by David Andrade, http://tinyurl.com/edtechguy
Evernote is a great, free resource that allows you to easily capture information using whatever device or operating system you use. It then makes this information accessible and searchable from anywhere. Their tagline: Remember Everything.

You can capture task lists, notes, web pages, white boards, business cards, pictures, and even clip web pages to Evernote.

You can download a desktop version of the software, for free, which will sync to the Evernote web server, or you can just access it through the internet on their web page. You can also access it through a mobile device. They have downloadable applications for HP/Palm webOS,  the iPhone, Blackberry, Android, and Windows Mobile devices.

I use the desktop version at home, the webOS app on my Palm Pre+, and the website at school. The desktop version sync’s all of the data to your computer (good for backup) and you can also export your notes in a variety of formats for backup.

You can create new notes via desktop, web, or mobile version. You can also use your camera phone or web cam to take a snapshot and Evernote can even recognize the text in the image.

You can upload attachments to your notes in Evernote to keep documents organized with the notes they go with.

You can also email notes, clip web pages, record audio notes, and scan papers, receipts and more into Evernote. Evernote web clippers are available for Chrome and Firefox and you can even add one onto your own website! The Chrome extension adds a lot of functionality to Evernote, letting you right click and bring up clipping options.

Their website has easy to follow instructions and help sections. The blog section even has a recent entry about teachers using Evernote:

Teachers: Organize your lesson plans in Evernote.
You can put all your notes, outlines, activities, research, etc in Evernote and have it searchable and accessible from anywhere. That way you can start working on a lesson plan at home then continue working on your computer in your class. You can tag lesson plans with specific topics or subjects to make calling them up the next school year even easier.

I use Evernote to collect and organize information, notes, meeting notes, lesson plans, and much more. You can also share your notes with others, so I’ve shared some notes with my students or colleagues. The ability to share notes with my students makes it easy for me to share resources with them.

Students can use Evernote to collect data from the web, take notes in class, organize their work, upload files, and collaborate on projects.

The Evernote Blog has an Education Series where they post articles, case studies, and tips for using Evernote in education. Here are some of the highlights:

Evernote as a research tool – explains how to use Evernote while doing research to take notes, attach files to your notes, use web clippings, collaborate with others, search your notes, and more.

How Evernote Got Me Through College – story of how a college student used Evernote to get organized and how he used Evernote for his final project.

10 Tips for Teachers Using Evernote – A teacher shares how he uses Evernote to prep for class, use in class, use after class, and in general as a teacher. Some great tips and ideas here.

10 Great Ways Students Can Use Evernote to Study Smarter, Not Harder – written by a student – take notes, organize handouts, take photos as reminders, organize research, and more.

Evernote is very useful, easy to use, platform independent, constantly improved and updated and FREE. Get your life organized using Evernote.