital_notes.html%5B/url%5D">http://www.3m.com/us/office/postit/digital/digital_notes.html</a></p>
<p>My son is a totally cyber-kid EXCEPT he thinks he wants his planner to still be on paper in college. It's worked well for him so far; started in 5th grade keeping track of assignments etc. that way.</p>
<p>My S is like bethievt's, although he does have calendar reminder popups on his laptop as well. </p>
<p>However, I am seriously thinking of getting him a Blackberry so that he can access email more easily during bus trips and in hotels (during baseball season). Has anyone done that? He brings his laptop but of course sometimes internet connections are non-existent, or too pricey, in hotels and unavailable on bus rides (they fly when the bus trip is more than 6 or 7 hours, but otherwise are on the bus).</p>
<p>I've never had a PDA. If I had one, I'd lose it. Paper is easier to keep track of and less likely to be stolen. </p>
<p>I am now using the Google calendar to track most of my appointments and dates. I like it because it can't be lost and can be accessed anywhere -- probably also by cell phone, though I probably need to upgrade my phone to a more internet-friendly model to take advantage of those features. </p>
<p>You might simply ask your daughter what she wants. I think the worst thing is to try to learn a new organizational system when the old one has been working fine. Before I had the Google calendar, everything was coordinated off of a big wall calendar hanging in our kitchen -- it just seemed silly to have that enormous calendar when I'm the only one in the house. (But I miss it... so I might reinstate it after all -- for me its helpful as a constant visual reminder).</p>
<p>I'm like you calmom. Even though I have the PDA with schedules, phone numbers, addresses, etc--it's the kitchen calendar that runs my day to day life.</p>
<p>PDAs are over, its old technology. nobody wants to carry a pd and phone, and we are not giving up our phones. if she really wants to keep it electronically, get her a treo or a RIM pearl. dont waste your money on a pda from anyone. trust me.</p>
<p>Can anyone talk about the relative merits of the different smartphones then? I know it depends what phone company you are using--we have Cingular/AT&T.</p>
<p>My D (like most, I'm sure) is attached to her laptop at the hip,, so she walks into her room, and before the coat or shoes come off, the laptop gets awakened, haha. Don't know what program she uses, but there are tons of similar things out there, like:
<a href="http://www.freestickynotes.com/%5B/url%5D">http://www.freestickynotes.com/</a>
She must have got it from me, a big fan of the written/typed word</p>
<p>You might ask your child as to their preference...PDA...notebook/tablet/laptop...smartphone...wall calendar...well you get my drift...they may surprise you!</p>
<p>Anyone want some unused planners left over from HS? Husband has tried PDA's but stores everything in his brain-phone numbers included so he's bought some that sit at home after a while. Depends on the person, I would have paper, H &S neither.</p>
<p>My daughter was thinking of getting a PDA to keep track of her schedule and appointments. After doing some research, she discovered that her iPod has a calendar function. She uses her computer (iBook) calendar, and downlowds her day's activities into the iPod. It works great for her, and is one less thing to carry.</p>