Classroom in the Cloud, ch. 1

          I have used Dropbox during my undergraduate work as a means of turning in assignments, however I have chosen Evernote to explore for this blog post because I am completely unfamiliar with the program. The chapter goes into detail on Evernote from pages 29-36.
          The text describes the Evernote app as "...a Cloud-based note-taking program..." that can create and hold up to 100,000 notes.  The program is web-based, meaning that is can be accessed from essentially any device with internet access. The notes that can be created on this program are not limited to text; they can include images, sounds, and more. A useful feature of Evernote is that the notes created can also be shared with other Evernote users.
          Page 30 goes into detail describing each of the "Bells and Whistles" of the Evernote app. These features include reminders, checkbox, attachments, grids, voice memo, tags, and work chat. Three of these features that especially stood out to me were the reminders, grids, and tags. The Reminders feature can be set to send a daily reminder to the user. I go through stacks of sticky notes every semester! By using this special feature I could have my reminders kept digitally on my device, and be sent to me on a daily basis. The Grids feature grabbed my attention as well. I tend to be an organized person, and as a visual learner I thrive when my work space, my notes, and even my thoughts are organized in a visually pleasing way. By using the grid feature I am assured a visually pleasing note-taking platform. Lastly, the Tags feature stood out to me because it is yet another way to keep my online work space organized. Each note taken on Evernote can be tagged. Each tag represents a category, such as "Essays," "Projects," "Ideas," etc. This categorization is basically representative of an online filing cabinet.
          Based off the reading I have done, and a recent conversation with a peer who uses Evernote regularly, I have concluded that this would be a fantastic app to be used in a classroom setting. As a teacher, I could use Evernote as a means of keeping my lesson plans in order and within easy access so that I can look at them wherever I am. I could also use it as a means of organizing my brainstorms (and therefore using up less sticky notes!) Not only does this seem like an effective app for a teacher's use, but students would benefit from the Evernote program as well. Through this app, students would be able to access their work through any device that has internet. This would be helpful for the diversity of devices found in students' homes. Evernote could also create an online environment for students to share notes and ideas with peers. By using the Reminders feature, the teacher could send reminders for assignments to students as a way of keeping students accountable and on-track. Evernote would also allow for students to access all notes taken throughout the year when studying for a test or just for reference on an assignment.
          I have concluded that the Evernote app would be a positive addition to a classroom environment. Not only would it help me (the teacher) to stay organized, but it would also give students the flexibility of working on the device on which they feel the most comfortable, or the device to which they have the most ready access.