Education & Evernote

I have talked about Evernote in the past and a few others web options that I have tried….  These are all more than just Notebooks, it’s a filing systems and can become your 2nd memory.  Take a picture of anything with your phone, send it to Evernote – TAG it and you have a new record.  I am back using Evernote full-time it has become a very important productivity tool for my day-to-day work.  The reason it has moved up in importance is that I was able to install the Windows application on my system and it brought many additional tools that allowed me to be more productive.

Calling – To-Do’s – Scripts – Specials – policy’s – Order tracking – etc…

I believe anyone using a computer can use this great tool – this is really a great tool for Teachers – the following Blog post on Evernote blog details just a few ways one of your peers is using Evernote to make his job easier.

10 Tips for Teachers Using Evernote – Education Series

Apple – IPAD more then for GAMES! – REMOTE ACCESS…..

Want to have access to your home PC, your work PC (might be a little difficult) – Well for FREE you can set up your PC, download a single AP from the AP store and your almost ready to run your PC software, view your files etc…

Great VIDEO demonstration from itbusiness believe it or not.

Video Rewind: Turn your iPad into a remote desktop connection

Junk – Can everything be JUNK! Disposible Technology

I have been saying this for years…   No one can really keep up with technology, but companies are certainly trying to force the issue with the methods they produce product today.  It’s truly sad that we have gone down this route, might be too late to turn around though.

Companies creating product that cannot be upgraded, batteries that cannot be replaced and the quality of the product just not standing up.  This includes everything from little electronics to large appliances!

Found this great article today that I wanted to share, it positions the current situation perfectly using the products of today!

That shiny new Android phone you just bought? Yeah, it’s a piece of trash. No, I’m not some Google-hating Apple fanboy. The iPhone 4 is junk, too.

So is that giant, flat-screen 3D TV and tablet you bought in the past year. It’s trash. All trash.

Of course, everything ends up broken, obsolete and unusable at some point. The trouble is, the companies that make our consumer electronics are deliberately or carelessly decreasing the useful life of our gadgets so they can sell us another one sooner 

Gadgets: Built to Not Last READ MORE

Software – APPS for your iPAD – REVIEWED

 If your one of the few schools that had funds last year and where able to purchase iPads, you should take a look at the article below to find some key APPS to help you use the hardware.

Math Tutor Lite: Practice basic math skills with this great Math app. Math Tutor Lite is the free version of Math Tutor, but it has more than enough content to make it a worthwhile download.So, whether you want your students to brush up on addition, multiplication, subtraction or division, you will find that all skills are covered here. There are six levels of difficulty for each skill, and students are given instant feedback on how well they have done. The games can be played with a timer for an extra challenge, or without.

 

iFormulas: This useful app contains over 330 formulas, definitions, laws and properties and would be a great quick reference guide for secondary level Math classes. Algebra, Geometry, Calculus and Trigonometry are all covered by iFormulas. It won’t tell you the answers, but it will provide you with the formulas you need to calculate the answer. It is like having a Math book in your pocket, so easily earns a spot as one of the top10 iPod Touch apps for Math classrooms.

 

Number Line: This award winning app will help your students learn about fractions, decimals, percentages and their equivalents. The game features several levels where the object is to drag objects onto a number line in the correct numerical order. Points are awarded for the correct placement of the numbers, as well as for completing the level in a quick time. Points are subtracted for placing numbers in the wrong place. Great fun.

The Top 10 iPod Touch Apps to Use in Math Class

NOTEBOOKS – in the CLOUD – It’s more then just NOTES

I have a few times talked about Notebooks in the cloud and I have really only used the WEB application to quickly put something down so I could view and review later at home or the office.  I recently installed the desktop application for Evernote and started doing a little more research and found out just how powerful this tool really is.  If nothing else you need remember that these documents you create are FULLY SEARCHABLE – even notes that you scan or take a picture of!  Yes you can scan a document, put it in Evernote and your able to search that document.  Two other great features if you have the application or plugins working you can mark anything and add it as a note, you can also send an email to your account and it becomes a note.  Sorting is based on Notebook name and/or tags, plus search.

Evernote posted a great little article for STUDENTS – this is more for University students, but HS kids with Notebook in the classroom should be able to benefit as well.

For sure this can apply to anyone sitting at home or in an office.  With most business computers being locked down so you can’t install software, but that is OK because whatever you do at home on your desktop is SYNC‘d with the WEB and you can access the WEB version of your notes anywhere.

10 Evernote Tips For School – Education Series

10 Great Ways Students Can Use Evernote to Study Smarter, Not Harder.

e-Books – BIG DAY for GOOGLE – NEW STORE – Google eBookstore!

One big difference with Google’s eBook store from competitors–thanks to the library scans–tons of free ebooks. For instance, there’s A Tale of Two Cities, by Charles Dickens and Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen for free.  Full ARTICLE @ TechnologyLIVE

So what e-Reader do you have and will Google’s eBooks work?

Web browsers. You can read Google eBooks on any browser with JavaScript enabled. Learn more about the Google Web Reader.

Smartphones. You can download and install the Google Books reading app for free on any US Android phone (version 2.1 (Eclair) or later) or on the iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad. (iOS 3.0 or later).

eReader devices. Google eBooks can be read with any dedicated eBook reader that supports the Adobe eBook platform, including the Barnes & Noble Nook™ and Readers™ from Sony. More than 85 devices support the Adobe eBook platform today including Reader™ from Sony devices (PRS-300 – PRS-700), Aluratek Libre, Astak EZ Reader, Barnes & Noble Nook™ and Nook Color™, BeBook, Bookeen, COOL-ER, Elonex eBook, HanLin eBook, IREX Digital Reader, Neolux Nuut, and more. Please see the full list of Adobe eBook Platform supported devices.

Amazon Kindle. Currently, Google eBooks are not compatible with Amazon Kindle devices, though we are open to supporting them in the future.

Looks like they have a very nice management piece included with multiple book shelves to sort and store both your purchased and Free e-books.  Will have to play with it a bit to get a better idea of how th manager works.

 I am surprised that they don’t have Kindle support which will close off today about 72% of e-readers on the market!  Might be trying to get the Store up and running for the holidays!

e-Reader – New options – Google is entering the Market

The e-Reader market just keeps getting more complicated… Lots of new readers coming with different formats and how do you make the right choice – do you wait – do you buy for Christmas this year?

Well Google might just make that choice a little easier and it might be before the end of the year.  They are going to have an online service where you can obtain your books for any of the multiple formats out there.   If they do this right many of the current makers of e-Readers might just have a hard time selling books for their products since Google will most likely have much larger selection and hopefully really competitive priced products.  Well we will just have to wait and see….

That’s my two cents on the subject!

Google’s bookstore may launch in time for the holidays

 image via assets.gearlive.com How do you decide which e-book to buy?  After all, there are Kindles, Nooks, iPads and now Google is planning their own e-book.  In fact, they are in the final stages of production. What is taking them so long?  In a recent WSJ.com article, Google product manager and director Scott Dougall said, “Because of the complexity of this project, we didn’t want to come out with something that wasn’t thorough.”  According to … Read More

via Dr. Diane Hamilton’s Blog

How to Get Free e-Books – Why you want an eReader – Manage your eReader (via Dr. Diane Hamilton’s Blog)

I have been planning on putting something very similar to this post on the blog for sometime, but just have not put all the information together. Why re-create the wheel, this article is very good and has most of the information I wanted to include and then some.

Great post with a lots of information

Are you considering buying an e-reader but don’t have the money to pay for a lot of e-books?  You might consider going to the library.  Libraries are offering more and more electronic titles.  Keep in mind that certain libraries may not have the ability to download files into specific readers.  I am in Arizona, and the local library here cannot download files for the Kindle or the iPad.  They do offer titles for other readers such as Nook, Sony R … Read More

via Dr. Diane Hamilton’s Blog

eReaders – Manage Content – Formats & News Feeds Automatically – Add any content!

In a world when we are doing more and more electronically, where we would like to do more with less.  You have your computer, smart phone, eReader, MP3 Player and for some the list could continue.  You then have to worry about formats and compatibility between different devices.

Well this holds true when you’re looking at the eReader market, there are more and more devices coming out and they have no standard and you really want your device to do more than just allow you to keep a library of books that you can read at any time.  Many of these devices can be used to check your email and calendar as well as playing a limited amount of games.

Came across an article USA Today “Top tech gifts: eReaders handy for more than reading” and a great little tool that can assist you in making your eReader more than just for reading books.

You manage your entire library from start to finish – Download Content – Convert different formats – Update Meta Data – Auto download news – View content on your PC

Another wonderful feature is being able to take any HTML file and convert it to your eReader format – What this really means is your eReader can become a catalogue of anything you want it to be.   It becomes your notebook and filing cabinet by allowing you to take any content like Policies, procedures, recipes etc.  Store and review this content all from one source!

Text Books – Surprise – Surprise – Students want Paper!

Reading the following article from the New York Times I was surprised so many kids are not looking at E-books, but would rather carry 10lbs book around the campus.  It is for sure a change in mind-set and study habits even for kids who use technology all day long.  Some of the comments made did surprise me a little.

Similarly I started listening to audio books a few years ago and I love it today.  I started to do this not because of the technology, but because I just couldn’t find the time to read a paperback.  This allowed me to continue doing something I loved, it was something I had to get used to and it is a different experience.  My daughter who has grown up with technology love’s to read and wants to have the physical book in her hand, she don’t want to listen to or use an E-reader – though she has not tried either and at this point she doesn’t want to even try it.

According to the National Association of College Stores, digital books make up just under 3 percent of textbook sales, although the association expects that share to grow to 10 percent to 15 percent by 2012 as more titles are made available as e-books.

In two recent studies — one by the association and another by the Student Public Interest Research Groups, a national advocacy network — three-quarters of the students surveyed said they still preferred a bound book to a digital version.

Many students are reluctant to give up the ability to flip quickly between chapters, write in the margins and highlight passages, although new software applications are beginning to allow students to use e-textbooks that way.

FULL ARTICLE