WebedtecH

One of the challenges I have faced is keeping all of the facets of my schedule synchronized. Between work, family, and other interests, maintaining multiple schedules can take as much time as the activities on the schedules. No matter where I am I need to know my work, family, and school schedule on demand. One step towards solving this has been getting all the calendar information to one calendar…in this case it’s Google Calendar.

Since all my events now filter to one calendar it just became a matter of getting that calendar onto my phone in a regular, reliable manner. In came GooSync to solve the problem and address my contacts and todos as well. Here’s how it works for me:

GooSync is a two part application. One part is loaded on the phone to schedule the connection to the web based account and control the sync on this end. The second part is the web account that is connected to my Google Calendar, Google Contacts and GooSync task list (they don’t support Google Tasks yet because there’s no API, but I’m sure they will when it’s ready.) The GooSync application runs on a scheduled sync to pull and push events from my Google Calendar. Now there are other applications out there that do similar but I have found the GooSync app to be exceptionally adept at handling multiple calendars from Google. My entries on my phone begin with [Fam] or [V95] or [CCS] for family, crew, or school events. Even better if I want to enter an event to show up on one of those calendars (which are shared with other people) I can create an entry beginning with one of those tags and it is pushed directly to that calendar. Definitely a time saver for shared group calendars.

My contact listing, while not miles long as many people have, is a vital part of my communications and organization. I like to keep only one list and have it accessible from multiple spots. GooSync channels my Google contact list to my phone and back again. It’s a simple enough concept but at least now I know when I email from Gmail or through my phone, I have the same list of people and addresses.

Finally…my task list. I was a user of Remember the Milk for a long time, but experienced a disappointing letdown in their sync support so I abandonded that ship. I use GooSync’s task manager now on the web side and my phone when mobile. The GooSync solution is effective because it meshes well with the category functions on the phone as well as offering a new Google gadget for my iGoogle page to manage my tasks from the computer.

Lots of moving parts that need to be kept working together. Sounds like the story of most of our lives. In this case, GooSync is the solution I’ve found that keeps the wheels turning for me.

I have been a strong advocate of Evernote for quite some time now and the addition of Evernote Mobile as an extension of the web solution makes it that much more a vital part of my organizational toolbox. Evernote Mobile can capture text, pictures, and voice notes and synchronize them with the web account and the desktop. Using this you can capture whatever is necessary and send it right to your inbox without giving it a second thought. Now combine those functions will the option to search your posted notes and retrieve them anywhere and you have a one-two punch.

You can read all the details about how the application works at the Evernote web site, so how about I give you some ideas as to how I put it to use. Here’s a normal day of Evernote Mobile usage for me:

Start of the day:

Each morning I’ll pop open my Evernote Mobile and jot down anything that has occured to me during the night or over coffee that needs to be addressed. A simple text note takes care of this. (I know, GTD says handle everything only once so it should be going into my Task List right away…but it takes way less time this way.) Finish the morning routine (other steps I’ll describe in future articles) and I’m out the door.

Morning commute:

I have an hour commute each way so I have plenty of time to think. It’s not safe to text while you drive (I’d never do that ) so I frequently use the audio capture function to record short and long notes to myself and store them in Evernote. Blog ideas, discussion topics, problem solutions, research topics, whatever comes to mind.

Listing to my satellite radio there are many times when I will hear an artist I haven’t heard before and want to track down their works when I get to my computer. I tried using the audio recorder on Evernote, but that proved unreliable for this aspect (though I could probably just record the artist name and song title). Instead I use the photo capture to take a snapshot of the radio display to get the artist name and song name quickly.

At work:

This is where Evernote Mobile really shines. I’m in and out of conference rooms and buildings all day long, many of which have questionable cellular coverage. By switching my Evernote Mobile to “pause” I can capture information without any connection at all. If I have a connection it’s that much better since then I can search for information just as easily as I can capture it.

Evening commute:

See “Morning commute”

Back home:

Grocery lists, to do lists, snapshots of birthday party invitations, event schedules, you name it…it goes into Evernote. I use the mobile app to speed up the capture and move onto the next item. No reason to waste time, just capture and go.

As you can see, my main input into my system is Evernote and Evernote Mobile. Mind you, they are not the only way into the system, but they have proven their worth time and time again in capturing and holding all the random information I would normally be writing down and struggling to retrieve.

Application Number 2 – Keeping things in sync

My organizational methods focus around two tools:  my Samsung Blackjack II and a Rollabind (or other brand) notebook.  Looking over the system I am amazed by the amount of work I can accomplish using just these two tools.

The core applications I use on a daily basis are (in no specific order):

1. Evernote Mobile
2. GooSync
3. eWallet
4. Palringo
5. Skyfire
6. Twikini
7. Viigo
8. My-Cast Weather
9. SBSH Calendar
10. SMS Bubbles
11. and an honorable mention to Google Calendar Sync

As part of a system review I thought I should detail how each of these applications fit into the organizational mix of my system.  Each of these applications serve a purpose in the daily capture and management of events, tasks, and information as I live and work.  I have a fairly mobile life between work and home with several core areas to manage.  Tightly integrating all of them while avoiding repeat entries and work is the key to this working well.  It’s not perfect yet, but it’s getting closer.

As the summer quickly slips by thoughts of lesson planning and lesson plans creep into the minds of teachers as the look towards the fall. Here are some thoughts and suggestions on how you can apply Google Docs to make your lesson plans easier to manage, maintain, and use during the coming school year.

Store them online

One of the obvious benefits from using Google Docs is the ability to store your lesson plans online. You can access them from home, school, or any computer with a browser and an internet connection. No longer are you limited to your own machine or your flash drive. Use them where and when you want to rather than when technology dictates you have to.

Write collaboratively

No teacher is an island to paraphrase the saying. You can leverage the collaboration functions in Google Docs to gather input from your colleagues on your lesson plans in a time and place convenient to them. More than just proof reading this is thought building on an educational scale.

Make them available online

Documents placed in Google Docs can be shared as read-only online resources through a simple URL. You can pass this along to substitutes, colleagues, even parents and students if the need should arise. If you update the document they are always working with the most current version, not that one that’s two months old and woefully out of date.

Revisions and revision histories

Lesson plans go through numerous revisions over time as they are kept relevant and fresh for our students.  Google Docs gives you revision histories so you can see what you have added or removed over time and see if everything old is new again or if that new section you added on a whim is really worth keeping after all.

Hyperlinking

Lesson plans no longer need to be the static printed document tucked away in a notebook that we reference as the year progresses.  Using linking from the plan you can connect to resources all over the Internet and make your plan grow beyon the basic to the engaging.  For example, if you’re  talking about Iran in a Social Studies program, why not connect to online news threads, Google Maps, and more to make the topic click for your students.

Creating an online lesson plan center

You can continue this idea even further and use Google Sites to create a class center for lesson plans, resources, images, and files all stored online and available at a moment’s notice.  Tie the pieces together in the platform and you’re all set.

Take the opportunty to use systems like Google Docs to make your lesson planning simpler and easier as well as bringing it to a new level of engagement and flexibility for the coming school year.

I’ve been looking for a way to combine the interests of my two core audiences here at WebedtecH.com, the educators and the organizers. So…let’s see what happens when we specifically apply these techniques to students, teachers, and administrators. My darling 15-year old daughter got the ball rolling for me when she sent me a text asking if she could have one of my “little black notebooks.”

Now, as most teenagers do, she carries a cell phone around with her almost all the time. Combined with internet access on the phone and you would thing she would be a perfect candidate for web based solutions she could access while mobile. But here’s the rub. School policy doesn’t allow use of the cell phone during class. I’m not debating the merits of that policy (that’s for another time) but it poses a problem. What is the easiest way to keep things organized when you’re NOT always connected?

I spend a fair amount of time with teenagers and have found (as many of us know already) they can be random thinkers, desiring to fit with others while stretching to show their own identity. Structure can be limiting and limiting means disuse. So what’s the solution?

A plain Moleskine (or inexpensive equivalent) is a great start. They have the freedom to customize the books however they like. They are not bound by forms and templates and can capture what they need to know and how they need to know it. I’m sure there are many who feel without structure the students will be lost and miss valuable information. Ah, but do they have to?

By teaching our students the value of just capturing information rather than getting hung up on the formatting and structure, we curtail the “Hunh? I don’t remember that.” When they ask, “When’s the test again?” you can respond, “Check your book. You did write it down didn’t you?” Some may argue it is coddling the students…I disagree. Far too many professionals in the “real world” can’t handle basic information management and consistent capture is the key starting place for this skill.