USB flash drives are indispensable to the modern day student. With an ever-increasing total memory capacity, currently reaching into the 16-gigabyte range, USB drives have ample storage to store every research paper a student will write in their collegiate career.
USB flash drives have a compatibility rating. Nearly every modern computer has at least one USB connection (usually several), and nearly all computers that have this slot can recognise USB flash drives. This compatibility ensures that should a printer break on one system, the student can take their USB down the hall to use a friend’s computer whose printer is working.
Especially valuable in team projects, one flash drive can be used to back up the entire project in one place. If each student has a flash drive of his or her own, then each can take a copy of the project with him or her to work on their respective sections, away from the classroom. The entire project can then be updated with the students’ edits, all without having to share a computer or the same physical space. Accomplishing this task with CD-ROMs or DVDs would not only be time consuming, but the price of wasted disks would be enormous. The low cost per megabyte ratio of USB flash drives makes the flash drive solution a viable storage option, even on a student’s budget.
Nothing is more deflating to a student than to pull an ‘all-nighter’ only to lose the data when the computer freezes. Frequent backups to a flash drive prevent data loss due to operating system failures. The convenient small size of flash drives also allows a student to never be without this all-important data, since the drive can be thrown in a backpack or shirt pocket. Some models are made with a built in clip that can be attached to a purse, ring of keys, or belt loop, while others offer lanyards that can be worn around the neck.
Ease of sharing music and photographs with classmates makes the USB drive ideal for keeping in touch with what’s going on. Students can share photos of their weekend or home visit, or share samples of their favourite new band. For a few extra pounds, the flash drive can even be personalised by one of the many online USB drive dealers. A student could show off her school spirit by having her school’s logo painted on the casing of the drive or add security by having her name engraved on it. The options for styles of drive and decorations able to be added are as plentiful as the advantages the device offers students.
In the technology age, USB drives are proving to be indispensable tools in the classroom. The security, portability, and ease of use of the flash drive ensure that the technology will not be obsolete anytime in the foreseeable future.
Of course, the device also severely limits the amount of believable excuses a student can give their professor as to why they need more time to finish an assignment.