Evernote is everywhere [Geeky]

I love Google. I have an "I'm Feeling Lucky" license plate frame. I've been on a mission the last few months to get organized to the max, and Google Notebook has been a huge help. Unfortunately, Google is closing development on Notebook. That means I had to jump ship. Luckily, there's another free service that works just as well -- some word argue better. In my view, it does everything I did with Notebook, so I'm running with it.

I'm going to run through how I use Evernote, then leave you with some links to some tips and tricks from other sites.

Evernote

First things first: the link. Evernote is a note taking service, but so much more. I visualize it as a 10+ subject notebook. I have a notebook for each of my classes (1st-6th, Math and Reading). What I've found easiest to use is their Firefox extension. It sits up by my bookmarks for easy access. When I'm surfing the internet looking for project ideas, I can "clip out" anything I find and put it instantly into a notebook without leaving the page. This video explains it much better than I could with words:



Registration is free. You can use Evernote for free, for as long as you want, with surprisingly few restrictions. We've all come to expect products to be free from companies the size of Google, but not all startups have access to that size of bankroll. I personally appreciate a tiered pricing plan (with "free" as part of the plan) and I can proudly say that I have paid to upgrade to "pro" at Remember The Milk. (Sidebar: it felt strangely rewarding to use some of my "fun money" on what I could have easily continued to use as a free service.)

The differences between the free and $5/month-or-$45/year services at Evernote are laid out on their website, but the main differences are an upgrade from 40MB of upload space to 500MB per month, premium support, and no ads within public notebooks.

Educational Application

The amazing part of Evernote is what it indexes. It indexes any type of file, including handwriting and pictures! I don't know about you, but I don't even get to take a deep breath between classes, let alone write down any work we did on the board. Now that I've installed the Evernote application on my iPhone, I can take it out and snap a quick picture of my white board before the next class comes in. Evernote then indexes the picture and it becomes searchable. That definitely one-ups Google Notebook!

I also use it as I laid out in the beginning with one folder for each class. This has worked pretty well so far. It works much like bookmarking, but I can access those bookmarks anywhere.

So, how about you? Use anything like Evernote? Have different ways of organizing your digital life? Let me know in the comments.

Book clubs [Classroom]

I started book clubs with my students this past week. I had a specific book for each grade level to read this first time through. After this, students will be able to choose the book they want to read. My vision for the clubs is that students will advertise their books to each other through the projects they do. As Reading Enrichment students, I want them reading more and building reading strategies.

I've put together packets of project ideas for my students. By making (most of) the projects open-ended, I'm able to tier the learning. 2nd grade students and 5th grade students can both create holidays for their books. How they do so, and what they end up with will be different.

Next is a link to the Google Document I'm using for my Book Club Projects. The link is dynamic -- it will always point to the most up-to-date version of the document.

Book Club Projects

I would love any additional ideas from my vast readership. Fill up those comments!

Schedule? [Audience Participation]

I'm curious as to what everyone's daily schedules are like. As I'm half-time, I have a classroom from 8 am to noon Monday through Friday.

• I get my fifth grade Math Enrichment pull-out kids every morning for fifteen minutes. I recently worked it out with the fifth grade teachers to bump that up to a half-hour once per week (along with keeping the fifteen minutes the other day).
  
• Every day, I work with three first-grade girls in the Read Well reading program for a half-hour.
• I have two third-grade girls who are subject-level accelerated in Reading, so I meet with them for a half-hour Monday through Wednesday for skill building.
• I meet with a group of four kindergarten Reading students twice per week, twenty minutes each time.
  
• I have one first grade student that I work one-on-one with doing critical thinking activities.
  
• I'm also a fifth grade Reading and Math subject-level accelerated student's sixth grade Reading and Math teacher. We get two half-hour blocks per day to learn that content.
• Besides those constants, I work with pull-out groups of 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade students in both Reading and Math for one half-hour period per week.
  

Would? Could? Should? [TAG]

My Area Education Association (AEA) is amazing. I've been able to meet many new and experienced teachers of gifted students during my first year as a teacher.

Of the many pieces of wisdom I have gained from the in-services presented by my local AEA, the Would/Could/Should philosophy has made me rethink everything. The basic idea surrounds three questions to ask oneself when creating learning opportunities for gifted students:

1. Would all students benefit from the learning activity?
2. Could all students participate in the activity (do they have the capacity)?
3. Should all students be involved in the activity?

I don't believe the "philosophy" is as cut and dry as "If you answer 'yes' to one of the questions, the activity isn't 'good enough' for your gifted kids." The questions are there for me as a check-and-balance. What if I answered "yes" to all three questions? I'd definitely rethink the activity at that point. However, if I answer "yes" to question number 1 (Would?), my next step is naturally to get all students involved. For example, if all students would benefit from the activity, but they may not necessarily be able to "do" it, maybe my gifted students become the teachers. We could spend our TAG time working on their building of the lessons plans, etc., then they teach their classmates. This involves all students, but also tiers the learning.

What philosophies do you live under? How do you evaluate your lessons and activities to ensure they are meeting the unique needs of your students?