Thing 27: Note-Taking Tools & Skills

Thing 27: Note-Taking Tools & Skills

I love notes. I'm always reminding myself to do things and constantly keep track of my tasks.I love the feeling of checking something off when it's done.
But there never seems to be that one perfect app for everything. So here are a few items I use and my newest discovery.(which I have been wanting to use forever)

For task management and to do lists I love
Any Do

This app lets you add all your quick to do lists along with adding sub tasks to them. You can also schedule your tasks and plan your day. In fact just today one of my students asked me about this app. (he wants to try it out). This is a great time management tool.  

I use
Google Keep 
alot for many things too. Mostly I use it for shopping lists and quick notes. I have to give credit where credit is due. I think our Thanksgiving this past year was a success thanks to Google Keep. We were doing a large Thanksgiving at our new Cobblestone home. We all love to cook but had really 1 day to do most of it. So before Thanksgiving I creates 2 lists (with a Thanksgiving picture on it so it wouldnt get lost in all those notes) and shared them with my daughters away from home We planned the entire Thanksgiving dinner- who was making what. Also did a shareable grocery list so they put all their ingredients they needed before hand. Then I shopped and we were ready to cook the Wednesday they got home. One of my daughters ( BTW ...I have 3 daughters: 21, 22 and 23!) so my oldest even did a schedule of cooking times and who needed which oven.  This was such a wonerfully smooth process to our usual insanity!  However I think Google Keep falls short as a true note taking app for a student in high school or college.

Hence .Microsoft One Note
There is quite a learning curve on this but so far it is just what I needed for in depth notes.At first it was very difficult trying to figure out which Microsoft account went with what but once that was sorted it was wonderful. It's a handy tool for keeping page after page of notes on one subject and organizing it into some meaning. You can also have different note books on any subject or a school one and a personal one or 2 or 3. It's very easy to add links, snip its and your own notes along with drawing and highlighting items. You can also use sticky notes. And it has that old comfortable feel of Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint. The phone app works extremely well and quick notes work great too. I would love to use this with my students and will try but there is insufficient time for this. And since most students use chrome books it will be a prolem. (This is an on going arguement I have with the tech department since as a business teacher I feel it somewhat of my duty to expose students to both Microsoft and Google products). But I have my computer lab so I do make things work!

I will by all means use One note for the majority of my notes and I'm sure once I find the time perhaps use it as my everythink notes,