Ipad and Evernote Review

Ipad Evernote views 

Having an iPad in class has the capacity to be very beneficial.  IPads are very useful when doing research papers or assignments, one simply needs to go to safari and google is at your fingertips. You can easily switch back from what your typing to whatever you are researching on the Internet.  The iPad is also excellent come project time, again you have the Internet and multiple apps to enjoy, being able to transmit what is on the iPad screen to the smart board was also extremely beneficial.  The ability to have books on the iPads is extremely helpful, in our class we were able to annotate and highlight parts of Huck Finn using this app which was wonderful. Using the iPads to take notes at times was easier for you could type it into Evernote and access it from another I-device at your convenience.  It is also wonderful for projects such as filming and editing.  The iPads have many possible uses.

The iPads were limited in some aspects however.  It was hard on occasion when one was not able to take the iPad home to work on a project.  Also when taking down notes, i personally find it more helpful on occasion to physically write them out for it helps ingrain the thought into my memory where as typing it does not have the full effect.  It also can be difficult to type quickly on an iPad and the device takes some getting used to.  The iPads also run into trouble when the wifi system is down.  School blocking programs and wifi that is spotty can be a hindrance if common.  The fragility of the iPad may also be an issue depending on the environment it is placed in. Although we did not have any troubles but this could pose a problem for at home use or more erratic conditions. 

If the school system did decide to implement the use of iPads a one to one system where each child had their own would be best. This would allow students to use their iPads in other classes and on homework.  If students had one to one they would be able to take notes for every class and keep them in evernote or a similar program and always have access.  They would also be able to access their notes from their phone or computer.  Students would also have access to safari which would make homework and note taking much easier.  students could also download their own apps and photos that they could use on projects on their iPad.  Students would also be able to easily transfer files with dropbox and evernote and similar apps that the iPad offers.  Students would have the options to really utilize the iPad to its full potential using it in and out of school. 

I used Evernote throughout this year and personally loved it.  Evernote allows you to keep all of your notes in one convenient place.  For a person such as i that struggles with organization, this is extremely helpful.  The ability to sort notes by date and tag is wonderful.  You can also have notebooks for science that are separate from those you might take in English.  Evernote is also a simple way to transfer photos from one device to another.  If you upload a photo onto Evernote you can access it from your phone computer or iPad.  The ability to edit your notes and have links to documents is also extremely helpful.  Evernote is a wonderful orginational note taking tool.

Evernote has some limitations.  Small things, mostly position of buttons and such were difficult to find.  In our English class we only very recently discovered where the tab key had been hiding.  Small things such as these could be improved by Evernote.  Also in "view options" under "sort by" it would be wonderful if you could sort by a tag there within a notebook.  This would allow you to look at say an English notebook  and view notes you took by subject.  Evernote runs fairly seemlessly and complaints are mild and far between.  I did not notice much difference between regular Evernote and Evernote premium.  Evernote overall is quite wonderful.