Articles tagged "Pocket"
Weekly post #48 – The four apps that everybody needs
I am not sure where I came across this approach first →
You should have four apps, one from each of the following areas: calendar, task manager, notes and read it later. This approach should help you be more (digitally) productive. You could use less than four as there are some really useful apps that tick more than one of the areas.
This is what I use - as well as some ideas for following the approach using Google Workspace apps.
Calendar
Google Calendar is all that is needed here! I use a handful of different calendars - school, family etc - but all scheduled lessons, meetings and my daughter's football practices are here.
I use Fantastical on my iPhone and iPad to display my Google Calendar as I prefer the layout - but the Google Calendar iOS app is also very capable.
Task manager
I'm going to say it - your email inbox should not be your 'job list'. An app where you can 'capture' and then organise all the things that you need to do can be hugely beneficial for your well-being.
There is no shortage of task manager apps available! Within the Google Workspace sphere you have Google Tasks and Google Keep. These apps also display scheduled tasks in your Google Calendar. A recent update allows you to manage overdue tasks in Google Calendar.
Personally I use todoist - and have done for a number of years now. I particularly like how the Gmail add-on allows me to quickly turn emails into tasks, the web and iOS apps and the integration with Google Calendar, Fantastical etc.
Notes
Notes in that nice notebook you got for your birthday, others on the back of an envelope and even some in an email you sent to yourself. One place (app) is needed where you make, organise and can quickly find your notes and thoughts.
In Google Workspace you could use a Google Doc. Utilising H1, H2 to give things structure and the document outline to quickly move around. Smart chips will also help you tie various things together.
I have tried GoodNotes on my iPad, various physical Moleskine type notebooks, Bear, Notion and Trello and more. All of them have good bits - but not the coverage that I was looking for.
I am about two weeks into using Roam Research as my note taking app of choice. It is a little geekier than some of the other options and maybe not as pretty. The speed of use and the automatic generation of connections between notes, topics, ideas is what is making it the app I keep going back to. There are 'task manager' options here too - but I am sticking with todoist for that side of things, at the minute.
Read it later
You need somewhere to store links. That article that was shared by a colleague that you want to digest at a later date. The website you want to use next time to teach a certain topic to one of your classes. The website of that new restaurant you would like to try. All these links need to be stored and organised.
In Google Workspace you could use Chrome bookmarks and then use the Chrome Bookmark Manager to ensure links are organised into folders. Google Keep, and it's Chrome extension, can also be useful here.
I prefer a dedicated app for such things. I want an app that is 'cross platform' - I can use it on my school Chromebook, my personal iPad, my phone etc.
I use Pocket. There is a Chrome extension so that I can quickly add websites that I am viewing to Pocket - so that later on I can read them and sort them out. With tags etc you can use Pocket as an organised store of your links. I do not tend to do this. For me links get added to Pocket and then every so often I sort them out. Sites that I want to integrate into my teaching resources get added to Trello and things I want to read (in depth) are added to the iOS app Matter.
Top 10 digital tips to make you better at being a student
Created to support a presentation being given as part of the Y12/DP1 Core session at International School of Geneva - Campus des Nations.
A notebook works but there is also a huge range of digital tools to organise what you need to get done.
Most of these platforms are based upon the need to 'capture' what needs to be done and then organise the 'action' of doing it.
If you are looking for a digital to-do list manager have a look at these →
Ensure you are signed into Google Chrome with your @learning.ecolint.ch account so that your bookmarks and extensions sync.
When naming a file - use the Date + Big + Small approach → for example: Nov 20 Geo 3.1.1 Poverty Reduction
If you are submitting a digital file to ManageBac or similar make sure you put your name in the file name.
Use Google Drive File Stream signing in with your school Google Workspace (aka G Suite) account.
Make use of the Google Workspace tools that the school provides. If you start a piece of work in Google Documents or Google Sheets - then it is 'relatively safe' in your Google Drive.
Files left on the desktop of your laptop are 'local' and not backed up or synchronized.
You find something useful → how do you save if for later?
Whether that be articles for your Extended Essay, further reading, ‘thinking’ around one of your subjects or life plans for the end of Covid/Lockdown.
Google Keep can be useful → install the Google Keep Chrome extension.
Pocket is a really useful tool [and another one of Mr Allaway's favourites].
It is good practice to use the Heading 1, Heading 2 formatting options when you add headings and sub-headings to any 'extended' piece of work.
One of the reasons to do so is for the ease of changing fonts etc - for all headings - in just one place.
It is 'bad' practice to be using multiple strikes of the enter key to make space in a document. Use page breaks instead [Insert → Break → Page break] - they will help you maintain the overall structure and formatting you
If you have made use of Heading 1, Heading 2 etc then you will be able to take advantage of the document outline [View → Show document outline], on the document's left hand side, which allows you to click on sections of the outline and be taken straight there.
A table of contents can easily be added [Insert → Table of Contents] and don't forget to add page numbers [Insert → Page numbers].
It is never too late to start to curate your 'essential selections'.
Try and maintain YouTube playlists of the 'best' video clips you watch in each subject. YouTube playlists can be collaborative so there is no need to do it alone!
Do you have a system for saving useful podcasts and articles? Pocket (already mentioned) could be a suitable tool as could Notion (will be mentioned in Number 9).
DP geographers should have a look at podcasts.geographyalltheway.com for podcasts curated by unit.
There is a need for you to be going beyond re-reading and highlighting when it comes to your revision approaches.
You should be aiming for 'active recall' - actions that flex your brain as if it were a muscle.
Tools like quizlet - and their use to create and use quality flashcards - can help with the active element of 'active recall'.
I only recently 'found' Notion and I am impressed in what it has to offer. The 'toggle list' feature which allows you to easily collapse and open lists is really useful as a first step towards activel recall revision approaches.
Setting it up as a 'one stop shop' for all your notes, to-do lists, planning etc would be an productive move in terms of organising the demands put upon you as busy DP/CP students. Google Docs, Sheets and Slides embed nicely within Notion.
Notion is free for students → notion.so/students
Make sure you have a decent app, on your smartphone, that scans to PDF - such as Adobe Scan. This makes scanning and sharing hand written tasks easy. Annotating PDF files is an efficient process for teachers.
I also recommend the use of Google Calendar (for everybody) as notifications can be used to remind you of the start of lessons etc.