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32: Keeping Organized With Google Keep
415 Plays1 year ago
This is exactly how I keep all the information I need as an itinerant organized in Google Keep!
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Transcript
Introduction to Todd Pod
00:00:05
Speaker
Hello, and welcome to the Todd Pod, a podcast to support itinerant teachers of the deaf and hard of hearing, SLPs, and other deaf education professionals.
Organizing with Google Keep
00:00:14
Speaker
I'm Deanna Barlow from Listening Fund, and today we're starting off the new year strong by talking about keeping organized with Google Keep. Google Keep is my preferred way of keeping all the little bits of info I need as an itinerant in one place.
00:00:29
Speaker
It's a Google app like Drive or Docs, but it's like digital sticky notes. I use Google Drive for my student folders that hold session notes and IEPs and audiograms and all that stuff. But sometimes I just need a spot to write down random bits of info like the case manager's name, the classroom number, and how to get there.
00:00:48
Speaker
picture of the bell schedule, something random the student is into right now, stuff I want to remember like that. And that's where Google Keep really comes in handy for me. Here's a few of the reasons I like Google Keep over other systems like a notebook or the Notes app or Google Drive itself.
00:01:06
Speaker
I can access it on both my phone and my computer through my school Google account. So this is good for when I'm out and about, but also helpful when I want to pull up something on my computer. It's just nice that it syncs between both places.
Advantages over Other Apps
00:01:21
Speaker
Also, my work account is automatically separate from my personal Google account.
00:01:27
Speaker
Since it's stored in Google, it keeps my personal to-do list separate from my work list. I use Google Keep for personal things too. And when I'm on my school account, it just keeps everything nice and separate and easy. I felt when I used to use the Notes app for a lot of this stuff, I had to manually go back and forth. And that was just one more step that made it a little bit harder versus Google Keep. It's just automatically separate.
00:01:47
Speaker
And the last thing I really like about it is that it's very visual and I can see a lot of the info at a glance without having to click in two different folders. Since Google Keep is like a digital post-it note or digital sticky note, I open the app and I see all the sticky notes and I can see what's on the sticky notes.
Deanna’s Setup and Tips
00:02:04
Speaker
So I only have to click one time and I can see a lot of info. Okay, so here's how I set mine up. This is what works for me. You can definitely adjust it based on the number of districts and schools you're in. I personally do one sticky note for each district. And I make each one a different color so that it's very visually separated. On that district sticky note, I write down my need to know information.
00:02:27
Speaker
names, maybe birthdays, case manager info, the secretary's name maybe, like I said pictures of bell schedule or class schedule. I like having one note per district because I usually don't have like that many students in the same district. So it works for me. For you it might make sense to do it by school or by like age bracket. It kind of like whatever way you can break up your caseload in a way that makes sense.
00:02:50
Speaker
I wouldn't do one note per student because I think that would get very visually cluttered and sometimes information overlaps for students in the same building or the same district. So I find the less categories, the better personally. I'm kind of one of those people where if I can't see something, it just doesn't exist to me anymore.
00:03:08
Speaker
So keeping all my info in one central location as opposed to in the different student folders is just more helpful. If I need more detailed info, I can go into the folder like it's there.
Using Google Keep for Tasks and Ideas
00:03:19
Speaker
But if I just need something quick, I can pull up my Google Keep and see what I need to see.
00:03:24
Speaker
In addition to a note for each district, I also have one note for my running to-do list. They have like a task list option, kind of like the notes app where you can check things off. So I just keep a running to-do list that I can check off. So like emails to send, things to bring next time. I also use the reminder app for things that are time sensitive, but you can also set reminders in Google Keep. And I'm in the habit of looking at my Google Keep daily because it's where I keep a lot of information that I need regularly.
00:03:53
Speaker
So I'm kind of in the habit of looking at that list every day to make sure I don't overlook something that like I told someone I was going to do. I feel like that was the hardest part for me at the beginning was just like I would be like walking somewhere in the hallway or like talking to someone and they would be like, oh, can you send me X, Y and Z or oh, can you remind me to do this or whatever? So just like being able to click on one app on my phone and type it in and keep all that in one place is like what made it functional and simple for me to actually use constantly.
00:04:23
Speaker
I also have one note just for fun ideas. So whenever I see a cool idea on social media, I jot it down in this fun ideas note. That way when I'm lesson planning, I scroll through all the ideas and they're all in one place. So if you listen to this podcast, for example, and
00:04:42
Speaker
I or a guest mentions an activity that you'd like to try, you could just pull up your Google Keep and add it to the list. That way, when you need inspiration, you could just scroll through and remember. And I find that very helpful because sometimes you just get into a rut and you want to try something different. And you know you've heard cool ideas places, but you can't remember them now that you need them.
Comprehensive Info Storage
00:05:02
Speaker
So just keeping like a little centralized list is so helpful. I feel like Google Keep works well for someone like me who still likes paper for certain things.
00:05:11
Speaker
I have a lot of different data forms that I use. I have them all available at my caseload planner resource.
00:05:16
Speaker
And I like to do that on real paper. I think that's easier. But for things that I need quickly at a glance, having paper copies of that information is just not practical because I don't always have those papers on me. And even if I did, I'd have to go in my bag and find them if someone asked me a question. It's just faster to go on my phone. So for the paper data collection, that works good because I can have that out during my sessions.
00:05:42
Speaker
plus the Google Drive folders to store all of their long-term information that I need to access periodically, and then Google Keep for quick info. That is the three-pronged system that overall works best for me so that I have the comprehensive information, the quick information, and then I also have paper available to me for during sessions.
Setting Up Google Keep
00:06:06
Speaker
The nice thing about Google Keep is that it's pretty simple and intuitive to set up. If you're logged into Google, you just click on the array, those like nine little boxes up in the top right, select Keep, just like you would select Gmail or Docs.
00:06:22
Speaker
I keep my Keep bookmarked for easy access on my computer and I also have the Google Keep app downloaded on my phone. And then you just start making notes and stuff and at the bottom there's an option to change the color, task boxes, all that good stuff. It's super easy and super simple.
00:06:38
Speaker
So that's how I use Google Keep to stay organized. This has been the system that has worked the longest for me that I've been able to use consistently because it's so simple. I really hope this insight into my system may be helpful, maybe spark some ideas for you or for something that might work for you. If you try it, let me know what you think. Links and transcript are in the show notes and at listen to toppod.com. I hope you have a fantastic start to 2024 and I will see you next time. Bye.