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Upgrading for free to Windows 10 is still available for users of WIndows 7 and Windows 8.1. It is actually a very good system, but there are a few things that you should leep in mind. If you have paid for life time use of an anti virus system such as Panda, it will wipe it out. That means that you have easily wasted $400 for Panda anti - virus.

Syaing that, Windows 10 does have Windows Defender available which is very good. I have tried it on many occasions and found that it has stopped more viruses and "computer health problems" than any other program. It is honestly very good and of course it comes for free. Why pay for an anti-virus program when you don't have to. That is a very important point.

You have until July 29 2916 to upgrade to Windows 10 for free. The process is very easy, but there has been reports of a few crashes. Personally, I have upgraded two computers so far and I have not had any problems at all. I am happy using Windows 10 and there are some excellent tutorials online if you are not sure. Microsoft has also posted a demo video on their website. 

While we are on the subject, don't presume that all good programs out there are expensive. There are some excellent programs which are for FREE. If you don't have a word process program on you computer, you can always check out Open Office. It is honestly very good, and you get a spread sheet program with the Open Office as well.

If you are looking for photo editing software, it could be a good idea to check out the site Tu Cows. This is a great site when it comes to all kinds of free ware and programs which can help your computer to run better. I use it a lot, and I have found some excellent programs which are all super easy to use.

Above all, don't forget to check if you can have a free Windows 10 upgrade before July 29 2016. It will save you at least $99 which is what Microsoft may charge you for the new upgrade after that date. Follow this link to find out more information about Windows 10.

As a mother of a 14 year old, I appreciate that studying is not always an easy task. However, I always delight in telling me daughter that it was much harder in my day. After all, she has access to some great gadgets that can make her life so much easier. Looking around my daughter's room, I know that she has at least 5 great gadgets to make studying an easy task, it is not any longer down to just a highlighter!

The Cheating Watch

Of course, my daughter does not call it a cheating watch, she calls it her "wrist reminder". It made me laugh at first, but I realized that it even had an emergency button to take it back to a normal watch screen when teacher walked by. To be honest, I don't think it is such a bad thing. You can put as little or as much information on there as possible, and it comes with an interface for Word.

I have to give my daughter credit, as she does not use the watch to cheat outright. She stores essential information her watch such as key dates, and words that she finds difficult to spell. The great thing is that this handy little gadget can store audio, video, pictures and more text than you can fit in a school library. I rather fell in love with it, and bought myself one as well.

Of course, I don't need to cheat in school, but it is handy for business notes, and I love the fact it has a calendar on it as well.

Amazon Kindle Keyboard 3G

This is another popular study gadget and a great alternative to the standard Kindle. My daughter loves hers as she is a real information junkie. She loves to give her assignments that special touch, and the Amazon Kindle Keyboard 3G, allows her to store over 3000 books. It is great if you just want to look things up quickly, and my daughter has downloaded lots of books on topics for the up coming year. She now has her own instant library, and can make her assignments stand out by referencing a piece of text from a book more easily.

iPad Apps

Yes, we have bought her an iPad, just couldn't help it really. We thought it was just going to be used for listening to music and talking to her friends on Facetime, but this enterprising 14 year old has turned into a study aid. She has two great apps that help her a lot, and I think that they are both brilliant.

Penultimate is a handwriting app which costs just $1.99. It makes it easy for student to make notes during class, and is absolutely great for field trips. During a recent visit to a museum, she was able to make notes about the different photographs she took.

Soundnote is another iPad app which allows you both to record notes and make notes. It is great for record a special lecture, or you can record your own questions. My daughter uses it to record questions on her homework, and then plays them back to test her own knowledge. Well worth the $4.65 that we paid for the app.

Livescribe Echo Smartpen

This is perhaps the ultimate study gadget, and became an invaluable friend on a recent school trip to a volcano. My daughter recorded the teacher's lecture close to the top of the volcano with the noise of the volcano as a back drop. Afterwards, she could play it back as many times as she wanted to, and it can be preserved forever. Great for retrieving detailed information when the class takes place somewhere where it is difficult to make notes. Of course, you can record your on voice as well.

Noise cancelling headphones

My husband argued that she should not need noise cancelling headphones, but it turns out that libraries are not the quite places they once used to be. My daughter likes to do a lot of her homework during her lunch break, or a free period. Her noise cancelling headphones are great, and we have noticed that she knows her homework much better since we invested in them. Clearly, she has an opportunity to study both at home and in school.

These are just 5 great gadgets to make studying an easy task, and there are many more out there. I have learned that it is down to personal choice, and learning to adapt. All children study in their own unique way, however, never forget that they are very much influenced, and inspired by, modern technology.