Google Keep is a new notebook app that Google has pushed out and I for one am pretty excited. When I first visited the site, I thought that it was having trouble loading because there was hardly anything on the page. Now...that's why I like it so much. It is extremely simple and forthright. You can basically do two things on Google Keep...create a note and make a "to do" list. That's it. I haven't tested out the app yet but I've read that it supports the same basic functionality with the ability to record a new note using your voice. The feature that really makes it useful is the ability to search all of your notes. Those of you who are using Evernote on an everyday basis will laugh at how simplistic this service is from Google and not think twice about jumping ship. However, for those people who don't use Evernote and simply need a quick place to keep their mental notes, Google Keep could be a hit.
Now What?
For those of you who are always forgetting little things throughout the day, keep a tab open on your computer where you can electronically jot down your thoughts using Google Keep. For those who are ready to step up to the plate and "remember everything" check out my post on Evernote.
Evernote is awesome...we all know that by now. As an educator it is a great way to organize all of the stuff that teachers need to organize (bookmarks, notes, lesson plans, forms, etc.) and then actually be able to go back and find it. You can even save audio, video, pictures and whatever else is on the web (or in your mind) and what's even better is that it syncs everywhere. I have been using Evernote now for about a year and I am constantly learning new ways to use it both professionally and personally (love having my shopping lists in the cloud). Recently, I installed the Google Chrome extension called Evernote Web Clipper which allows me to clip anything from the web directly into my Evernote notebooks. This is a must have Chrome extension.
Evernote Peek is the newest edition to Evernote's lineup (Skitch is also very cool) and it is a very handy app for students. Essentially the app turns your notebooks into flash cards in conjunction with the smart cover (they have since introduced a way to use it without the smart cover). Simple to use, you create a note with a question for the title and the body is the answer to that question. You can then study using that notebook on your iPad. Genius.
Now What?
If your students are using iPads in the classroom then I'm sure they have Evernote installed. This would be a great addition to that app and would allow students to create their cards right in class. If you aren't lucky enough to have a class set then you can share this app with your students and show them how to use it.
Evernote is clearly something that is going to be around for a while. I have used in for about a year now to keep track of everything in my life from websites I want to remember to "to do" lists. If you aren't familiar with
Evernote it is an application that you can install on your computer as well as your mobile devices and it automatically syncs your content whenever changes are made using any of the devices. Some of the features that I find useful are the audio notes which you can record with your phone, the search function that searches all of your content (even computer generated text on a webpage snippet), and the ability to snap images right into your notebooks. I also really like the Google Chrome add-on which allows me to snip text and URLs directly to my
Evernote account. I recently discovered that there is an educator's page on
Evernote's websites and I found this blog entry to be particularly interesting because it offers tips for using
Evernote in the classroom.
Now What?
If you would like to start using Evernote to help you in your daily teaching, check out this forum where teachers are discussing its uses. If your students have access to a smartphone or other device with apps (Google Chrome?) you can have them download the app and help them to organize all of their stuff.
