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Mackfam
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| Posted: Feb 25 2014 at 8:35pm | IP Logged
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We began talking about Charlotte Mason's Notebooks and I mentioned using Evernote as a planning tool. Though I enjoyed using Evernote for building a variety of notebooks, I mostly used it as a digital notebook for compiling home-making ideas. Celeste (DominaCaeli) was my original inspiration for using Evernote in planning, and in particular, for using Evernote to assemble audio files and resources for our Morning Basket. (Here is Celeste's original post on how she does this.)
After a few brief discussions of Evernote on the CM Notebooks thread, several people requested an Evernote thread all its own. So here it is!
I thought about moving some of the Evernote posts over here, but I didn't want to lose them on that thread, so I'm just going to bring some initial thoughts over on this original post for background:
Mackfam wrote:
One of my favorite notebooks is digital and free: Evernote.
I use Evernote as a place to organize notes and ideas, and inspired by Celeste, I organize our Morning Basket Memory Work there. I keep our Audio Files for hymns and folk songs there, as well as biographies for artists, and paintings for picture study, too. Evernote is a fabulous teacher notebook!
I also keep articles for a period of history organized there (usually for background reading or for older kids reading), and I organize science resources there in notebooks, too. It's great for craft ideas...almost anything!
It's helpful to keep many of my resources organized in these digital notebooks since there is so much available online for our help. The ease of use is what is very appealing to me, too. I can clip online and sync with my offline notebook to use. |
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Mackfam wrote:
Good luck getting your taxes done, Marilyn!  ...but so exciting that you have a fantastic reward lined up for when you're done!! 
MarilynW wrote:
| I am intrigued about Evernote - have made a note in my planner to investigate. Do you use your laptop or your phone or your ipad during the school day - eg for audio selections etc? I only have a laptop and am hoping that I can try Evernote on this. |
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I primarily use my laptop. But you can use any of those devices - there's an app for all of them. When we have errands or it's a car-schooling day, I can bring our ipad along. Since Evernote syncs across all devices, I just have to open Evernote on the ipad and there are all my notebooks: the Morning Basket, my history notebooks, science, our audio files, poetry, art - everything. It's enough that we can easily complete a solid day of school using my Evernote notebooks on a day out so that I may ask for some reading time once we're home, but the majority of the school day is complete!
I think Evernote works across a variety of platforms (I use it on a mac, an ipad, and my phone and love how it syncs seamlessly):
Android
iPhone
Windows
iPad
Mac
Hopefully Celeste will chime in with her thoughts, too, since she's the one that inspired me in the first place! |
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DominaCaeli wrote:
Mackfam wrote:
Hopefully Celeste will chime in with her thoughts, too, since she's the one that inspired me in the first place! |
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To think that *I* inspired the great JEN! ;) I echo Marilyn's sentiments in that I'm happy to help whenever I can. 
Like Jen mentioned, I have been using Evernote for our memory work for a couple years now. I can't imagine using anything else--it's so perfectly suited for this purpose. I can add mp3s, pdfs, cut-and-paste, move from one note to another as we move a selection from daily work, then weekly, then monthly. I set things up on my laptop (it's easier to move things around when I have a regular keyboard/mouse rather than trying to do those things on an app), then use my phone or tablet to play through that day's memory work at the breakfast table. So like Jen said, it's completely portable. But you could also just use the laptop version if you prefer that.
(I also use Evernote for all my school planning. So I consider it indispensable for more uses that just memory work. But I do think it's a particularly great match.)
For nature journals: we use the Canson field sketchbooks Jen linked and love them. My daughter and I have the 9x12 and my son likes the 7x10. No complaints! I also buy watercolor paper in various sizes (ATC-size and the Ready-Cut sheets that Strathmore makes), and we do our watercolor washes on those and tape them in.
You can see our Calendar of Firsts here. My version is less strict--I include both "firsts" as well as just general notes as we notice them ("sycamores are half-bare" or "seems like we have more robins in the backyard lately," etc.). I printed the pages on white cardstock and keep them in a regular black binder that also houses are life lists, our yard maps, our annual gardening notes, etc. We started it last January, so now we're getting to the point where we can compare one year to the other--and wow, it's so fun! Seriously, I've been geeking out this past month over how the first blossom on our plum tree was exactly two weeks "early" this year and other nature trivia!  |
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Mackfam wrote:
DominaCaeli wrote:
| (I also use Evernote for all my school planning. So I consider it indispensable for more uses that just memory work. But I do think it's a particularly great match.) |
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I started using Evernote in my planning and gathering of resources this year, and love it! So, I really wanted to highlight Celeste's mention of it! As I plan, I grab resources, and articles, even book links (clipping a picture of a book I want to consider and follow up on). Then, I break the notes out of planning notebooks into Term notebooks for particular children. The past two terms, I grouped several articles together for my high school dd studying current events...and Physics videos, biographies of authors, etc.
Since there are basic word processing features as part of Evernote, I can add notes, thoughts, and specific assignments right to the top of a note. I can add a table, text, link, divider lines. For Latin, I can even record myself carefully enunciating the Latin vocabulary and attach it right to the note. It's a very versatile notebook tool for the home educator!
Also, if we're focusing on specific themes in nature study, for example, I might research those themes a bit, and drop articles and illustrations into Evernote so that I have it all at hand when we start studying that particular thing during the term.
I think Evernote is a fantastic way to organize "digital notebooks", and is especially well suited to teacher notebooks and planning. There are just so many great resources online that are such a help! Evernote lets you organize in notebooks, adding notes and thoughts, and you can even email your notes.
So....just adding on to Celeste's inspiring thoughts on Evernote as a digital notebook. |
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greengables wrote:
Mackfam wrote:
DominaCaeli wrote:
| (I also use Evernote for all my school planning. So I consider it indispensable for more uses that just memory work. But I do think it's a particularly great match.) |
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I started using Evernote in my planning and gathering of resources this year, and love it! ...
I think Evernote is a fantastic way to organize "digital notebooks", and is especially well suited to teacher notebooks and planning. There are just so many great resources online that are such a help! Evernote lets you organize in notebooks, adding notes and thoughts, and you can even email... |
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Wow! I started using Evernote during a long drive yesterday and today.
I was able to transfer some 40+ random notes into 11 useful notebooks. The notes are now organized - easy to find and easy to add to, albeit boring - no mp3, pics, etc..., but I have begun.
ElizLeone wrote:
This string has been so helpful, and I too would love to see an Evernote planning post!  Thanks to all you ladies for your wonderful ideas. |
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I second that, Elizabeth.
If someone starts a thread on Evernote, it won't hurt my feelings - even if it isn't a tutorial, but more a place to ask a question about it. After all, there is a lot to it!
I will start with the first question! So... We'll just "pretend" I have created a fabulous "Jen-like" OR "Celeste-like" notebook on ...say... Memory work or a particular nature study like birds. Is it possible for the child to access that Evernote on an iPad or iPhone WITHOUT accidentally deleting or changing the notebook? OR do I need to be very careful to teach him by walking him through it and explaining how to use it and what you want to be careful NOT to do?
Sorry that was such a wordy question! I know there is a much simpler way to ask, "how do you keep a child from making accidental changes on an Evernote notebook?" There! I said it!
I am still having trouble using 4real -quoting and all that. It is amazing I was able to use Evernote at all!
Greengables |
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DominaCaeli wrote:
greengables wrote:
| Is it possible for the child to access that Evernote on an iPad or iPhone WITHOUT accidentally deleting or changing the notebook? |
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Yes, it is possible! There are two options, I think:
:: Create an Evernote account for your child and then "share" the notebooks you want him to view. If you don't want him to be able to make changes, you can check that under the share invite--there's an option to make it view-only.
:: Have the child access the notebooks through your account. If he's looking at your notes on a phone or tablet, he'll have to click the edit button to make changes anyway. It's not immediately editable in mobile format. So it's riskier but protected slightly in that regard--unless he chooses to load it in an edit screen, it will just be viewable. (On a computer, this is not the case.)
Hope that helps! (Jen can chime in and correct me if I'm wrong here. I have only sparingly used shared notebooks, so I don't have much experience. ;)) |
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Really, the possibilities are pretty wide and varied in terms of how Evernote can work as a good tool in home education! So...we can talk all-things-Evernote here!
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Jen Mackintosh
Wife to Rob, mom to dd 19 , ds 16, ds 11, dd 8, and dd 3
Wildflowers and Marbles
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Mackfam
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| Posted: Feb 25 2014 at 8:37pm | IP Logged
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DominaCaeli wrote:
greengables wrote:
| Is it possible for the child to access that Evernote on an iPad or iPhone WITHOUT accidentally deleting or changing the notebook? |
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Yes, it is possible! There are two options, I think:
:: Create an Evernote account for your child and then "share" the notebooks you want him to view. If you don't want him to be able to make changes, you can check that under the share invite--there's an option to make it view-only.
:: Have the child access the notebooks through your account. If he's looking at your notes on a phone or tablet, he'll have to click the edit button to make changes anyway. It's not immediately editable in mobile format. So it's riskier but protected slightly in that regard--unless he chooses to load it in an edit screen, it will just be viewable. (On a computer, this is not the case.)
Hope that helps! (Jen can chime in and correct me if I'm wrong here. I have only sparingly used shared notebooks, so I don't have much experience. ;)) |
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Yes! As Celeste mentioned, it is completely possible!
Sharing a Notebook
Celeste already mentioned this in her answer, just share the notebook by emailing a child(ren) an invitation. You can set whether or not the notebook is view only or editable, then the child accepts your invitation and they will be able to see the notebook you've made now. To share a notebook, you need to click on the share icon above the list of notebooks...or....if you're viewing all your notebooks at once, there is a small icon on each notebook (the rectangle with the arrow coming out of it) that allows you to share that notebook.
Sharing a Single Note
Another option is to create a public link to one page of a notebook - one note. You do this by looking at the options in the upper right menu nav bar just above the individual note - you should see a gray arrow that curves up and to the right. If you click on that arrow, one of the options is to create a share URL for that one/individual note (this doesn't share an entire notebook, only one note). It makes the note public through that link, so you need to be aware of that. Share that URL and anyone should be able to view that one note.
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Jen Mackintosh
Wife to Rob, mom to dd 19, ds 16, ds 11, dd 8, and dd 3
Wildflowers and Marbles
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greengables
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| Posted: Feb 25 2014 at 10:50pm | IP Logged
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Thank you, Celeste and Jen, for the info on how the children can access Evernote without fear of deleting all the hard work!
Jen, I appreciate the thread. I am sure I will have more questions as I get more into it.
:)
God bless,
Greengables
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May God bless you,
Greengables - wife to best friend and mother to 11 blessings on earth
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asplendidtime
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| Posted: Feb 26 2014 at 10:24am | IP Logged
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Thank you! Very interesting!
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Angie Mc
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| Posted: Feb 26 2014 at 11:39am | IP Logged
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I'm an Evernote fan! I'll read this thread later this week and post how I use Evernote personally and how we use it as a family. I mainly use it for Time Management.
Great job, ladies!
Love,
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Angie Mc
Maimeo to Henry! Dave's wife, mom to Mrs. Devin+Michael Pope, Aiden 20,Ian 17,John Paul 11,Catherine (heaven 6/07)
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CrunchyMom
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| Posted: Feb 26 2014 at 12:11pm | IP Logged
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Thank you Jen for compiling all this. Lots of great info.
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Lindsay
Five Boys(6/04) (6/06) (9/08)(3/11),(7/13), and 1 girl (5/16)
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ElizLeone
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Thank you in advance, Angie. I can't wait to hear how you use Evernote!
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Angel
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| Posted: Feb 28 2014 at 5:47pm | IP Logged
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Have y'all seen Moleskine's Evernote Smart Notebook? I ran across it in a search the other day and thought it looked interesting, except I was never able to get started with Evernote. I'll be reading back through all these posts, though, to see if I should give it another shot.
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Angela
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AmandaV
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| Posted: Feb 28 2014 at 7:03pm | IP Logged
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I'd love to see a "day in the life" with use of evernote. Or several. Like how you set up a morning basket or memory work notebook. I know the how to, I guess, but how you make it work. I know just the basics and am working on a memory work notebook or stack and morning basket stack. Too much paper is driving us crazy and i think this would be an ideal use of the technology we have. If I did it downstairs I could use our apple tv on main speakers as well, or TV if there are youtube videos. I'd also love a "how it goes when I use this" kind of description or post. Such as, we sit on the couch, I have my iPad, I click the "daily" note for our memory work. I read/the children listen, or I read and leave out words, etc. Then I click the odd or even note and we recite those. Etc. Is that too elementary?
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Amanda
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DominaCaeli
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AmandaV wrote:
I'd love to see a "day in the life" with use of evernote. Or several. Like how you set up a morning basket or memory work notebook. I know the how to, I guess, but how you make it work. I know just the basics and am working on a memory work notebook or stack and morning basket stack. Too much paper is driving us crazy and i think this would be an ideal use of the technology we have. If I did it downstairs I could use our apple tv on main speakers as well, or TV if there are youtube videos. I'd also love a "how it goes when I use this" kind of description or post. Such as, we sit on the couch, I have my iPad, I click the "daily" note for our memory work. I read/the children listen, or I read and leave out words, etc. Then I click the odd or even note and we recite those. Etc. Is that too elementary? |
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I don't think it's too elementary, Amanda! I'm working on a post on this, but I'm not sure when I'll have it ready, so I'll share here first. (And just to be clear, I'm effectively using the SCM memory system but instead of an index card holder, I have it organized in Evernote. And instead of just Scripture, I use it for hymns, folk songs, poems, and whatever else we're learning. So when I'm referring to daily, odds, date, etc.--you can read all about that format over on the SCM site.)
This is how memory work looks for us, using yesterday's date as an example:
I sit down at the breakfast table with either my phone or tablet and open up Evernote while my son or daughter leads our calendar work (partly so I know what day it is for memory work! ). We usually do memory work next, so I open up the notes in the order I have listed here. For poems and scripture passages, I read the title, and the child takes over from there. For songs, I start playing the song and they sing along.
:: Date note (for the 27th of each month): My son recites "Knight-in-Armor" by AA Milne. They both sing "You're a Grand Old Flag" along with a YouTube version whose link I have pasted under the lyrics. They then recite together one of our Italian series: "I Eat Breakfast/Io Faccio Colazione."
:: Day-of-the-week note (for Thursday): My son recites "Christmas Everywhere" by Phillips Brooks and they both sing together "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear" from an mp3 version I have attached.
:: Odds note (for all odd-numbered dates): They both recite the Nunc Dimittis (Luke 2:29-32). My daughter recites "The Rockaby Lady from Hushaby Street" by Eugene Field. They both sing "California, Here I Come" along with a YouTube version.
:: Daily note (for the ones we're currently learning): I usually save our daily selections for our Naptime Block, which is when we do "binder work." Their binders include our current memory work printed out for them to read along with: a folk song, a scripture passage, a hymn, a poem. Once they have learned these, I recycle the papers and we go from memory using Evernote, so our printed daily work is temporary. (Well, they do usually illustrate their poems and keep those--but that's their own choice.) I still have our daily work as a note there in Evernote because it is *my* reference (I don't have printed versions of our current selections for myself).
So at naptime when they have their binders out, I click on the Daily Tab and we work our way through it. Right now, that includes:
Bible - The Magnificat
Folk Song - "I Love You, California"
Hymn - "Pange Lingua Gloriosi"
Poem - "Rushes in a Watery Place" and "What Do the Stars Do" for my son, and "Hurt No Living Thing" and "Fly Away, Fly Away" for my daughter - all by Rossetti
When we're first learning our memory work, I read the passage or the poem for the first few days (just once a day). Once they get a feel for it, they read it from their paper (still, just once a day). As soon as they're able they take over from memory, usually stanza by stanza. Once they have learned it, we move on to a new selection (and I replace the pages in their binder with new print-outs). For songs, I play it and they just listen, then eventually they try to sing along using the lyrics, and once they're able to sing along from memory, we start something new. (We usually only learn the chorus and first verse for most songs. They're free to learn more on their own time--and my daughter often does--but that's all I usually require before moving on.)
So this week, for example,
:: I read the Magnificat aloud (it's new)
:: I played "I Love You, California" from YouTube, and they sang along to maybe half of it
:: They sang the first stanza of Pange Lingua from memory, and then I played the second stanza while they followed on their print-out
:: They recited all their poems from memory (so we'll be moving on to new ones next week)
By the way: if you want to cut paper entirely from this system, you could definitely have them learn the new selections just by ear. I do this with all of our foreign language study. But I have two visual learners that really prefer to have the lyrics/words in front of them for our regular memory work. (Not only do they prefer it, but they are much more efficient when given a visual prompt--my daughter will learn memory work at least twice as fast having seen it rather than just having it read to her. So I work with that.)
Okay, sorry that was so long! I hope that gives you an idea of how at least memory work might look on a daily basis, Amanda. :)
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Blessings,
Celeste
Joyous Lessons
Mommy to six: three boys (8, 4, newborn) and four girls (7, 5, 2, and 1)
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4Real Forums : Planning and Ordering our Days
Topic: Using Evernote in Planning
