I found my daughter in her room on her bed asked why she was not doing her homework... She said "Mom is on the computer".  So she was playing a game on her Kindle Fire instead of typing up her book report.

Yep, you know where this is going... We downloaded the Evernote app (Kindle ed.) and made a kid account for the family. Each with their own notebook and tags.  I then had her type her book report on her Kindle.  We even made a shared with dad notebook so they could put notes in there for me to see on my account.

While it may not have all the features of a word processor to does have enough and as I also like to say.  "Get your content down here - then go the computer and make it cute".  So she got all her thoughts down in Evernote and later that night when we had computer time we copied and pasted into Word, made it cute, printed it and had her report ready for school the next day.

Yeah, yeah yeah we could have probably done everything on the Kindle including making it cute and printing it to our wireless printer but sometimes we can only handle so much technology at once!

Yep... Been a while again! 

Below should  be a "feed" from Delicious.  I am calling it resources as they are links to other Evernote places. They are bookmarks which have been tagged with "Evernote".

Plug-ins are mini apps that work with other apps.  For instance there is an Evernote plug-in for:
Browsers.  Firefox and Chrome specifically.  WebClipper link. After clicking on the link click on the dropdown for other browsers. 
Outlook.  The popular e-mail program has a plug in too.

What does that mean?  After installing the plug in I can right click on any webpage or part of and save/send it to Evernote.  It gets installed automatically in Outlook.

Why?  Uses?
1. I do not like to print things at home for work. We have a large color laser printer at school that I can print 11x17 on.  So when I am at home (or on my phone) I can save a web page or clip just part of and TAG it as "print".  When I get to school I check Evernote tags and see what I need to print in color.

2.  If I find resources that students or teachers could use I could save and tag those.  Remember that I am saving to Evernote from a browser.

http://evernote.com/contact/support/kb/#/product/webclipper

I do a lot of shopping.  Well not really but when I need something or have an idea while at my computer I put it on my "buy this" note on Evernote using my computer.     

A few days later when I am at the store wondering... "What did I want the other day?"... I pull out my phone and check my "buy this" (Ever)note.  Oh yeah. 

Notice that when I wrote the note I was on my PC in my office.  When I needed the note I was at the store.  No I DO NOT use it all the time for shopping list.  Many times it is easier to take a picture of the list on the fridge at home.  Yes, I use p and p for lists too!  (That's pen and paper.). But then I take a picture of it. :)

Sure there are other apps that can do this same thing. But again I am trying to show how this one app can do what a bunch of other apps do.  Why have a bunch of apps.  Yeah I know - it's fun to try other apps!  Go for it.

I also use Google docs for shopping.  Specifically - book request from students.  When I am B&N (or Amazon) I check the spreadsheet and see if anyone has requested anything.  Different application, different uses.  But still a shopping list!  Different instructions all together!

So I am at a conference... (Flip'in Utah) trying to take notes and guess what.. Evernote (on my phone) is NOT opening.  It is trying to but just keeps saying "loading", "loading", "loading"...Stay positive... Keep calm.
Not sure why.  But I did update the software on my computer the other day.  No, that should not effect my phone but you never know... 

• I updated it on my phone.  No help.
• Closed the app.  Nope.
• Closed all apps.  Nope.
• I restarted my phone.  Nope.
  

So what does one do when your note taking app goes down.  Not to fear.  I took notes on a little app called "notes".  I can easily copy and paste it into Evernote later.... Assuming the App works later.

The fix at the conference.  Used a computer and Evernote Web version is working fine.
Hour later on my phone... stlill "loading", "loading", "loading".

3 hours later...
It was stuck on the new "journal" feature. But I have no journal entries - so nothing to load.  Canceled that and found all my notes.  All's good again!

Why no specific instructions? 

• How do you make a notebook public?
• How do you create a note? 
• How do you edit a note?
• How do make an audio note... (click the microphone)
• How do you tag a note... (click on tag)

My point is to keep these short and show you uses and reasons to use Evernote. NOT to get into details of the basics.  You know how to type, you know how to click on things.  Don't forget to RIGHT CLICK to see more options. 

Trying to instill some confidence in a class I was teaching - I told them that all they really had to do was read the instructions and push those black buttons to spell words on the screen.  Really.  Not sure if it worked...   Do I need to explain how to go to "File Open" or "File New"? I know some people need that but if you are on that level... you're not reading this blog anyway! If I just totally turned you off of my blog...Here is the Evernote help site.  There also plenty of books at Amazon to read about it.  Again I am trying to show ideas here not basic instructions.  No way I can cover it all... Or that anyone would even read it!

The other problem is that Evernote is available on a Computer (Mac and PC), it is a website, an ithing app, an android app and they all work a little different.  Not to mention updates happen which change layouts sometime.  So which device should I give instructions for?  Using the link above you can pick your own platform to learn about.

Oops.  I thought I posted this one!
https://www.evernote.com/pub/ksmedberg/evernoteinstructions

Sharing is huge for Evernote.  Notice the link above.  I have been putting all my Evernote blog entries in Evernote into a folder called "Evernote Instructions." I then made the folder public. I paste the link on my website (or, GASP! have students write it down) and you now have access to my Evernote instructions notebook in Evernote (that's mouthfull!).... So?


Now anything I put in that folder you can see!   Its a website you can create just by making "notes". Add to it by putting notes in the folder and you can do it from ANY device, anywhere.  Evernote is NOW your website... I do not like to use the generic "Public folder" for one reason.  I WANT MORE CONTROL.

• I want to be more organized than just throwing ALL my public notes into one folder.
• I do not want to confuse anyone with irrelevant information or notes.
• I may want to NOT make some notes public... anymore.

It's like everything else - Get organized first. As a classroom teacher I may just want the topic I am teaching to be public.  So I make my "Simple Machines" notebook public.  Add to it as needed.  When we are finished with simple machines I can make the folder private again and make the next topic public.  Extra Credit?  Folder make it public WHEN they can do it.  Private when it is too late.  Other ideas...?

Students can make a folder public... add to it (do their assignment(s)) and send the link to the teacher.  Make a folder for each class/teacher

PS - There is a caveat to this...  I want you to read THIS BLOG. I am just cutting and pasteing from the blog to put in Evernote then link back to this blog. 

PSS -- Why no specific instructions?  Stay tuned!

I am not going to explain too many basics in Evernote except to say that it IS pretty much a word processor and has all the functions and icons are the same as in most all other applications.  Of course if you are not sure what an icon means or does - Click on it and find out!  I know that sounds simplistic and crude but it really is the best way.  I really never do much with fonts and sizes because I believe more in the content.  Function (content) before form (formatting)!  Make it pretty later.  Sometimes you also might lose some formatting when switching between device/platforms.


The few things I will explain are;

• There is no "Save" button in Evernote.   It saves "on the fly" so to speak.  What you really MUST do is click on the circular arrows which means sync.  This will upload/download to all your devices.
• The attachment icon (paperclip) is how you INSERT a picture into your note.
• Voice recordings do NOT translate it to text.  It is saved as a sound file. (But you can use an app called Dragon Diction and then save the text to Evernote!)
• The App, the Website, and the Computer Application are all very similar... but slightly different (redundant?).  For instance I have not found a way to create a folder on the App but I can do it on the Computer app and website.
  
• Teachers might require students to use "Word" to type their documents and the like.... Fine.  Students - save it all to Evernote... Then Copy and Paste it into Word.
• Evernote can also automatically add data from your calendar and your location. I do no like this feature but it could come in handy.
  

Someone asked me once what tagging is.  So here goes!

It is quite simple really.  Tagging something is putting a "tag" (or two or three) on an item which then gives you a way to sort those items.  For instance as a user (you) you can click on one of the tags on the right and it will show everything I put that tag on.  For instance click on Evernote and anything I tagged with Evernote will be displayed.  Yes, I can add more than one tag and you the user can select more than one tag too.  An easier way to think of tags is... As a folder label.  Except with tags I can put the same item in more than one folder!  Tagging is a great way to organize your digital things.  Many of you might have been tagged in Facebook.  This is good. That way you can click on your name and see all the photos you have been tagged in.  You may NOT have posted that picture but you are in it and someone tagged you.

Another good example is bookmarks.  I use Delicious to save my bookmarks and have many of them tagged as what they are or rather what I WANT them tagged as.
Here are my bookmarks I have saved with an Evernote tag
https://delicious.com/ksmedberg/evernote
I can also see which bookmarks I tagged with Evernote AND Dropbox here.
https://delicious.com/ksmedberg/evernote+dropbox

The trick is that tagging only works if the creator actually TAGS things.  So tag away where and when you can.  It makes sorting things later on so much easier.

And here is great explanation too.

I have used (played with) Evernote for quite a while now with little success of encouraging others to use it.  So I am going make this the year of Evernote.  I will use it for "Everything I can" and get post about it here.  (Yeah, right!)  However first my dad is coming out and then I will get back to work!

If you do not know what Evernote is...  It is Everything!  An App, a website, a desktop application that all syncs to the web.  It is for word processing (note-taking) but audio and pictures work well too.  Notes are organized into notebooks and all can be tagged.  Notebooks can be shared, made public (private is the default) I do not know if others can have editing rights... yet. 

Price...? Free for the basic version - which is still very powerful.  I will only use the free version in my quest.

Here is something else I created earlier.
Stay tuned.