Help planning my degree

[JB33]

This is awesome! I'm going to go through all the links, thank you so much.

bjcheung77 -- why do you say two monitors? I've seen you recommend this to others as well.  I use two monitors routinely at work but I am not clear on what exactly you are recommending in terms of studying? Watching two videos at once on different platforms?

Two monitors is pretty much the norm of life for a lot of people. I use six myself for my main computer. You can have a video on one screen or even text you're reading and then something for taking notes on another. Tons of ways to optimize productivity with two monitors you'll learn when you have more. It's definitely a worthwhile investment to get a second one, just get a cheaper one like 22". It doesn't need to be a high quality monitor.

[ss20ts]

Sophia is open-book. So you can have the PDF open on one monitor while you take the Milestones (exams) on the other monitor.

No one needs 2 monitors though. You can have the exam open and the pdf open at the same time. You can even have tabs open for each section in the course along with the exam. I have a MacBook and there's no easy way to use a monitor with it.

[booklovingirl]

Oh I get it. That's helpful. Thanks!

[JB33]

Sophia is open-book. So you can have the PDF open on one monitor while you take the Milestones (exams) on the other monitor.

No one needs 2 monitors though. You can have the exam open and the pdf open at the same time. You can even have tabs open for each section in the course along with the exam. I have a MacBook and there's no easy way to use a monitor with it.

I have a MacBook that I've used a second monitor with, it's definitely beneficial for productivity to have multiple monitors and I didn't find any issue with using a second monitor with a MacBook. If you're just lounging around the house on like a couch or something, then sure a second monitor is a bit of a hassle. Also, no one said you need 2 monitors, but it is very helpful and monitors are cheap enough to get that it doesn't break the bank.

[ss20ts]

I have a MacBook that I've used a second monitor with, it's definitely beneficial for productivity to have multiple monitors and I didn't find any issue with using a second monitor with a MacBook. If you're just lounging around the house on like a couch or something, then sure a second monitor is a bit of a hassle. Also, no one said you need 2 monitors, but it is very helpful and monitors are cheap enough to get that it doesn't break the bank.

How and where do you plug in a monitor on the M1 chip MacBooks? Why they removed all but 1 of the ports makes no sense.....especially since the 1 port is now usb c which isn't common.

[jch]

I have a MacBook that I've used a second monitor with, it's definitely beneficial for productivity to have multiple monitors and I didn't find any issue with using a second monitor with a MacBook. If you're just lounging around the house on like a couch or something, then sure a second monitor is a bit of a hassle. Also, no one said you need 2 monitors, but it is very helpful and monitors are cheap enough to get that it doesn't break the bank.

How and where do you plug in a monitor on the M1 chip MacBooks? Why they removed all but 1 of the ports makes no sense.....especially since the 1 port is now usb c which isn't common.

USB-C docks are great. My household has several workstations set up with 1-2 monitors, keyboard & mouse, and a hardwired network connection. Just one cable does everything plus charging. We use the Dell D6000 dock, which works well with all of our Windows, Mac, and Chrome OS devices.

[JB33]

I have a MacBook that I've used a second monitor with, it's definitely beneficial for productivity to have multiple monitors and I didn't find any issue with using a second monitor with a MacBook. If you're just lounging around the house on like a couch or something, then sure a second monitor is a bit of a hassle. Also, no one said you need 2 monitors, but it is very helpful and monitors are cheap enough to get that it doesn't break the bank.

How and where do you plug in a monitor on the M1 chip MacBooks? Why they removed all but 1 of the ports makes no sense.....especially since the 1 port is now usb c which isn't common.

USB-C docks are great. My household has several workstations set up with 1-2 monitors, keyboard & mouse, and a hardwired network connection. Just one cable does everything plus charging. We use the Dell D6000 dock, which works well with all of our Windows, Mac, and Chrome OS devices.

I second this. Dock doesn't matter so much, but do check reviews of them before purchasing. While it's an additional piece of hardware sitting around, the second monitor helps tremendously with productivity. After having 6 monitors on a single desktop for the past few years, I could never go back to a single monitor. Two is absolutely essential for me.

[rachel83az]

You don't NEED a second monitor, but it does make life so much easier to have two. I can't imagine using six, but I've always wanted to be able to have a 3-monitor setup.

[jch]

Three monitors was barely enough for the database programming lab I just completed. I needed to have the instructions, data model, database console, command reference, documentation, and lab report open simultaneously. That would have been insane without additional monitors.

[bjcheung77]

For most everyday tasks, 2 is enough. On my old 11 year old dell laptop/17 inch monitor, I only use the most important windows for multitasking. And I use this for the proctoring, as I don't care much about whatever junk they'll install. I just remove the monitor when testing...

I only use 3 when I have to/need "extra windows" that I want open, so I use the "windows snap in feature" for my Acer laptop and Acer 24 inch monitor, it acts as two along with my laptop... haha a cheapo 3 screens, it does the job very well, when I need to check multiple screens/tabs at once.