Part 6: Staying Secure with Evernote

This is another wonderful guest post written by Justin Stallings. For more information about Evernote or Justin’s previous posts see below.

 A few weeks ago, a good friend of mine had his home broken into.  The important part is that he and his family were not in harm’s way and are safe.  Unfortunately, however, some items were taken from his home–including his laptop.  When that happened, it got me thinking about my own computer, tablet, and mobile device and what I should do if something like that should happen to me.

Not only have I thought about security of my devices themselves, I have also thought about security with my Evernote account.  Evernote is installed on my desktop, smartphone, and my tablet.  Because I have the ease of access with Evernote on all my devices, I also considered what should happen to my Evernote account should one of my devices were stolen.  Fortunately for Evernote users, there are several ways to have more security with your Evernote account.

What does Evernote say about security?

Here’s Evernote’s official statement regarding security:

Evernote is committed to protecting the security of your information and takes reasonable precautions to protect it. However, Internet data transmissions, whether wired or wireless, cannot be guaranteed to be 100% secure and as a result we cannot ensure the security of information you transmit to us; accordingly, you acknowledge that you do so at your own risk. Once we receive your data transmission, we make all commercially reasonable efforts to ensure its security on our systems:

  • Your Evernote password is protected by encryption and only you have access to it;
  • Your personal information and data stored in our systems is protected by various physical, electronic and procedural safeguards. It is housed in a secure facility and Evernote restricts physical and network access to this facility to select trained staff and regularly evaluates its technologies, facilities, procedures and potential risks to maintain the security and privacy of our users’ data. As a rule, Evernote employees do not monitor or view your personal information or content stored in the Evernote service, but it may be viewed if we learn that our Terms of Service may have been violated and confirmation is required, or we otherwise determine that we have an obligation to review it; and
  • Certain Evernote services support the use of standard SSL encryption to protect data transmissions. However, this is not a guarantee that such data transmissions cannot be accessed, altered or deleted due to firewall or other security software failures.

If Evernote learns of a security system breach we may attempt to notify you and provide information on protective steps, if available, through the e-mail address that you supplied during registration or posting a notice on our web site. Depending on where you live, you may have a legal right to receive such notices in writing.  

Source: evernote.com

Safety tips with Evernote Desktop

I do a majority of my work on my laptop–everything from blogging, researching on the web, and organizing my resources in my Evernote account.  For quick and easy access, I have the Evernote Desktop installed on my PC.  All I have to do is click on the Evernote icon on my desktop and I’m in.  With that being said, however, if someone were to steal my laptop it would be that easy for them to access my Evernote account (besides of course if they were somehow able to get passed my Windows log-in password).  Here are some safe practices I use with my Evernote Desktop:

1.  Make “signing out” a habit

Is it a pain in the rear to sign into your Evernote account every time you boot up your computer?  Sure.  However, consider this:  Is it more of a pain to sign in your account every time or having someone access your Evernote account and you trying to prevent as little as damage as possible by changing your password and other potent data?  Once you sign out of your Evernote account, you’ll be more secure than just staying signed in the entire time:

If someone steals your computer, don’t make it easier on them by just letting them into your Evernote account with no effort at all.  By not selecting the “stay signed in” option, it makes whoever steals your computer put in your user id and password (see the bottom of this post for tips on how to create a strong password).

Again, this makes things a lot less easy for you to sign in to your account–but anything that’s easy for you is equally easy for for any would-be thieves out there as well.

2.  How to encrypt sensitive data in a Evernote note

We talk a lot these days about going digital in the classroom–everything from assessments, projects, and record keeping.  For educators, some might keep sensitive student data (such as contact information or student ID numbers) in the “cloud” for access to wherever they are at.  The one thing that should be discussed and considered is how safe that data will be once you place it in the online database.  With Evernote, you can add a 2nd level of security to any note data by “encrypting” it in the Evernote note.  Here’s what it would look like and how to do it:

Example of text in a Evernote note:

With this feature in Evernote, encrypting sensitive data might be something you would want to consider.  As in this example, should you choose to use Evernote to keep information about your students, you can encrypt it to make sure that if someone is able to hack into your Evernote account they will have to also hack into the encrypted information.

 

Example of how to select data you want to encrypt:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Example of creating a encryption password in Evernote:

As with any password, you’ll want to create a strong password for your encryption password as well.  Be sure to check out the end of this post for more information on how to create strong passwords.

(Image credit: Screenshot by Ed Rhee/CNET “How to encrypt selected text in Evernote“)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

How data encryption looks once you are done:

Once you are done, that data will now be “encrypted” for more security.  As you can see in this image, the data is no longer visible just by signing into your Evernote account–you will be required to enter your encryption password to access that data as well.  You can do that by double-clicking the encrypted image and it will then prompt you to enter in your password to get access to it.

Safety tips for your mobile device

Safety while on your mobile device is something that should be practiced just as much as safety while on a computer.  Fortunately, Evernote also takes safety on mobile devices into consideration by allowing you to set up a “pin lock” on your Evernote account.  It is important to note, however, that this is a “premium” feature.  Here’s a post on what you’ll get with Evernote premium, “Ten reasons to go premium“.

Here’s an example of what the “pin lock” feature looks like on Android.  Once you go to the Evernote app, you’ll be prompted to enter in your pin number in order to access your account.  This really is a excellent feature to use for security on your phone, should you happen to lose your phone or if it gets stolen.  You can enable this feature on the Evernote app by going to settings—–>other options–>setup pin lock (Android).  You can do the same thing on your tablet or Ipad should you choose to have that 2nd level of security as well.

Other Security Resources

Though the main purpose of this post is to discuss security with Evernote, it is also important to emphasize the importance of practicing good security measures when you are using your computer and when you are connected to the internet.  Here are some resources that might give you some ideas on how to stay secure on your computer and electronic devices, as well as on Evernote:

Evernote

Evernote privacy policy

Evernote’s Three Laws of Data Protection

Freetech4teachers.com:

Three simple tools for creating strong passwords

Resources for Safer Internet Day

Cell Phone Security

Android security

Iphone security

Educationaltechnologyguy.com

E-safety resources

Please see my other posts in this series, Evernote for the Social Studies:

Part 1: Evernote for the Social Studies: What is Evernote

Part 2: Evernote for the Social Studies: Evernote in the History Class

Part 3: Evernote for the Social Studies: Evernote and Skitch

Part 4: Evernote for the Social Studies: Lesson Planning with Evernote

Part 5: Evernote for the Social Studies: Evernote and Study Blue

Evernote for Educators Livebinder

 

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Apply for the Gilder Lehrman Teacher Seminar Today

Gilder Lehrman Teacher Seminars span a range of historical topics, from colonial times to the present. Led by eminent historians, Teacher Seminars are held at major educational and historical institutions and feature content that is intellectually rich and academically rigorous. This year, new coursework and assistance will help align seminar content with Common Core State Standards.

Submission deadline:  February 15, 2013 

 

I attended the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History on 9/11 and American Memory last summer. The seminar was absolutely amazing! We learned from experts  about how the United States and the world have dealt with tragedy and loss with events such as the Civil War, Pearl Harbor, the Holocaust, Vietnam, and 9/11. We worked with the amazing team of 9/11 memorial experts who are involved in the planning of the 9/11 Memorial Museum, Fire Chief and 9/11 survivor Jay Jonas, and experts in the field of memory such as  the seminar leader David Blight.

 

Our seminar took a personal tour of the 9/11 museum that is NOT open to the public. Even though it is still under construction, we could instantly observe the beauty, sacredness, and careful planning involved in creating the museum.  I am so impressed with the planning and extensive collection the 9/11 historic site, website, and museum will offer to visitors and generations to honor the victims of September 11th, 2001. I would HIGHLY recommend any of the summer seminars but I particularly enjoyed the 9/11 American Memory session.

 

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Getting in Bed with Gadgets

There’s no question that in recent years, regular smartphone, tablet, and other gadget users have developed a strong bond with their technology. More and more people find themselves riddled with separation anxiety if they leave their phone at home, or even if it’s in a different room. For many gadget users, a popular time to get really plugged in to technology is in the downtime right before bed—in fact, more and more people will say that they can’t sleep without spending time reading a tablet, browsing the web, or watching Netflix. But this particular time for gadget addiction, right before going to sleep, can be more harmful than helpful to good rest.

 

New studies show that not only are most people sleeping with their smartphones in the bed with them, they’re also struggling to sleep well, even if they don’t realize it. Not only does the light from your gadgets suppress sleep-inducing melatonin, there’s a good chance that you’ve been woken up by a call or text message in the middle of the night recently. In fact, many people say that if they happen to awake in the middle of the night, the natural reaction is to reach for their phone. The psychology behind why we feel so addicted to our gadgets is a field that is just now burgeoning, and for the future health of technology users everywhere, it’s probably worth looking into.

Badgets in Bed Infographic

This graphic and post are from OnlinePsychologyDegree.net

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Nominate your Favorite Blog!

Nominate your favorite educational blog or social media website for the Edublog Awards. It is an annual event that is a nice way to recognize educators making a difference. You have until November 26th to make your nominations, and can learn about the process here.  The purpose of the Edublog awards is promote and demonstrate the educational values of these social mediaWorking together, Edublogs create an invaluable resource of the best-of-the-best on the web!

How Does It Work?

There are 3 parts to the awards:

  1. Nominations – NOW through November 26th
  2. Voting – TBA
  3. The Live Awards Ceremony – TBA

How To Nominate

To nominate your favorites, we’re following the same approach as the last four years, namely asking you to:

  • Write a post with your nominations for the different categories on your own blog (or a website – anywhere public)
  •  Send us the link to your nomination post via the form at the bottom of the Nominations Page

Here are the categories in full – nominations are open from now until Monday, November 26th!

So go nominate your favorite blogs, twitterers, community sites, videos, podcasts and more… for 2012:

  • Best individual blog
  • Best group blog
  • Best new blog
  • Best class blog
  • Best student blog
  • Best ed tech / resource sharing blog
  • Best teacher blog
  • Best library / librarian blog
  • Best administrator blog
  • Most influential blog post
  • Best individual tweeter
  • Best twitter hashtag
  • Best free web tool
  • Best educational use of audio / video / visual / podcast
  • Best educational wiki
  • Best open PD / unconference / webinar series
  • Best educational use of a social network
  • Best mobile app
  • Lifetime achievement

 

Citation from Edublogs Open Nominations 

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Obama re-elected, promises improvement in education reform. What’s next?

Guest Post written by Jillian Terry, who is a retired teacher and freelance writer who likes to help students improve their reading and writing skills. Jillian also actively contributes to a blog on teachingdegree.org. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to reach out to Jillian.

As the polls closed at 7 p.m. on Election Day, voters across the country began waiting in eager anticipation to learn the results of the Presidential Election. After hours and hours of waiting, around 10 p.m., it was announced that the majority of the Electoral College had chosen President Barak Obama over Governor Mitt Romney to lead the country for the next four years.

The Obama campaign headquarters in Chicago erupted in cheers and excitement as the newly re-elected president took to the stage to make a poignant victory speech. As expected, the President took some time to draw attention to the need for improved education policies across the nation. During his speech, Obama promised to expand “access to the best schools and best teachers” for the next four years.

This type of rhetoric is not foreign for President Obama. Time and time again, Obama has turned his and the nation’s attention to the need for education reform. For instance, during the final debate with Governor Romney, which was centered on foreign policy, Obama talked in detail about the Race to the Top program – an education grant that has incentivized the majority of states to implement education reforms. The President also alluded to the need to invest in all schools – ranging from preschool to university education.

Obama’s first term was focused on growing the accountability of schools so students could thrive and grow. During those four years, Obama attempted to pass a revised version of the Federal Education Act as well as a bill that would have significantly reduced teacher layoffs. Both acts were subsequently blocked by the Republican Congress majority. Furthermore, according to the National Education Association, the president also fought to keep class sizes small, protect more than 400,000 education jobs, and double investments in scholarships and financial aid programs. Enough with the first four years though; how will the Obama administration work to reform education the next four years?

“It’s clear the Obama administration will continue to make education a priority,” Jeffrey Henig, a political scientist at Columbia University told the Huffington Post. “It’s been a winner issue for them, even though teachers unions and some elements of the parent community are unhappy about some aspects.” Karen White, political director of the National Education Association – who was also quoted in the article – told the Huffington Post she believes Obama will focus his efforts on education affordability during this next term.

There are a myriad of agenda items Obama has said he wants to address while he is in office, but here are few of the major ones:

1. Tuition costs are rising, but President Obama wants to cut the cost of tuition in half by heavily investing in Pell grants, student debt management programs, education tax credits, and low-interest student loans.

2. Equality is always a controversial topic in education. Obama has said he wants to address the major ethnic disparities and education gaps amongst K-12 schools, colleges, and universities over the next four years.

3. Recognizing the importance of parental involvement in schools, Obama plans to further involve parents in the education process by providing $270 million for new parent-student education programs and activities

4. Back in his first term, Obama proposed a $30 billion bill to innovate and modernize schools throughout the United States. These improvements included new equipment, new textbooks, and numerous other upgrades. Those improvements are expected to continue throughout Obama’s next term.

5. Most importantly, Obama plans to revise the No Child Left Behind law. The changes Obama has initiated thus far have helped do away with the punishment aspects of the law and focus instead on celebrating growth and improvement in schools.

Other items to expect Obama to address in his next term include creating more substantial, long-term jobs for graduating college students; supporting job training initiatives for college graduates; and substantially growing the number of college graduates.

Obama struggled to negotiate, reason, and work with a Republican Congress during his first term, but perhaps the next four years will be different now that Obama has secured another four years. Will the president make significant enough progress in education reform so the U.S. can catch up with nations like South Korea, Finland, New Zealand, and Belgium when it comes to test scores and student performance? Well, we’ll just have to wait and see.

 

Jillian Terry is a retired teacher and freelance writer who likes to help students improve their reading and writing skills. Jillian also actively contributes to a blog on teachingdegree.org. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to reach out to Jillian.

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My Presentation at NCSS 2012 in Seattle

I presented at the National Social Studies Conference in Seattle, Washington on November 16th, 2012. What an amazing experience! I love sharing ideas and resources with other teachers. My room was packed with about 20 people standing in the back. My mom who was in the back of the room said people kept trying to come in but there was no room. I made a webpage on my blog with all the resources I used today so please click on the Mobile Devices tab. Here is the video of my presentation or see below.

Handouts

  • National Council for the Social Studies Presentation: Handout
  • National Council for the Social Studies Presentation 
  • Mobile Device Expectations in my Classroom: Handout
  • Introduction to Technology in my Classroom: Handout 
  • Like I mentioned in the session I said I would post this QR code lesson.
  • Here is also a previous blog post about Breaking the Ban.

 

Here are the comments from my session using Socrative as a review assessment: 

 

 

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Use Smartseat to enhance your classroom

I have been using the app Smart Seat  for almost a year now. It is one of the best applications to keep track of student attendance, randomly choose students, and change assigned seating. Smart Seat is an app that provides teachers with so many features such as: changing the classroom layout, taking attendance, choosing student’s for class participation, making notes about students, and learning students names. As a teacher you can move students randomly or you can place students in particular seats. You can also generate a print-out seating chart with photos for your substitute. You can take attendance with the tap of a button using the absent, tardy, or excused feature. Classroom management and organization will never be the same with this app!

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Instill Student Ownership and Accountability with Class Participation

Ever since I have started teaching I have tried to instill student ownership and accountability on every student. Every teacher grades classroom participation a little differently. I take pride in that I am sometimes the exception, my students grade  their OWN classroom participation with a specific rubric I designed. They evaluate and justify “why they deserve that grade?” I always joke with them when I say I have the final veto and override power over their participation grade (I’m a history teacher so they always laugh at that joke).

 

I find they are more critical of themselves when ranking their participation then I would have been. Sometimes I need to increase or decrease a student’s grade on the rubric if I think their participation is different than how they graded themselves. A wonderful of colleague of mine suggested to have a meeting with any student whose grade is lower than their evaluation. That way they can see how I evaluated and encouraged improvement with their classroom participation.

 

Another strength of the this method of evaluation is how they justify their grade with the why section of the rubric. That way it gives them a chance to reflect on their behavior, attitude, preparedness, and accountability. 90% of the time they write how they can improve their class participation. Through this method of evaluation my students are reflecting on their behavior but more importantly suggesting ways they can improve themselves. Don’t we want our students to be reflective lifelong learners?

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Please vote for my class

I entered my class in the My Big Campus Amazing Things Contest. Can you please vote for my class? My entry is called “Give Every Student a Voice.” You can vote by clicking “vote,” tweeting, or liking it on facebook.

 

Vote by clicking here

 

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Predict the Electoral College Assignment

This year I did a really interesting assignment but unfortunately I can only do it every four years. I figured I would share it with you. My senior government classes have been researching the election, the candidates, and the election process. I thought of an interesting assignment where they would have to predict what states would go Republican and which states would go Democratic (see map below). The day before the general election they predicted the exact vote count of the electoral college.  I had two students exactly predict the count (if Florida goes Democratic). Why is Florida always in question?

 

Two other teachers helped run a mock election at our school through the Youth Leadership Initiative. A little over half our student population at the high school voted on the ipads, which was actually a good turn out comparing we only had one day to vote because of Hurricane Sandy. Our students elected Barack Obama with a larger majority than the general election.

 

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Encourage full class participation with “chalk talk”

Last week I was introduced to the idea of “chalk talk” from a fabulous co-worker of mine.  What is chalk talk? Chalk talk is a silent way to generate ideas, solve a problem, or reflect on your learning. Student’s remain silent and they can comment on other student’s writing  generate their own ideas, or contribute to the class with a marker or a piece of chalk. You can even make it digital with a wallwisher.

 

My First Chalk Talk

After my class had a successful socratic seminar, I decided to put a prompt on the board (see image below) and I gave white board markers to my students. They had to go up to the board and write a statement, a reflection, a comment,  or a question. When a student was done writing they gave their marker to another student who did not reflect on the board. By the end of class we had a semi-organized interesting collection related to essencial question about political culture and politicians  My students liked the quiet generated by the class and they liked that they could to reflect on what other students were writing. I was especially moved by their ability to make connections to concepts learned from previous units or current events.  I have to say I was impressed chalk talk and my students said they liked how it made everyone participate silently!

How can you use Chalk Talk in a Lesson about Hurricane Sandy?

I am going to do another Chalk Talk on Monday, our first day back after the Hurricane to reflect about the government’s relief effort.  I think it will be an interesting way to connect the government’s response to my government course. I think I am going to make my question: “Does the government have a responsibility to get involved after a natural disaster such as a hurricane?”

 

For more information about Chalk Talk visit the Education Alliance from Brown University.

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8 States Going All In On Online Learning

This is a guest post from Online Learning on October 21st.

Today, there are more than 2 million students enrolled in distance education courses at the K-12 level and more than 6 million taking courses at the college level. That’s a significant portion of America’s students, and some education experts estimate that by the next decade nearly every student will take an online course at some point in their education. Those statistics are both the result of and the driving force behind many states’ push to expand and grow online education, both for their K-12 students and in their public universities and colleges. While online education is growing in popularity in virtually every part of the United States, some state governments and education departments are pushing it harder than others. Here, we highlight just a few of the states that are working to make online education accessible, varied, and in some cases, a fundamental part of a well-rounded education.

  1. California:

    California’s university system, one of the largest in the U.S., is embracing online education wholeheartedly. In early 2012, the state announced plans to create a centralized learning hub for all universities in the state system, creating a top-tier virtual campus for students to use. The program will be called Cal State Online, and will offer access to courses from 23 schools around the state. System officials hope that the online courses will help to meet student demand for higher education, while still working within the state’s tight budget constraints. Of course, online learning isn’t just a big issue at the university level. California is also working to incorporate online learning experiences into its K-12 schools. Statewide, there are tens of thousands of young learners enrolled in online courses, a number that will only grow as the state looks for ways to cut costs without reducing educational quality.

  2. Florida:

    In Florida, students have a chance to learn online at nearly all grade levels, from kindergarten to graduate school. According to research from a 2011 study by the International Association for K-12 Online Learning, Florida is among the top states in the nation for online education, as it offers an enormous variety of online programs and courses to students at all levels. Additionally, nearly all of Florida’s large colleges and universities offer online courses and some are even free, like those soon to be launched via Coursera through a partnership with the University of Florida. Part of the driving force behind the expansive online offerings in the state is undoubtedly the requirement that high school students take at least one online course before graduating.

  3. Minnesota:

    Minnesota is another state that ranked among the best of the best, according to data from the International Association for K-12 Online Learning, and there’s definitely a reason. Minnesota offers an amazing number of college courses online through its MinnesotaOnlineportal, which connects 31 member institutions from around the state. The Minnesota Department of Education is also working to ensure that K-12 students have access to online ed, supplying funding to online courses the same as if students were taking them in a physical classroom. According to the Minnesota K-12 Online Learning Alliance, there are 20 school districts in Minnesota that offer online learning programs and more than 30% of schools statewide offer some courses online.

  4. Idaho:

    Lauded for its full-time and supplemental online course offerings, Idaho is a state that is getting very serious about engaging students through online education. In fact, in order to graduate from high school, students in the state’s education system must take at least two credits’ worth of courses online, making Idaho the first state to mandate taking more than a single online course for graduation. State school superintendent Tom Luna, an online grad himself, is a huge proponent of online education and it has been his dedication to online learning, though controversial, that has not only helped to expand online offerings for Idaho’s students but has also ensured that each has access to a laptop.

  5. Ohio:

    More than 30,000 students in Ohio attend school entirely online or in blended programs, making it a national leader in terms of sheer numbers of students enrolled in online ed. Ohio now has 12 times the number of online students it did a decade ago when the first virtual schools opened, and experts expect that number to rise even further as the state expands its online offerings. Most online students in the state attend one of the seven state-sponsored charter schools, which are given the same amount of funding as traditional schools from the state. The popularity of the schools could grow in coming years as a new bill that encourages blended education, combining online and offline schoolwork, just passed through the Ohio legislature.

  6. Michigan:

    Michigan has long had a commitment to online ed. In 2006, it was the first state to require students to take a minimum of one credit of online coursework to graduate. Part of the drive to pursue online education in Michigan was undoubtedly its troubled education system. With some of the worst-performing schools in the nation, online education has been a key tool for turning things around. This fall, students at 15 Detroit schools are being allowed to take courses through Michigan Virtual University. Classes blend online and in-class learning and the program, if successful, will expand to other struggling schools in the future. Michigan’s universities are also experimenting with online education. The University of Michigan will soon be joining scores of other top-tier schools in providing free course content and learning resources through the online site Coursera.

  7. Wisconsin:

    Wisconsin is another state that has been held up as a model for online ed, as it offers a wide range of courses and online resources for students throughout their school career. In recent years, the state launched the Department of Public Instruction, which cooperates with public and virtual schools to provide digital learning opportunities to students across the state. Through DPI, students can take more than 200 middle and high school courses and administrators plan to expand blended course offerings in the near future. Online learning options are also rich at the higher ed level through the University of Wisconsin System’seCampus portal. Students can easily find courses and even entire degree programs that are offered online and in blended settings.

  8. Arizona:

    Arizona has more K-12 students enrolled in full-time online schools than any other state in the U.S., according to an annual report by the Evergreen Education Group. Students at those schools can enjoy many of the same benefits as their brick-and-mortar counterparts, and online schools are funded at nearly the same level as traditional schools. While Arizona is a leader in online education, not every legislator is on the same page. In May of 2012, GovernorJan Brewer vetoed a bill that would make major changes to the state’s online education system, helping to expand it and to provide greater oversight through student assessments. Even with setbacks, the online education system in Arizona will undoubtedly expand, especially in the higher education sector, as state schools like ASU begin offering more and more courses and degree programs online.

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Part 5: Evernote and Study Blue

Continuing on with our “Evernote for the Social Studies” series, I thought it would be appropriate to discuss how we can use Evernote to teach about the 2012 Presidential Election, seeing as how the presidential election is just over a month away.

Now is a great time to be a Social Studies teacher, especially if you teach Government.  With all the issues being discussed during this political election year, there is a vast sea of resources for teachers and students to observe and study over.  In fact, there are so many articles that are written and so much terminology that’s thrown around it can be overwhelming at times.  Luckily, there are two awesome tools that teachers and students can use to gather and organize these resources…Evernote and Study Blue.

What is Study Blue?

We live in a world where everything is digital.  Everything to paying bills online, finding news articles, and yes, even studying.  Teachers and students now locate and share their content online, making the learning experience more engaging.  Online tools such as Evernote, Livebinders, and Google have provided ways for teachers and students to gather that content and present it online.  However, when  it comes time to study, what digital tool is there to facilitate that need?  Enter Study Blue.

Study Blue is essentially what I like to call “21st century studying” or what Study Blue calls “your digital backpack”. Studying has evolved beyond opening a text book and looking for key terms in the glossary, we now incorporate pictures, audio, and technology into the studying experience.

Study Blue

What is also nice about Study Blue, is that allows you several different ways of studying and adding studying materials:

With your study materials, once you have created your flashcard set, you have the option of studying as a review sheet, quiz, or as flashcards right their on your computer.  However, you might wonder what happens if not all of your students have access to a electronic device?  Study Blue also allows you to print off your flashcard set and cut them up into a hardcopy flashcard set or even export them into a Excel spreadsheet.  Here’s the link to a flashcard set of mine to see what it looks like when you select to print them off:  US Election Volcabulary. (Link opens in Evernote).  You can also share the URL to the flashcard set to Facebook, Twitter, and email (though whoever you share the link with must be signed in to their Study Blue account to be able to view it).

Studying Goes Mobile

With all of our technological advancements today, students are usually connected to some kinda of electronic device.  Text books are not the only means of studying now.  Students are now studying with the phones, tablets, and laptops.  Here’s a interesting graphic from Study Blue that shows some data about how studying has evolved over the years:

With Study Blue, students can study anytime they have their cell phones–in between classes, on break at work, or whenever they have free time.  Even better, Study Blue allows you to connect your material on their website to your Evernote account.

Study Blue and Evernote

Once you sign up for a Study Blue account (which is free, by the way), you can choose to go under your profile preferences and connect your Evernote account to your Study Blue account.  Once you have connected your two accounts, a new notebook in your Evernote account will be created, called “Study Blue”:

Let’s say, for example, that your students keep their class notes in their Evernote account.  If they prefer, when they want to study said notes, they can simply copy that Evernote note and move it into the Study Blue notebook.  Once that is done, that note will now be in their Study Blue account and they can simply go log into their Study Blue account and retype that note into flashcards.

How does this help the teacher?

Going back to how Study Blue and Evernote can help you teach the 2012 Presidential Election, one of the main things your students might have issues with is keeping up with the terminology.  Politics can have a slew of terms, which from a student’s perspective can be very overwhelming.  If you want to give your students some extra time with the terminology, creating and sharing these flashcards can be extremely beneficial.  If allotted the extra time, students might have a easier time with it during class, thus cutting back the time which you would have to revisit the terms and material.  Here’s the link to my Study Blue flashcards, or if you don’t have a Study Blue account, here’s the link to the notes in my Evernote account:  Study Blue link or Evernote link.

All of this is just a sampling of what you can do with Study Blue.  Sign up for a account today and give it a try!

For more information, here are more resources:

Studyblue.com

Evernote blog post on Study Blue

Part 1: Evernote for the Social Studies: What is Evernote

Part 2: Evernote for the Social Studies: Evernote in the History Class

Part 3: Evernote for the Social Studies: Evernote and Skitch

Part 4: Evernote for the Social Studies: Lesson Planning with Evernote

Evernote for Educators Livebinder

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Teach like a Pirate!!!

Dave Burgess is a wonderful and inspiring educator who I’ve had the pleasure to meet twice in person at the National Council for the Social Studies Conference. I have also been in contact with dave multiple times on twitter and #sschat. I am so excited to share that he has just released his first book, Teach Like a Pirate: Increase Student Engagement, Boost Your Creativity, and Transform Your Life as an Educator. It is  available on Amazon!!

 

I created several lessons after attending one of his amazing and overcrowded NCSS presentation in Baltimore. Dave’s  teaching techniqnies challenges you to design interesting and enagaging lessons for your students. He is the type of teacher that makes you want to be a better teacher.

 

His book is based on his  “Outrageous Teaching” and “Teach Like a PIRATE” seminars. It offers inspiration, practical techniques, and innovative ideas that will help you to increase student engagement, boost your creativity, and transform your life as an educator.

You’ll learn how to:

• Tap into and dramatically increase your passion as a teacher

• Develop outrageously engaging lessons that draw students in like a magnet

• Establish rapport and a sense of camaraderie in your classroom

• Transform your class into a life-changing experience for your students This groundbreaking inspirational manifesto contains over 30 hooks specially designed to captivate your class and 170 brainstorming questions that will skyrocket your creativity.

Once you learn the Teach Like a PIRATE system, you’ll never look at your role as an educator the same again.  So True!!!

 

Check out Dave’s blog or book today.

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