Category Archives: Apps

OneNote: Note Taking Made Easy

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Are you looking for an easy way to take notes on the go? Do you want to access your notes across all of your devices? Do you want to share and collaborate on notes? Yes? Let me introduce you to OneNote.

Microsoft OneNote product logo

What is OneNote?
OneNote is Microsoft’s digital notebook, allowing you to create and access your notes across all of your devices: PC, Mac, phone, tablet, and web.

Welcome to OneNote

Image from Microsoft

OneNote allows you to:

  • Create notes, to do lists, manage projects, and more.
  • Organize your notes with six levels of organization: notebooks, sections, subsections pages, and two levels of subpages.
  • Share and collaborate in real time.
  • Add multimedia items (audio, video, images, etc.) anywhere within a note.
  • Insert new or existing Microsoft Office content into your notes.
  • Clip any web page to OneNote and view it later, whether you are online or offline.
  • Set up Email to OneNote to allow you to send an email directly to OneNote, automatically creating a new note.
  • Create or edit notes offline and sync your notebook when you’re back online.

Wait, didn’t you already post about a note taking app?
Yes, Evernote is another useful tool for taking notes. You can find out more about Evernote in our previous post: Taking Notes Across your Devices

Should I use OneNote or Evernote?
As with most things, it comes down to personal preference. A few good breakdowns of the tools and side-by-side comparisons can be found here:

I’d like to try OneNote. How do I get started?
To get started with OneNote Online, log into your Office 365 account (http://lesley.edu/email), click the Apps button, and select OneNote Online.

access OneNote

To get started with OneNote on your computer, phone, or tablet, download the software for your device(s):

You will need to log in with your Office 365 Account using your Lesley email address and password.

For more information on using OneNote, see:

Taking Notes Across Your Devices

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Started taking notes on your computer and now you’re sitting on the bus and want to review them? Standing in line to get your coffee and have a brilliant idea? Want to jot it down or add to already existing notes? Don’t have internet access, but need to jot something down? Tired of having to copy notes from your phone to your computer and back again.

Is the answer to all of those questions a loud YES!?!?!

evernote logo

Allow me to introduce you to Evernote.

What is Evernote?

Evernote is both a digital notebook and digital file cabinet. Take notes while in a meeting or draft documents just as you might in Microsoft Word. Create a to do list or checklist for a project or chore. Attach and annotate a PDF document. Use your microphone to record a quick audio note. Take a picture with your phone or upload an image from your computer. Clip a web page from the internet. Tag items with keywords and group them all together in a notebook to easily find later.

evernote layout

image from www.dadislearning.com/

Why is Evernote Awesome?

Evernote’s true power is in its ability to work across devices. Have access to all your notes regardless of where you are. Create a note on your computer using Evernote’s desktop application and then move to your iPad during your meeting. Jot down or audio record that quick brainstorm your phone while riding the bus home. Your notes will sync to your account and move with you to whatever device you are on.

Don’t have internet access, but need to take notes and don’t want to have to remember to copy them to Evernote later. No problem. Evernote will upload it to your account the next time you connect to the internet with that device. You can even share notes with colleagues.

Evernote lets you decide where you work and on what type of device: laptop or desktop computer, iOS or Android. There’s no special file formats or exporting to deal with. Just take notes and organize them. Simple.

How do I get started?

To get started with Evernote, go to https://evernote.com/ to create your account.

Then download the software for the devices you own:

Review video tutorials for Evernote to learn more at Lesley’s Atomic Learning portal. Sign in with your myLesley username and password when prompted.

Celebrate National Poetry Month with Apps!

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Mix poetry and technology?
Yes! Try these apps.
They’re  fun and free!

April is National Poetry Month and that means it’s the perfect time to take advantage of technology to discover, read, or listen to poetry, or even to write and record your own. Whether you teach poetry, or just want to enjoy it or know more about it, you’ll find the apps listed below all offer a different way to experience this exciting world of words. The apps listed here are just a small sample of what’s out there, and are limited to apps that are free.

poetry_found_appPoetry, from The Poetry Foundation, is a wonderful resource that gives you a portable library of thousands of classic and contemporary poems. It’s a great way to discover new poets and poems or just to look for your old favorites. Of special interest is the “spin” feature, which finds poems by random combinations of subject and mood. You can also manipulate these combinations manually, so you can find a perfect poem to suit the moment.  A large variety of poems and poets are included, ranging from Shakespeare and Edgar Allan Poe to Lucille Clifton and Billy Collins. Audio versions of some of the poems are available as well. Favorite poems can be saved and shared. New poems are added monthly and more poems are available on The Poetry Foundation website.

the_poetry_apThe Poetry App, by the Josephine Hart Poetry Foundation, provides an opportunity to see and hear classic poetry performed by professional actors. The app, which has a rather attractive and unusual interface, includes over 100 poems by 16 poets. It offers text versions of each poem, audio and/or video introductions and performances of the poetry, and background essays on the poets and their poems. There’s even an option to write, record, save, and share your own poetry. Thirty or so actors (Ralph Fiennes and Roger Moore among them) read the poems. The poets represented are mostly British and American “classic” poets, so it’s not an app for contemporary poetry, and it’s not the largest selection, but it’s an enjoyable way to experience various interpretations of the works of some great poets read by some great actors. The interface includes some hidden interviews and performances to discover as well. Favorites in text, video or audio can be saved and shared.

poetry_daily_appPoetry Daily, by Poetry Daily, is a handy little app if you want exposure to new poetry or poetry publications but don’t know where to look or don’t have a lot of time to go searching. It delivers a new poem to your device every day. Poems are contemporary and are chosen from new books, magazines and journals. Each poem includes a short note about the poet and the publication in which the poem currently appears and provides a link to the publisher. There are also options to find random poems, search the archive, and save and share favorites.

fridge_appFridgePoems, by Color Monkey, is a new app that’s pretty basic but it can be addictive and great for inspiring your inner poet. It mimics magnetic “fridge poetry” without the fridge! For those unfamiliar with the concept, you are provided with a limited selection of words and you can use as many (or as few) of the words as you’d like and arrange them any way you’d like on a virtual “fridge” to create your poems. The program lets you take a snapshot, save, and share your poetic masterpieces. You can also purchase additional word sets. There are a number of these types of apps available, so you may find others you want to check out with different interfaces and additional word choice options.

Poetry Everywhere, by WGBH,gbh_app is an app for the Poetry Everywhere project, created a few years ago by WGBH and David Grubin Productions in association with the Poetry Foundation. Basically, this app offers the chance to attend a poetry festival on your mobile device. It features videos of contemporary poets reading their own works with introductions by Garrison Keillor. Although the app itself only has 20 or so poems, more poems and poets are available from both the Poetry Foundation and the PBS Poetry Everywhere websites. The PBS site still highlights a different poem each day and includes a closed caption option for viewing the poems. Both websites also include student-created animated films of some of the poems, offering unique visual interpretations.

ravenThe Raven, by vNovel Interactive, offers an atmospheric version of the famous Edgar Allan Poe poem. This presentation of the “The Raven” comes with a spooky audio reading and accompanying artwork, as well as music and sound effects to enhance the mood and experience of the poem (including the “rapping” and “tapping” on the chamber door). The app was created a few years ago, and there isn’t much in the way of interactivity, other than to choose to have the poem read to you (recommended) or to read it yourself, but it’s still a nice example of how images and sound can be used effectively to enhance text. It’s also just a fun way to experience the poem.

Have you had success using any of these apps or other technology to teach or enjoy poetry? Perhaps you have a favorite app, website, or software that you’d like to recommend? Please feel free to share in the comments section below.

All of the apps listed here are available for iPhone and iPad and Poetry, from The Poetry Foundation, and The Poetry App are also available for Android. If you would like to know more, or are interested in suggestions about how these apps might be used, feel free to contact elis@lesley.edu.