If you are anything like me, beginning the new year after a decent break can be challenging. But we all know the importance of being as prepared and organised as we can at the beginning of the new term.
Not being a ‘list person’ (although I know many who are who find list techniques really effective), I have turned to some digital tools I find particularly handy in helping me become and stay organised, and make sure I am as ready as I can be to deal with the demands of the new teaching year. Here’s just a few of them.
THE SWISS ARMY KNIFE OF APPS
If you own an iPad – and better still, one with an Apple pencil, my number one ‘go to’ app is Notability. In my view, it is one of the best apps in the AppStore. I use it for taking meeting notes, drawing sketches and diagrams, storing class and timetable information, viewing and annotating spreadsheets, PowerPoints, Word and PDF files, recording and working with audio, video and photos, and lots more. It has great indexing and searching for your files, and if you have an Apple ID, you can sync Notability across devices. It also has a desktop app for Macs which works seamlessly with the mobile version. It really is the Swiss Army Knife of apps, and has so many uses. Unfortunately, Notability is an Apple-only solution, but other apps like OneNote, Evernote, and Simplenote and are worthy alternatives for other platforms.
THE SYNCING SAVIOUR
Another digital tool that helps keep me on track and organised is Goodsync. Our experience with COVID-19 over the past year has meant needing to switch between working from home and the workplace (and sometimes other locations as well), and Goodsync has been a real gem. Basically, Goodsync will automatically sync files to a range of cloud services (Google Drive, One Drive etc.) as you work, so you have the latest versions of any files to work on, no matter what device you have, and where you are. As soon as you turn on a second or third device, Goodsync will automatically check and download the latest updated files for you. While other apps like Google Backup and Sync can sync files across devices, if you have lots of files (as I do), you will need to get a subscription.
NOTIFICATION NO-NOS
While social media notifications on your devices can be great, they can also be very distracting and time-consuming. While it may not suit everyone, I have found blocking pop ups and notifications from all but the ‘relevant to my work’ apps (calendars, meeting reminders, etc.) has freed up a lot of time and helped me work more efficiently. Notification preferences for apps are usually found in the ‘Settings’ on devices, and are easy to change. Maybe try turning a few off, you could be surprised at the difference it makes!
LESS IS MORE WITH BYOD
Finally, for those of you in bring your own device (BYOD) classrooms, or schools where you have access to pods of mobile devices, more is not necessarily better. After years researching the use of iPads, particularly in primary classrooms, I’ve concluded the fewer apps you need on your devices, the better. Only install the basic few and often it’s best to pay a few dollars and get ‘full’ versions without advertising or pop-ups. Children are easily distracted. Young children in particularly find a screen cluttered with bright and tempting apps hard to resist. Some of my general favourites for the iPad (in addition to Apple’s Pages, Keynote and Numbers that come with each device, and depending on the age of your students) are:
- Popplet – helps students learn visually and creatively, with greater retention
- Notability – great for typing and writing notes, drawing and taking videos
- Pic Collage – perfect for being creative and sending photos and videos
- Story Creator – create beautiful story books containing photos, videos, text and audio
- ShowMe – record voice-over whiteboard tutorials and share them online
- Explain Everything – teach, present, sketchnote, record videos and work together
- Mindomo – create mind maps, concept maps, outlines and Gantt charts
- Educreations – excellent tool for creating and sharing multimedia lessons
By Macquarie School of Education Professor Garry Falloon