It's a "Keeper"!
Updated: Mar 13, 2022
Google Keep has been around since 2013 and is part of the G-suite education products offered by Google. First and foremost, it is Edlaw 2D compliant! This is the first element that I look at when considering a product. If it's not compliant, then my evaluation lens is totally different. The second element is cost, which in this case is nothing! Hooray! Google Keep is useful for everyone!
Some people might refer to it as a note taking service, like Evernote, but I think it goes beyond that. Because it is a google product, it fits seamlessly with all things google. I struggled with using Keep years ago and eventually abandon it. I also did the the same with Evernote! But this time, I think it's a keeper (no pun intended ;)).
When I tried keep years ago I just couldn't seem to find my mojo with it. This time I watched
a few tutorials and then experimented with a particular project in mind. I searched for a tutorial that was created within the past year or two. I found this one and was incredibly excited and decided to search for a few more that targeted educators and high school students. I landed at Matt Miller's website,"Ditch that Textbook". It gave me 10 easy ideas to begin using it and another quick video tutorial.
I was off to the races! I started by opening Keep from my gmail account, using the tool box in the upper right corner of gmail. I created a note, added images, added a tag (so that I can keep adding to my list) and imported my note to google docs. Wow! It was that easy!
It's is a highly personalized system for text, images, audio, and reminders. The notes are fully customizable, can be shared and integrated with other google products. I envision students using this to track and share notes, create projects and for teachers to provide feedback. The learning curve is minimal and particularly easy for someone familiar with G-suite.
I know that I've just dipped my toes in the water but I'm already to start sharing the tool with teachers. Should you try it? Yes! If you are a student, teacher, administrator and need help organizing your school or home life AND you're already a G-suite user, absolutely! Reach up and click on your toolbox now.
