Evernote may not be a familiar tool for some. As a matter of fact, I only began exploring Evernote last school year. I heard lots and lots of talk about it but had a hard time figuring out how it could fit into my classroom. After a year, my entire workflow is driven by Evernote. My students use it to create digital portfolios for the school year. In addition, we have used Skitch for simple annotation of images. Evernote offers a free plan. In addition, their is a desktop client, web version as well as apps for about every device. They also offer a monthly or annual plan as well. I pay for the monthly plan which is $5/month. Lesson PlanningAs much as I would like to say that I only do planning at school, it is never a reality. There are times when I am at home, on the go or in a meeting that I remember something or find a resource that I want to add to my plans. With Evernote I am able to add to my plans wherever and whenever. Below is a sample template that I have created for my weekly plan. I just copy this template into a new note for each week. Sub PlansWith the increase of technology in my classroom, I am never sure how familiar or comfortable my subs will be with the tech tools. One of the nice things about Evernote is attaching files to your notes. You can also share notes. When I have subs, I make a new note specifically for the sub. Once my note is created, I will copy the URL and send it to the sub ahead of time if possible. If not, I open it up in my web browser, book mark it, then drag the book mark to my desktop to make a shortcut. All the sub will have to do is turn on the computer and open the shortcut on the desktop. All the files needed will be displayed via the shared note. The sub will be able to click on any attachments and have them open. No more explaining how to navigate where you saved files on your computer. You can click here to see what a sub would see.
5 Comments
7/14/2014 07:06:13 am
I am going to try "paperless" planning this year. I already use Google Drive for most of my files and now am excited about really using Evernote. Would you be able to share your lesson plan template with me? Is it editable? I would just like a start off point vs. starting from scratch since I"m due for maternity leave at the beginning of the school year...
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Kari Wyatt
7/31/2014 03:08:05 pm
I love this! What did you use to create your template?
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Andrew Fenstermaker
8/6/2014 02:24:25 pm
I actually just created a table in Microsoft word and entered my classes and times. I then copy and pasted the table from Word into an Evernote note. This became my "master" note. Each week, I would open my "master" schedule note and copy the table, create a new note and paste my "master" into the new note. This allowed me to keep my "master" template and fill in my weekly plans on the new note I created each week.
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Kari Wyatt
8/7/2014 10:50:40 am
Thanks! Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
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Andrew FenstermakerInstructional Technology Coordinator | Innovation Coach | Google Certified Innovator | Presenter | Blogger | Adjunct @UiowaEducation | Owner @kids_f_i_r_s_t |