Remembering Everything with Evernote

Photo by Steve Bailey http://bit.ly/oE1nZ0

The photo to the left is something we’ve all experienced. You’re standing in front of an airline’s arrival and departure board and trying to make sense of just way too much information. If you know what you’re looking for, it’s pretty easy to find the right information but at first glance it can appear to be a daunting task.

Of course, information overload doesn’t just happen at the airport. Information overload is a fact of life for most people these days, but it’s especially a problem for anyone who spends most of their day browsing the web at work and at home. I’m sure you’ve all experienced reading a single news story or blog post online and losing track of time as you get lost in one interesting link after another. That snowball effect can often lead to some great discoveries, but it can also leave you with a sense that there’s just too much to remember and process.

Evernote is one tool among many that offers people a way to remember what they come across online. Here’s a list of the types of things you can do using Evernote:

• Save entire webpages or just the portions (text, images, links) you need for later
• Write yourself a short note about what you’re reading online
• Share links and notes with colleagues (think students and faculty) to collaborate on a project
• Take photos on your phone and save it to your Evernote account
• Keep everything in sync on whatever computers and devices you use
• Search your saved content by keyword

So, beyond just personal use, how can tools like Evernote make an impact in the lives of the students and faculty at Oakton? How can tools like Evernote aid research efforts?

Here’s a brief explanation (created by Evernote) of how one school gave premium subscriptions to each of their students and faculty to facilitate online collaboration and project work. Here’s a blog post (also on Evernote’s website) showcasing one college student’s use of Evernote for a specific project and another one with 10 tips for for using Evernote in college.

Thoughts? Does anyone use Evernote or something similar? What do you like or dislike about it?