What is it?
The simplistic explanation of Evernote is that it is a notetaking application that is comparable to Microsoft’s OneNote. However, Evernote goes beyond a mere replacement for a pad of lined yellow paper. Evernote can be used as a tool to replace a notepad, but there are also other things you can do with Evernote.
The basic setup for Evernote is a web-based application like many other Web 2.0 tools. You can also download a program onto your computer to run Evernote outside of a web browser. Both Evernote and the application are free, but Evernote also offers a paid service. The paid version of Evernote increases the amount of information that you can transfer to and from your account. Although Evernote is a great service and they deserve money for their hard work on a great tool, the free account has enough features that should keep most people happy.
Evernote is organized like a cross between an email program and a social bookmarking site. Each note that you create can be organized into various folders (like an email program), and each note can have any number of tags (like a social bookmarking site). This makes organization very convenient and finding notes very easy. You can search by tags, you can search by text, or you can navigate through various folders to find what you need. The truncated image below shows how the desktop application is structured. Folders and searchable tags are on the far left column, the individual notes are viewable in the middle, and the actual notes are on the right. I think this is very similar to look and feel of Microsoft Outlook.
The actual note editing capabilities are comparable to Internet-based WYSIWYG editors like those found within blogs, wikis, etc. This basically means that you are able to do bulleted lists, bold, underline, and other simplistic text formatting.
Besides inserting text-based notes, you can insert other content within Evernote. You can insert an “Ink Note”, which would be great if you have a tablet PC.
You can also insert pictures, screenshots, and webcam images. I think this really extends Evernote into a scrapbook/notebook hybrid. Since everything can be tagged and organized into folders, you can really use Evernote for a variety of purposes.
One of the coolest features of Evernote is that it has OCR (optical character recognition) for pictures. This means that if you take a picture of a whiteboard or a napkin filled with notes, Evernote will read the words and add them to the searchable index. In the picture above, I could search for the word “hey” and my horrible drawing will appear since Evernote recognizes my drawing as words.
Another cool feature is that notes and folders can be shared with other Evernote users. This also extends Evernote beyond the yellow pad. Evernote can be used as a collaborative research tool, or as a project management tools
As I said previously, you can use Evernote from within your web browser or you can download the application. There are also versions of Evernote for a variety of smartphones. Even if you don’t have the app installed, Evernote gives you an email address to automatically add notes to your data. When you send images to the your Evernote email address, they are automatically added to your notebook.
Tutorials:
One benefit of Evernote offering a paid premium service is that the website has many ideas for using Evernote and video tutorials. It is the perfect place to go for help. There is also a User Guide, FAQ, and a user forum.
Challenges:
As with any tool, the initial challenge will be to create accounts and install the application (if used). Beyond the normal hurdles, I think the biggest challenge with Evernote is that the tool does not lead to increased notetaking skills and organization. Organizational skills need to be directly taught. For a student that can’t keep a folder or binder organized, Evernote will not automatically help.
I am personally trying to get rid of my notepad and I am using Evernote. However, I am not an organized person. I am struggling at times with what constitutes a folder, and what determines if I need another note versus adding an item to a note. These are the same issues I have when using my yellow notepad. My greatest challenge is to overcome my organizational incompetence. People using Evernote in an educational environment or a work environment will need to keep this in mind.
Educational Objectives, Curricular Areas, and Lesson Ideas:
Evernote is a versatile tool that could be used in a variety of curricular areas. As a collaborative tool, Evernote could be used as a common location to gather resources for a group project. It could also be used as a tool to manage workflow of a group project since Evernote can easily be setup as a “To Do'” checklist. This could be for students, or for staff. If it is a student project, teachers could monitor group progress by viewing the shared notes created by the group.
Some districts directly integrate notetaking skills within the curriculum. This is a great idea because notetaking is not an innate ability to everyone. Evernote would be a natural match during these curricular activities. If schools do not directly teach study skills, Evernote could be an introduction to this concept.
