Paperless Parent-Teacher Interviews, trialling Evernote and Kustomnote.
Posted: September 30, 2012 Filed under: Handy Tools | Tags: app, HandyWebResource, resource, template, website 2 CommentsForgive me for the down-time between posts, my energy over the holidays has been funnelled into pizza-eating, football-watching and very little exercise, rather than blogging and university assignments!
At the end of Term 3 I used these two resources to conveniently create and file my parent-teacher notes. This is just one idea, there are many others out there.
Firstly, some information below to familiarise you with the resources discussed in this post:
Evernote is a Windows/Mac/iOS/Web-based platform for taking notes and storing them in a cloud server for retrieval and synchronization across multiple devices. (See here for a great teacher blog, and many tips from an Evernote expert and enthusiast!)
Kustomnote is a web-based platform built specifically for use with Evernote. It allows you to connect your account and create multiple note templates for a range of needs (including anecdotal notes, guided-group notes and many more)
Now that we have the basics, this short post will be useful if you are, like me, finding resources that make things that we already do, even easier!
Once you have downloaded and signed up with Evernote, you are able to log in to Kustomnote using the same ID, which makes things much simpler. On the left hand toolbar, it was as simple as clicking ‘New note’ to customise the fields that I would be using before and during PTIs to record my notes, they looked like this:
- Student & Parent/Carers
- Interview Date/Time
- Wellbeing & Celebrations
- Literacy
- Numeracy
- Issues/Concerns
- Requested follow up interview (Yes/No)
- Teacher follow-up actions
You can view and clone my note here as I have made it available publicly. Please feel free to make changes, improve it and let me know!
With the Kustomnote template created, it was simply a case of creating a template for each student by clicking the ‘New Parent-Teacher Interview Mid-Year note’ button and entering the information for each student that I wanted to share with the parent. As I saved each new note, each student’s name and information conveniently appeared in my Evernote cloud across all my devices in an attractive, formatted note. I was able to use my iPad to communicate during interviews and add to existing notes.
Overall, I found the experience a great success. Although slightly time consuming to begin with (I spent a good hour experimenting with the templates and formatting) the process ultimately paid off and produced accessible, clear records of each meeting.
Evernote/Kustomnote :
Pros:
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Cons:
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I encourage everyone to have a look at the possibilities when combining these two excellent resources, and please share your uses for them in the comment space below.
Cheers, enjoy the rest of the break Aussie teachers!
Teddy.
How do you use Evernote professionally/personally?
What uses have you found for Evernote in the classroom that you can share in the comments section below?
Have you used any other software that complements Evernote?
OpenEdToolbox 
My marketing teacher recommended Evernote to take notes with in class. While I do like the cloud aspect of it, I find an app called “In Class” is better suited for students. It allows you to make multiple notebook folders for each class and store assignments, reminders, and class info in it. However, Evernote is a great app because you an access the notes you take on any device! So I guess it’s a tie between them.
I agree, Samantha. I have often found that apps really are a personal preference, like a lot of other teaching tools I guess. I always have to be careful to ensure that what I am doing with my iPad apps is making my life easier rather than harder!
Thanks for the recommendation, I’ll check it out.
Cheers,
Teddy.