Technology Spotlight #1

I have decided to dedicate my next few blog posts to technology recommendations.

Evernote:
Evernote is an organizational tool that can be used in a variety of ways.  Here are the main ways I would recommend using it for the classroom teacher.

1.  Creating Portfolios for each student.  In Evernote, you can create a notebook for each child in your classroom.  In each notebook, you can record notes, running records, capture pictures of student work, record audio messages such as a student's reading fluency, and much, much more.  At the end of the year, the notebook could be shared with the next year's teacher or archived.

2.  Saving Digital copies of chart paper.  Elementary teachers use tons of chart paper.  They use them to take class notes, write goals, or use them to highlight tools and strategies students may refer to.  Most of the time, the chart paper gets rolled up and stored until there is no more room.  I would use Evernote to make a digital copy of the chart paper.  You can use add ons such as Skitch to edit the chart paper and make notes for the next time you may create a similar one.  Saving the image of the chart paper in Evernote, hwlps to organize your library of resources.  You can also tag the images for sorting and filtering.

3.  RTI notes.  In many schools, teachers participate in RTI meetings.  If you don't have RTI meetings, maybe you have Child Study Teams, Instructional support teams, or anything like that where teachers come together with support personnel and principals to discuss the progress, or lack of progress for students in your class.  Evernote can be used to keep notes and recommendations regarding interventions that can or could be used in the classroom.  You can track progress as well. 

4.  Make Checklists.  Evernote has a simple way of making lists...and my favorite kind of list - the checklist.  Thanks to the Evernote blog, you can find out how to make the checklists here:  https://blog.evernote.com/blog/2011/08/02/did-you-know-how-to-create-a-checklist-in-evernote/


I also recommend going to the Evernote Blog to read stories and find tips on how to best use the product.  https://blog.evernote.com/blog/category/tips-stories/

Evernote is free.  It is compatible with any smartphone, any laptop, and any desktop computer.  It will syn your notebooks and notes across all your devices.  Good luck and give it a try.



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