Technology Second Monitor/Screen/Display for Studying

[bluefalcon32]

Reading posts and speaking to people, I noticed that several students have a second computer screen in their room. In terms of reviewing (I understand this is subjective), do they extend their screen or just use that second screen for reading and making their notes and the laptop as the barebones for typing?

I am looking to go electronic with my notes and would like some advice from people about how they maximized the efficiency of a second screen if any.

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[Stroganoff]

Once you go dual monitor (or triple, quadruple....), you won't want to go back. Even a cheap makeshift setup with a laptop and one external monitor can still be very helpful. There's a ton of uses cases. PDF on one screen, PowerPoint on the other. Video lecture on one screen, notes on the other. Web browser one screen, report on the other. It's pretty much an "extended" desktop (as opposed to clone) so you get more space to put all your stuff just how you want it.

I'm typing this on the external monitor right now hooked up to my old laptop. Here's a really old picture showing my old setup. Laptop with external monitor on the left. The monitor on the right with the movie going is from another computer.

The external mouse and keyboard seem redundant but they're worth it for ergonomic reasons. After years of bad posture sitting at the computer, my neck and back are screaming at me, so I'm trying to emphasize good posture now. Correct monitor distance and height, sitting up straight.

My next setup will be a business grade laptop with a docking station and hopefully 3 external monitors on a stand.

 

[bluefalcon32]

Thanks for the clarification. Does your graphics card allow you to handle this? I have heard some people say that attaching a second screen makes it very taxing. So if I understand it correctly, you move one mouse between all 3 screens? If say you are watching a lecture, do you pause, move mouse to laptop screen, take notes and then move it back to lecture screen and carry on? Thanks.

 

[Stroganoff]

Thanks for the clarification. Does your graphics card allow you to handle this? I have heard some people say that attaching a second screen makes it very taxing.

Yep. All modern computers/laptops can handle multiple monitors (2 should be no problem, 3+ it depends) very easily without any noticeable lag at all. I mean, the laptop shown in my pic is from 2007, and I'm still using it to write this post from it and the external monitor. Laptops have been designed to work with projectors since the 1990's, so attaching a monitor to it isn't anything foreign to it. Watching a video full screen isn't really that intensive to a graphics card since it's all 2D.

I can only see issues appearing if you intend to do serious gaming or professional 3D modeling on both screens at the same time on a setup not designed for gaming/modeling. I wouldn't worry about this.

So if I understand it correctly, you move one mouse between all 3 screens? If say you are watching a lecture, do you pause, move mouse to laptop screen, take notes and then move it back to lecture screen and carry on? Thanks.

Yep, modern Operating Systems (Windows, Mac OS X, Linux) have made using multiple monitors much easier to setup in the past several years. It used to be a headache. Here's Windows 8 for example:

You drag and drop the "screens" just like how you have them physically set up in front of you. That's it! You're done. Regarding your question, it's up to you if you want to pause a video lecture or not. You're free to do as you please -- it's really flexible. It's like one big desktop or workspace.

 

[Stroganoff]

Dude, you double posted in Allo.

Studying with a Second Display

 

[bluefalcon32]

Thanks so much. I have a new laptop that I just bought so it should be able to handle it.

 

[perienceniew]

i think so,Thanks so much. I have a new laptop that I just bought so it should be able to handle it.thanks