If you know me, or follow me on Twitter, you probably already know I have a sort of love affair with OneNote. If anyone asks me, this is the ONE tool I could not function without. It is a one-stop shop for note-taking, file storage, planning, collaboration, and communication. My team does most everything in OneNote. Since we are not together all week, except for Fridays, most of our work is done there so everyone is constantly updated with the most current information.
If you have not used OneNote, the best way to describe it is that it is set up like a 3-ring binder. You have a book shelf for the different notebooks you have open. Each notebook is divided into Sections which look like tabs in a binder. In each section you can add pages to keep everything organized. A former colleague, Chelsea Murray, and I presented on OneNote at TCEA this year. The presentation provided an overview that goes into a bit more detail. You can find and download the notebook we shared here: Presentations.

The notebook also goes into more details on how teachers and administrators are starting to use OneNote. It has lists of ideas and examples of what it can look like. Teachers are loving OneNote for lesson planning because you can insert the digital file of whatever it is you are using in the lesson. They are side by side…no need to try to find the file that goes along with our lesson anymore! You can also share notebooks, so your teammates have access to the resources as soon as they are added to the notebook. Need to look back at what you did last year? OneNote will have it all there for you…no more jumping from lesson to file storage again!
Student documentation and data tracking are also great to do within OneNote. When you are called to a meeting, such as an ARD, all of your information is in one spot. The notebook is private to you unless you choose to share it with others, so it is safe as far as student information is concerned. I also love that you can email a page straight from OneNote through your desktop Outlook and it attaches any files you may have inserted on the page. Easy to share information when necessary.
Since OneNote constantly syncs and updates, anyone with access automatically has the most current version of whatever you are sharing. No more going through email trying to find that data. It is all in one location.
These are just a few of the things OneNote can do. To learn more, be sure to check out the notebook I referenced for downloading above. You can see a playlist of tutorial videos that have been created on how OneNote works and some of the key tools you have by going to this YouTube Playlist: OneNote Tutorial Playlist.
If you have any questions as you get into OneNote, don’t be afraid to reach out to me. If I don’t know the answer I have quite a few smart friends who may: @pwagnerlcisd.
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