Uhl_Evernote

A little about me and this presentation:
Hello. My name is Scot Uhl. I work at the University of Akron as a records specialist in the Auxiliary Services Department. I also earned my degree from The University of Akron in Middle level Math and Science Education. Before I took my position at the University of Akron I substitute taught for about year so I have some limited experience in a classroom. The topic I chose for my presentation is the productivity application Evernote. I have no prior experience with Evernote so I have spent the last few weeks preparing for this presentation by installing the Evernote app on all of my devices and exploring all of Evernote's features.

Evernote is a cross-platform app that serves many purposes; it can be your digital file cabinet, note-taking tool, daily journal, task or project management system, recipe-keeper, reminder tool, and more. Evernote makes it really easy to capture almost everything with a push or click of a button. Evernote has a browser add-on called web clipper which simplifies copying articles to your notes or you can use your smartphone to scan in documents and type quick notes on the fly. I will demonstrate these features in the videos below. Evernote organizes all of your discoveries such as: documents, files, images, websites, notes, list, reminders and audio with tags and stacks. All of your discoveries and notes are then stored in a cloud based account that is automatically synced with all of your devices. Evernote operates on a freemium model: free accounts get 60MB of new uploads a month, while a Plus accounts get 1GB each month and some added features for $24.99 per year or a Premium account that gets 10GB a month and even more features.

Video Tutorial:
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Prior to class

 * **Plan and organize your classes with tags:** Using tags is a great way to organize your classes on a week-to-week basis or on a class-by-class basis. For example, if you know that there is certain content that has to be taught during the second week of the school year, then for all related content you can use the tag “week 2”. Once you’ve created this system you can keep adding additional items throughout the year.
 * **Standards database:** Compile standards of achievements for your particular grade or subject. You can even share them with teachers, parents, administrators and students using Evernote’s sharing features.
 * **Professional development**: If you use the summer break or vacations to improve your skills or continue your education, keep all your notes, resources, lessons and new ideas learned in Evernote. This also works well for teacher in-services, conferences, workshops and seminars that you attend.
 * **Classroom templates:** Templates are a great way to save time when grading and assessing your students. If you use templates such as grade sheets or student assessment forms, keep them in Evernote so you have them at your fingertips throughout the year.
 * **Prepare for your absence:** Use Evernote’s shared notebooks as a way to keep your class up and running even if you aren’t there. Evernote makes it easy to share a notebook with the substitute teacher. Consider sharing lesson plans, worksheets, answer keys and examples of completed work. This can ensure your class keeps moving even if you aren’t there.

During Class

 * **Share a notebook with your class:** After you create a public notebook, share the URL with your class. This way anything you add can be viewed by your students (or their parents).
 * **Whiteboard photos:** Taking snapshots of the whiteboard is a favorite use of mine. Take photographs of the whiteboard before the start of the class, and again at the end. This gives you an accurate time stamped snapshot of what you were working on, on any given date. You can title or tag each photo based on the lecture number to make searching for specific photos easier. Also, you can share the photos with students that miss a class, so that they have the day’s notes.
 * **Keep handouts handy:** Keep all of the handouts, worksheets, templates, study guides and assignments that you frequently use in Evernote, where they are easily searchable and accessible.

After Class

 * **Simplify grading:** Scan graded tests, including scan trons and add them to Evernote. You can then enter them into your preferred grade-book or spreadsheet when you have time. This is also great if you have a teacher’s assistant. You can share the notebook with them and have them help with the grading process.
 * **Keep your extracurriculars in order:** If you participate in any committees or coach a team, you can use Evernote to keep track of all the different research, notes and information associated with it. Again, shared notebooks are a great way to keep your committee on the same page and makes for an easy way to share collective knowledge about a project.

ISTE's NETS:
Evernote is a very versatile tool and there are many different ways to use Evernote in which it can align with NETS performance indicators. The standards Evernote most closely aligns with are as follows:

NETS for Students

 * Communication and Collaboration: Students use digital media and environments to collaborate, communicate and interact with other students, teachers and professionals. They also engage in a cultural and global awareness and contribute to project teams to produce original works or solve problems.
 * Research and Information Fluency: Students apply digital tools to plan, organize and gather information, in order to be able to inquire, analyze, organize and evaluate information.
 * Technology Operations and Concepts: Students demonstrate a sound understanding of technology concepts, systems, and operations so they are able to select, transfer, understand and troubleshoot various systems and applications productively and effectively.

NETS for Teachers

 * Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessment: Teachers design, develop, and evaluate authentic learning experiences and assessments incorporating contemporary tools and resources to maximize content learning in context. They do this by adapting relevant learning experiences to incorporate digital tools, they customize and personalize learning activities to address different learning styles and they provide students with varied and multiple formative and summative assessments.
 * Model Digital-Age Work and Learning: Teachers model, communicate and collaborate with their students, colleagues and school community using current technologies and digital-age media to share and transfer knowledge. They do this by exhibiting their own knowledge, skills, and work processes representative of an innovative professional to a global and digital society.
 * Promote and Model Digital Citizenship and Responsibility: Teachers model and advocate safe teaching and understand the societal global issues of media literacy in an evolving digital world. They address diverse needs of the students, promote digital etiquette, and they exhibit legal and ethical responsibility and respect.
 * Engage in Professional Growth and Leadership: Teachers continuously improve their professional practice, model lifelong learning, and exhibit leadership in their school and professional community by promoting and demonstrating the effective use of digital tools and resources. They do this by reflective practices, participation in local and global learning opportunities, and exhibiting leadership within the technology infusion and incorporation process.

Where to Acquire or Purchase:
Evernote has a three tier structure for types accounts you can use. The most basic account is free to use and is the type of account I used in my tutorial video above. I highly recommend starting with the basic account to see if Evernote is a right fit for you. You can upgrade your Evernote account at anytime to a higher tier account. Each step up comes with an additional annual cost as well as added features. The pricing and list of all the features for each type of account can be found at: [|https://evernote.com/pricing/]

Here are some resources that support the use of Evernote:
@https://blog.evernote.com/ @http://educationaltechnologyguy.blogspot.com/p/evernote-for-education.html @https://blog.evernote.com/blog/2011/08/30/teaching-with-evernote-a-6th-and-8th-grade-science-teacher-shares-his-top-tips-back-to-school-series/ @http://www.thenerdyteacher.com/2014/04/use-evernote-for-all-of-your-lesson.html @http://jcollierblog.com/category/evernote/

Additional video tutorials
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