I have mentioned before that I am a HUGE fan of Evernote. As I am moving from school to school it is my life-line. I am able to set my schedule and take notes each and every day I am out and about. I cover 4 schools. Each school has a notebook. Each page in my notebook is for a day I am on that campus. As teachers ask to meet with me, I place a note on that day’s page setting the time and what we will be discussing. As we are meeting or (hopefully) shortly thereafter, I go back to the notebook page and make notes on what was discussed and what the next steps will be. It is a an amazing organizational tool for me…and it is F-R-E-E!!!
For a classroom teacher, I could see this being extremely beneficial for keeping student records. You can keep everything in there: behavior issues, observations, reading levels, RTI, you name it! Each student would have their own notebook. Each page can detail your needs for that moment. Titling notes properly will make it easy to search Evernote when needed. Take pictures and add them to your notebooks. Import PDFs of documents you need instant access to. Record audio notes of your own, or record your students reading to keep as a record for fluency. There are endless possibilities here.
Recent upgrades to Evernote allow you to create check-lists and insert tables into your notes. You can also bullet items and attach other files to the note. If you feel like sharing, you can email your notes straight from Evernote. You can also post directly to Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn.
Still not convinced? How about the fact that you can run the app on your mobile device as well as on your computer…they sync with each other! Start your notes on the laptop and then finish up your observations with the iPad while working one on one with a student. When you go to meetings you will have all of your notes with you. Access all your data from multiple devices and multiple locations.
What do you have to lose? If you are looking for an organizational tool that will keep all your data in one place, look no further. This software, and the price, can’t be beat!
