Evernote is a handy organizational tool used to break down and categorize information found and stored on flash drives or any other external device. More than an organizing tool just for the sake of knowing where things are, Evernote allows you to add files, rename files, and create files under one sub category.
Teachers can have different grade levels and subjects organized in one easy place without having a million tabs to sort through. According to Evernote enthusiast Mark O'Neill, "Evernote has its own OCR (Optical Character Recognition) service which means that it can read text, whether it’s computer keyboard text, text in a PDF document, a photocopy of some text (say a page of a book) or even text in a photograph." A lot of times transferring word documents to online databases causes problems that can agonize any user. Evernote helps to eliminate that.
Teachers can have different grade levels and subjects organized in one easy place without having a million tabs to sort through. According to Evernote enthusiast Mark O'Neill, "Evernote has its own OCR (Optical Character Recognition) service which means that it can read text, whether it’s computer keyboard text, text in a PDF document, a photocopy of some text (say a page of a book) or even text in a photograph." A lot of times transferring word documents to online databases causes problems that can agonize any user. Evernote helps to eliminate that.
O'Neill also points out what I discovered on my own; Evernote provides every user with a unique email account that prevents ones mailbox from being too clogged. Another cool feature we both seemed to find was the accessibility of files. Everything is finally in one place. As a teacher, I can have all my materials without all sorts of files. Currently I use it for reminders. I have notes I take on my phone, but often I forget to check them. It is nice to be able to speak into Evernote and have that note saved alongside all my other documents. I've learned through my research, that some features are only available through the trial version. I've used both because my mother has an account too.
I've really only ever used Evernote to make lists and reminders. I've started to have it organize files as I have a hard time keeping up with my flash drives. Turns out, you can actually save everything you've ever come across online in Evernote. Tweets, websites, files, PowerPoints, recipes, pictures, you name it! What's also neat is that Evernote is accessible on computers, iPads and iPhones. Don't worry android lovers, it works for you too.
A concern I had, and one that Mr. O'Neill points out, is the privacy of all this. I mean after all, if everything in your entire life is on place, it's pretty easy to steal. To my relief, Evernote has an answer to this too. It's something called encryption. Basically Evernote requires you to create a password for text or files you wish to hide from others who may see your laptop. Just be sure to not save your encrypted password in Evernote.
Just like organizing files, Evernote also has the tools to organize searches. What I mean is, Evernote can organize your toolbar with your 'pinned' most frequent searches. You have the option to pin which websites you visit most, and can change that at any time. O'Neill taught me how to organize the links too. This can be referred to as a table of contents. O'Neill says this is useful because "[it] is much neater than having a loose collection of links lying all over the place. This way, I have a good overview of everything." When you can see everything at once, you save time by not digging for files.
Evernote is going to be a transitional program for me. I like having hands on materials just so I know it's safe and in my hands. However, it is nice to know that I can easily access all my files in one place and I don't have to remember URLs or file names. I could see myself using this as a teacher to have individual students' files that we can both access, as well as personal assessments I can turn in to parents and my principal. Students themselves can use Evernote in order to store handwritten notes, PDF's, and other important files.
Jennifer Carey is a teacher and she wrote another helpful post telling me about Evernote. She said her "students with an Evernote notebook simply share it with me. This eliminates the need to collect 85 sloppy, hand-written spirals or three ring binders." All the documents the students make can be shared with just the teacher. This makes grading more orderly. The PDF documents that the students make are only reachable through the full version of Evernote, which is why I would want that.
Overall Evernote is interesting because both teachers and students can use it in the same ways. Where the grading is easy for teachers, the turning in becomes as easy as sharing is for students. Those students that don't like typing their notes (students like me) might have a hard time transitioning to Evernote. I think that students should be able to hand write their notes if they please. As I've found through Ms. Carey, students can submit hand written notes and any other form of writing they've done into Evernote without having to type. A student who knows how to store and find all their materials without having to use a million different programs will have a better chance for successful progressive learning.
References
M O'Neill. (2012, September 1st). How to use Evernote: The Unofficial Manual. http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/how-to-use-evernote-the-missing-manual-full-text
J Carey. (2013, June 25th). Evernote: A Great Tool for Organizing Teachers and Students!
http://plpnetwork.com/2013/06/25/evernote-teachers-classrooms
