Stay On Top Of Things

With Google Keep

@LisaBerghoff

It's the season of absurdly packed days, lightning paced activities, and overwhelmingly long to-do lists. When you are a high school educator with your eyes on a break for the holidays but also shepherding your students through end of the semester assessments, it can feel like these last two weeks are actually two months. I also worry during busy times like this that I am likely to drop the ball on something and that does not feel great. I have found that list making is a strategy that generally works well for me. Also, I LOVE sticky notes. They are perfect when the list is mine alone and I am looking to tackle all of the items in one or two days. 

The hard part is when my lists need to be shared or collaborative. Also, sometimes I need to make lists that need to withstand the test of time. I'm talking long long term projects. Or I need a note so I won't forget something and I will need that information days, weeks, or even months later.

That's when I jump to Google Keep.

What Is Google Keep?

Google Keep is a free note taking app. It allows you to capture notes in many formats, share with others, and access from a computer, phone, or tablet. It will sync across all devices making it the perfect solution for decluttering and organizing your thoughts, ideas, lists, and more. 

How To Access Google Keep:

Google keep can be found online by using the waffle menu in Chrome or going to keep.google.com. You can also install the Google Keep app on your mobile device. You will notice that Google Keep is integrated within the side panel you see when you are using Google apps. You can access it while in gmail, calendar, docs, sheets, and slides. This is handy because you may want to click and drag elements from whatever you're working on into a Google Keep note. Or conversely, you may want to use information from a note while working on a Google application.  If you are working in a Google doc and open a Google Keep note, the doc will automatically be linked to your note.

How To Use Google Keep

Just click the plus where it says Take A Note... and start typing. You can create a title which is then searchable. You will see a small toolbar at the bottom of your note. Hover over each icon to see what it does. There is also a three vertical dot "more" menu.

• The little bell icon is for setting reminders. You will get a notification based on the date and time that you enter.
• The person with a plus sign is the collaborator icon. Click here to add other people who will be able to read and edit your note.
• The paint palette allows you to customize your note. This may seem a little silly but once you have many notes, it's nice to be able to color code them or add header images.
• The image icon allows you to add images. You can use Canva to create colorful headers for your Google Keep notes. 
• The file icon is for archiving a note. This is a nice option when you want to get a note off  your dashboard but you are not ready to delete it completely.

Here is what is in the more menu:

The Google Keep mobile app has a few additional features, including the ability to take a voice note and a pen/drawing tool. 

Can Students Use Google Keep?

Yes! Students also have access to Google Keep and many of them don't know about it. This can be a wonderful option for groups who need to assign tasks for projects. Consider students creating shared lists with their case managers or counselors. Google Keep is a simple tool that has a lot of potential for those of us who need a list, or just a place to collect digital things like links, images, videos, and more.

What will you do with Google Keep?

Want help getting started? Reach out to me for more.