Google Keep
I found Google keep from ALA list of Best Apps for Teaching and Learning from ALA. Since we are switching to a google school platform, anything with Google in the title catches my attention. The premise of Google keep, as an online bulletin board or filing cabinet is one I love! While it isn't wildly different than pinterest, it is a bit more organized and professional feeling. Pinterest has an aspect of social networking on it that keeps me from posting everything I want there--will people really tolerate it if I post one MORE library bulletin board idea? So I create a secret board so I can pin 50 of similar things if I want to. But Google Keep just feels more tidy. There is also the question of filters--some schools block the use of pinterest, so Google Keep is able to corner that market.
For students, Google Keep is a great way for them to keep things organized as they do research or explore resources on the web. If they like a web page, they can make a note about it--maybe writing down a quote they would like to use from that page, maybe describing exactly what they liked on that page. For group work, they are able to click collaborate in order to share the links with other students in their group.
Trying it out, it seemed pretty painless. I downloaded the extension, signed in to Google and began to collect notes around the web. There is a little lightbulb icon at the end of the address bar, similar to a pinterest P. You click on the lightbulb and an image from the page and the page title appears in a little box at the top right. You can create a title for your note and then write additional content.
To keep things organized, you can add labels to your note when you save it. There is a little label icon to the bottom right of the note area, which allows you to add precreated labels.
Going to your Google Keep home looks a bit like a padlet or online bulletin board. For each note, you can choose what to do with it. You can pin it so it stays on your home screen, archive it, delete it, make it into a visual, etc. You are able to add a drawing to your notes, which is an interesting feature. I am not entirely sure why you would want to have a drawing on your note, but if you are a visual person, it might be handy. For me it is just sort of fun to draw narwhals on my notes.
To the left, there is an area to add labels to use when saving notes. If you want to add notes from your Google keep home, you can click on the three dots at the bottom right of your note, which opens a drop down menu. Add label allows you to add precreated labels or create one on the spot.
The reminder button is an interesting feature. I can see this being useful for time sensitive pages--like Black Friday Christmas shopping or the opening day for class registration for UB.
Overall, I think this is a useful addition to the Google family. I think students would use this frequently and I plan on using it as I begin planning my lessons for the upcoming year!
For students, Google Keep is a great way for them to keep things organized as they do research or explore resources on the web. If they like a web page, they can make a note about it--maybe writing down a quote they would like to use from that page, maybe describing exactly what they liked on that page. For group work, they are able to click collaborate in order to share the links with other students in their group.
Trying it out, it seemed pretty painless. I downloaded the extension, signed in to Google and began to collect notes around the web. There is a little lightbulb icon at the end of the address bar, similar to a pinterest P. You click on the lightbulb and an image from the page and the page title appears in a little box at the top right. You can create a title for your note and then write additional content.
To keep things organized, you can add labels to your note when you save it. There is a little label icon to the bottom right of the note area, which allows you to add precreated labels.
Going to your Google Keep home looks a bit like a padlet or online bulletin board. For each note, you can choose what to do with it. You can pin it so it stays on your home screen, archive it, delete it, make it into a visual, etc. You are able to add a drawing to your notes, which is an interesting feature. I am not entirely sure why you would want to have a drawing on your note, but if you are a visual person, it might be handy. For me it is just sort of fun to draw narwhals on my notes.
To the left, there is an area to add labels to use when saving notes. If you want to add notes from your Google keep home, you can click on the three dots at the bottom right of your note, which opens a drop down menu. Add label allows you to add precreated labels or create one on the spot.
The reminder button is an interesting feature. I can see this being useful for time sensitive pages--like Black Friday Christmas shopping or the opening day for class registration for UB.
Overall, I think this is a useful addition to the Google family. I think students would use this frequently and I plan on using it as I begin planning my lessons for the upcoming year!
Comments
Post a Comment