The back to school month is an exciting time. It is the prefect opportunity to gather all those must-have school supplies for the upcoming year. This year has proven to be the year of apps and gadgets. Want to know what’s hot? Let’s find out!

Of course basic paper, pencils and notebooks remain a common staple for anyone returning to school, however some of the other items that have now become necessities are technical, digital, downloadable and out-right fun!

Check out the latest cool noise-cancelling headphones. If you’re sharing a dorm room or simply live in a noisy environment, there is no longer a need to pack up and head to your local library. These headphones will help silence your headspace by keeping out distracting sounds.

Not everyone likes to clean so invest in help from the iRobot Mini Scooba 230. This wandering device can help quick-clean dirty floors. Simply fill it with water, put it on the floor and press clean.

If you’re one of those people who cannot keep track of your tech devices or you’re constantly loosing them, let GadgetTrack help. Designed to find misplaced items such as iPads, smartphones, flash drives and even laptops, this WiFi enabled program tracks lost or stolen devices. Just don’t lose your GadgetTrack software!

A hot app this year is the Note-Taking iPad app from Apple. For about $1.99, Penultimate has been rated as one of the best note-taking and handwriting apps. For lengthy lectures, grab yourself SoundNote. This combination of note taking and voice recording is ideal for those who need to go back to a specific part of a meeting or lecture without having to listen to the entire lecture again.

Always late? Constantly replacing batteries or finding your alarm clock unplugged? No worries. The water-powered alarm clock can make sure you’re on time from now on. Think green with this see-through clock that runs on almost any liquid including coffee.

If you’re off at college and miss friends and family back home, it makes sense to have a webcam. Standard on most laptops today, the webcam is great for chitchat, Skype calls and video conferencing.

Photo courtesy of The Truth About Motherhood