I am always looking for new ways to organize my anecdotals on my kids. I’ve tried a million things. (Perhaps exaggerated…..). I’ve tried word files, sticky notes, mailing labels and clipboards, graphic organizers…..the list goes on.
I do really love my mailing labels as a way to keep track of observations (I just take a sheet of labels, put each kid’s number in the top corner and keep the clipboard on my desk. Then at the end of the day or week, I transfer them to a page in my teacher’s notebook.) The problem I find, at times, is that: a) sometimes I need more space! b) they are difficult to keep organized by subject area, without having a separate clipboard for each subject.
Enter: Evernote.
One of the things I love about Evernote in my professional life is that it’s super easy to organize ideas. Now, I have a notebook for anecdotal notes. I keep my laptop open while kids are working. I wander. I make observations. I write things down. And then, I go to my computer and write up some notes, tagging entries, if I feel it’s needed. I have a running record of notes on my students, categorized by student, subject and day. I can print it off to put in a student’s file, or to share with parents. It’s easy. It’s organized. It’s accessible. I can add notes to it with my phone in other rooms (like the music room).
This is technology tool that I’m just learning about. Experimenting with, really. It’s a tool that I feel helps me, as an educator, keep better records on my kids, which is the key. For a web-based tool to make it in the day-to-day grind of a classroom. It has to be easy. This is easy. And it informs my teaching practice. That makes me a better educator.
The Musical Mathematician 