Back-to-school tech trends for students of every age

While there are still a few weeks left to enjoy summer, back-to-school season is almost upon us and the rush will soon be on to get the perfect gear for the return to the classroom.

And students aren't looking for the usual pens, paper and protractors, either: the classroom of 2012-2013 is one that benefits greatly from an assortment of gadgets. Depending on the grade you or your student is in, different technology will be in demand. Here's a look at some of the gear that will suit students from kindergarten up to college:

Elementary School

Even though elementary school students might seem a tad young to be given gadgets, it turns out that technology is in high demand for these classrooms. The Best in Class Fund, which is a charity run by Best Buy, gets requests each year from teachers who want to boost the technology they can offer their students. According to Best Buy Communications Manager Danielle Jang, the top requested items for elementary schools are tablets.

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Jang says that teachers are using these tablets to teach music, and give students a way to communicate even if they aren't strong verbal communicators. Composer and entrepreneur Neil Johnston described tablets as "a significant creative breakthrough that will help teachers across the world do their jobs better" in a Mashable opinion piece earlier this year. He suggests that tablets can help teachers to personalize curriculum for students and give them extensive activities to do while giving attention to one of their peers.

Much of the strength of tablets in the classroom relies on having appropriate apps that further the curriculum. The iPad has some built-in apps like iBooks which can help replace the heavy load of textbooks, but there are plenty of others available and in development for both iOS and Android-based tablets which can help you or your student. The iPad and the Samsung 10.1 Galaxy are both good choices if you're looking for a 10" high-end tablet, or if you want a budget 7" tablet, consider the Kobo Vox (although you might find that not all apps in the Google Play store are available for the device).

High School

For many teens, being connected and looking good is almost as important as having the right tools to get homework done. By this point, most students rely heavily on having a computer to type up papers and do research on, and if you've got more than one student at home, having a personal computer isn't a bad idea. While the super-light ultrabooks are an option, most high school students aren't going to be traveling too far with their computers, so a laptop should suit them fine. Look for something both affordable (as a replacement will likely be sought once they hit college or university), a substantial hard drive to hold plenty of music and movies and sufficient RAM to help with multitasking.

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Speaking of music, another top item teens will be looking for will be headphones. The time of tiny earbuds has largely passed with this group in favour of the over-the-ear, ultra-stylish headphones. Since look is a big part of why these are so popular, there are plenty of styles available from several manufacturers. Beats By Dr. Dre are always a popular choice, but more competitors are now trying their hand at the headphone game. Plenty of celebrities turned up at this year's CES to announce they would be unveiling a new set of headphones (even Snooki showed up to model her heavily bedazzled pair), giving teens lots of options when it comes to picking a set that matches their styles. Hip-hop artist Ludacris is behind the golden pair seen above, which are a high-end option to consider if you're in the market for noise-cancelling headphones.

College and University

Once students hit college and university, chances are they'll be looking for function more than form — although that doesn't mean you can't have a bit of both. Since the average college student will be traveling around campus all day with his or her whole life in a backpack, going as light as possible is key. This is a good time to switch from a laptop to an ultrabook: you'll give up a CD/DVD drive, but get a computer that weighs only a couple pounds (at most) in return. Durable cases are key things to look for in an ultrabook, too; if you're doing a lot of traveling, chances are the computer is going to get a couple bumps along the way. Solid aluminum cases like the ones on the HP Envy or the Samsung Series 9 will help protect against those.

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If you're traveling away from home for school or have a student who will soon be making that journey, a dedicated webcam might be a good idea to invest in, too. Many computers come with a built-in chat camera, but if you're going to be making weekly calls over Skype, a dedicated webcam will help prevent the first subject of every chat from being, "can you see me okay? Can you hear me now?"

What makes a dedicated webcam stand out is the bonus features, like high-definition or face recognition. Consider this: if you're going to be away for four years, spending the money now will help cover you for your whole university career.

For everyone

No matter what level of student you are, Jang says that smartphones are the absolute must-have item for back-to-school this year. The iPhone 4 and 4S are always popular choices, although if you are considering a new iPhone, you might want to hold off until October, which is the rumoured release for the new iPhone 5. For those who already have an iPhone, there are loads of accessories that can make your old phone look like new again. If you're accident-prone, there's the Lifeproof case which is water-resistant and scratch-resistant. And if you're indecisive, one of my favourite new accessories this year is the Griffin Crayola Creator iPhone 4/4S Case; it comes with a free app that lets you create your own design, then print it out for use as a custom case back.

If you're not interested in an iPhone, you still have plenty of other choices for high-end smartphones that can help keep school and life organized. Jang says both the HTC One and Samsung Galaxy S3 will be hot items for the coming school year, due in no small part to the super high-definition screens that both boast.

(Images from Best Buy)