We had a district Twitter chat last week, entitled “Sharing is Caring.” One question in the chat asked us which resource we love the most. I’m proud to say that when it comes to resources that help keep my sanity, the love of my life is Google Keep.
Here’s why:
1. I can take my sticky notes wherever I go. My desk at school used to be covered in multi-colored Post-its. Inevitably, notes got lost, I would forget about them if I wasn’t at my desk, and ultimately, they led to even more stress. I love Google Keep because I have my same sticky notes at my desk in school, in the classroom, at home, on my phone. Moreover, I can make whole lists on a sticky note (even with little checkboxes to mark off to help me feel even more productive!). And I can have a bazillion of them! Okay, so that’s probably a weakness--I need to be more selective with my lists...
A zoomed-out look at my Google Keep <3 <3 <3 (The stars are my attempt at happy anonymity.)
2. I can share my sticky notes with other Google friends. Collaboration, a core of Google Apps for Education, makes me a better educator. Between PLCs, clubs, team-teaching, and lots of other collaborative relationships, I’m constantly working with other people to share ideas and tasks. Google Keep to the rescue! I can create a note and share it with a colleague (much like a Google Doc), allowing us to communicate more efficiently and share tasks more clearly. This process totally transforms our collaboration: we don’t need to get lost in email chains or leave Post-its for each other. Instead, our shared lists become part of the Cloud. Bonus: a colleague in the Twitter chat noted that he also shares notes with his wife about tasks at home and grocery lists--super handy!
3. Google Keep keeps me focused with student communication. With five classes of students and only 47 minutes with each one, I find that my days fly by. Unfortunately, I also usually have eight million things I need to check in with students about one-on-one. I’ve tried a lot to help me keep that organized (especially in those 47 minutes): Post-its on the top of my laptop, a document with a list of who I need to talk to, written lists in a notebook. Nothing really solved the problem. And to be honest, Google Keep hasn’t entirely solved the problem: I still do forget sometimes. However, Keep has been the best thus far at helping me keep a quick list of who I need to talk to each day in each hour. I don’t need to open up a new document or remind myself to check a notebook: the list is always open in my Keep app (which is a tab I always have open on Chrome).
4. Most recently: Integration with Google Docs! I’m not yet super familiar with this feature, but I’m pumped about it. Google recently set up integration between Keep and Docs, allowing users to open a note on Keep alongside a Doc they’re working on. I’m excited to see how others use this feature, but I have my eyes set on using saved comments for my feedback on student work. Turnitin.com, our platform for checking for plagiarism, has always had a “saved comment” feature, allowing teachers to save a bank of comments to refer back to for student work. The Keep/Docs marriage brings Google up to that level.
With my Google Keep notepad on the right, I just have to copy/paste the selected comment and insert it into a comment on the student's paper.
The pre-saved comment feature has saved me hours of typing on Turnitin.com, so I'm super excited to have that ability in Google, transforming my instruction by saving me a truckload of time in typing the same thing over...and over...again…
I think Google Keep is one of the most underrated Apps in the Google Suite, probably because it doesn't, at first glance, seem to have much direct impact on student learning. However, organization and efficiency are KEY in my feeling like a good teacher; when I'm in a funk, it usually means I need to clean up my email, Keep, desk, or folders. I would argue that investing the time in organization improves confidence and focus (which I'm sure has been supported by oodles of research!).
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