Review of Evernote

Name of the Tool:  Evernote

URL of the Tool:  www.evernote.com

Please select the one, primary category for this tool: Productivity Tool

Please describe this tool in your own words in about 150-250 words.

Evernote is an amazing productivity application that allow you to create notes within separate notebooks that you organize.  You can create notes by typing or speaking.  You can also take photos, clip information you find on the web, make to do check boxes, and create charts.  You can access your notes from the web, from your computer, or via mobile devices including smartphones and tablets.  If you want to share your notes, you can email them or post to Twitter or Facebook.  You can also get a URL for sharing your notes.  You also have the option of sharing your notes with anyone.  Evernote is an incredible way to stay organized and access your information on the go.

What do you need to know before using this tool? (What skills do you need to have?)

All you really need to know is how to use a computer, access the internet, and if desired, how to download an application to your computer.

What do you need to have before using this tool? (Resources)

You need a computer with internet access.  If you have mobile devices, those will be great with this application.

How do you use this tool? (Write the basic steps using a numbered list)

1.     Direct your browser to www.evernote.com

The Evernote Home Page

2.     Click on “create account” in the upper right-hand corner  

The Evernote Account Creation Page

 3.     You will now see your Evernote account

a.     Your Notebooks are in the left-hand column

b.     In the middle column, you will see your list of notes

c.      In the left-hand column you will see the details of each note’s contents

4.     Click on “New Note”

a.     Give your ntoe a title

b.     Pick the notebook where you want to store your note

c.      Create your note

5.     Explore the other cool options Evernote has to offer

a.     Upgrade to Evernote Premium for lots of additional features

b.     Visit the Evernote trunk to find additional applications to enhance your Evernote experience, for example, the web clipping tool

c.      Download the Evernote app for your iPhone, iPad, or Android Tablet to access Evernote on the go

d.     Download Evernote to your computer desktop

                                               i.     If you are using a windows-based pc, this will also give you an add-on for Microsoft Outlook that allows you to store your emails in your Evernote account

e.     Share your notes  with friends or collaborators

Here, is an example of a note I used to store a survey that a colleague and I were working on.

I want to send it to my colleague so that she can review it and make any edits necessary.

 When I click "start sharing," I am given two options.  I can send her an email or I can make the note public.

Here is a Jing tutorial on using Evernote to archieve and organize your email in Outlook.


Please describe a scenario of how you might use this tool in a teaching environment (150-250 words).

Evernote would be an ideal tool to use in education for collaboration.  In fact, Evernote has a specific option for educators that allow them to open a Premium account with a 50% discount for groups of 3 or more.  In an educational setting, I can easily see Evernote being used by students to share research or notes or by teachers to collaborate on lesson plans or presentations.  One of the ways that I use it with my residents is that I save relevant articles of interest in a specific notebook that I then share with the residents so that the journal articles will be available to them whenever they might need to access them.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of using this tool in a teaching environment? 

Advantages are the ease of use and the ability to access notes on the go, whether it be over the web or on mobile devices.  The disadvantages are the fact that you must pay for a premium account (though they are really inexpensive all things considered) and the fact that there are not as many options with regard to formatting and note design as I would like.  I also do not like the fact that I have to use somewhat odd naming conventions for my notebooks to make uploading notes easier.

Would you recommend this Web 2.0 tool to others, or suggest that they explore a different tool?

Overall, I think that Evernote is an incredible program that is an integral part of my daily life.  If you are looking for a simple, yet powerful way to get and stay organized, I don’t think you will be disappointed.