A week ago today, my students jumped headfirst into trying out Evernote for bookmarking and taking notes on information sources. Wanting to provide students a choice this semester, I gave students until Thursday to decide if they wanted to use Diigo (which was introduced last semester) or Evernote. Ms. Lester and I were sure to tell students we had no preference but we wanted them to choose the tool that was most comfortable for them to use. As of today, all but four students out of two classes chose Evernote as their tool of choice.
Why is Evernote the overwhelming tool of choice? Here are some of the comment students shared via a Google Form survey:
from Jennifer:
I found that Evernote was easy to navigate and kept all my information together. I like Evernote the best out of all the tools we have used.
from Robbie:
Evernote is more organized and sensible than Diigo. Also, I can download a free app version on my Android powered phone.
from Hannah:
I find Evernote is a much simpler version of Diigo. There are no confusing sticky notes, and you can simply clip the entire article for your research.
from Lindy:
Evernote is really simple and easy to use. I am so glad Mrs. Hamilton gave us the opportunity to use this tool. I am really anxious to keep clipping and working with Evernote!
In the survey and in informal conversations this week, students shared time and time again that they liked the navigation and organization of Evernote as well as its ease of use. Students also like having the option of using the downloaded program version of Evernote as well as the web-based version. Several students have also downloaded the mobile apps for their Droid phones or iPod Touches. While I will be doing a small group hands-on mini-lesson on how to use the mobile app next week, some had already jumped in fearlessly and were experimenting with ways to use their newly installed mobile Evernote app. I have also been showing students how to share their research notebooks publicly, and students are adding the RSS feed for their research notebook to their Netvibes pages.
I will provide an update again in a few weeks on how students are using
Evernote as well as some video interviews with the students. For me personally, I find I am loving Evernote more and more, especially the mobile app. In the last ten days, I have played with the options of easily saving emails to my Evernote account, integrating my Google Reader shared items into my Evernote lists, and utilizing the Twitter feature. While AP Mobile is the primary free news app that will easily interface with Evernote, I have discovered that by adding my Evernote email address to my contacts, I can now easily email any article I find while surfing the web (or database!) on my iPhone to my Evernote email address, and consequently, with ease to my Evernote notebooks.
The Unquiet Librarian 
Great post. It’s so great to see student reactions to tools, especially when they’re using it for academic purposes. I think Evernote is a great alternative to other social bookmarking tools for just the reason you’ve identified, the mobile abilities that it has. I started using Delicious way back when it came out and, truly, continue to do so. I didn’t jump on the Diigo bandwagon when it came out because I use multiple computers and didn’t want to bother with the plugin. (They may have fixed that these days, but it was evidentially too late for me.)
I was introduced to Evernote as a mobile app on my Palm Pre last year. The fact that I can use it with my phone makes all the difference for me. In my mind, if these kinds of tools don’t have a mobile interface, they won’t have longevity in the education market. We need our information to go with us, not to have to go find it.
I look forward to reading more about the project.
LikeLike
Your students are so fortunate to be learning about these tools! Using the Evernote email address on the phone is a great way to take notes at lectures and conferences, too. Keep up the good work.
LikeLike
Awesome! Your kids are so lucky!
LikeLike
Yea, students! Yea, cool librarian! Those who are using iPod Touch or iPhone can get the JotNot app that works perfectly for taking pics of docs and tuning up the image for sharing in a number of ways, including directly to Evernote.
LikeLike
Still looking for a way to take a “scrap” (diigo, evernote) and put it in a “Scrapbook” (wiki, SpringNote).
Let me know if you come up with a way 🙂
LikeLike
Hi Buffy, Which do you prefer to use yourself, Evernote or Diigo? I’m wondering whether students look for different features than a teacher might in a tool like this.
LikeLike
I’ve only used Diigo with my students so far, but I’m always looking for better tools – which of these is better with respect to collaboration?
LikeLike