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Announcer: OTAN, Outreach and Technical Assistance Network.

Melinda Holt: Hello, everyone, I'm Melinda Holt. I'm a project specialist for OTAN, the Outreach and Technical Assistance Network. I'm your host for this OTAN Tech Talk.

The title for this month's OTT is Google Keep for Teachers. Our presenter today is Yecsenia Delgado, who, among many other titles, is an OTAN subject matter expert. Yecsenia, take it away.

Yecsenia Delgado: Thank you, Melinda. Welcome to our OTT. So today, I'll be discussing Google Keep. So Google Keep allows us to make notes, lists, reminders, and everything you need to keep a note on.

It is a simple user interface that has useful features that will help you stay organized. This web-based application allows you to create and share notes. You can also add images, voice notes, drawings, and more.

Each note resembles an online sticky note that can be customized and shared. This is one of my favorite tools. Previously, my desktop looked a little bit like this on my laptop, actually.

It was filled with sticky notes all around. So when I found out about this tool, I was extremely excited. It's completely revolutionized the way that I take notes. So really, the reason why I love Google Keep is because I use it as a visual dashboard.

I've created a visual dashboard for my work and for my personal Google Keep as well. I use it as a desktop that helps me stay organized. It provides me with quick access to links that I access all of the time.

And my favorite feature is that whatever notes I put in Google Keep, I can access them from my phone, from my laptop. From any online tool that I'm using, I'm able to access Google Keep. So what type of notes can we do?

As we work through our jobs and our daily life, there are so many things that we need to keep track of. So you can use tracking through this tool by creating checklists, notes, and then also keep track of images that'll help you as a reference to go back to that note. One of my favorite features is the Pin feature.

So whenever I pin a note, it keeps it at the top. So the most frequently used information that I need to access is usually pinned at the top. Use the top pin for any critical or time-sensitive notes, and it'll help you stay organized.

You can also add the check marks. This is one of my favorite things because it's super simple. It looks like a checklist. Maybe even think of your grocery store list.

As you add things, it creates that checklist for you. So as you put them in your shopping cart, you can start clicking them off. And you know that you've ticked off those tasks like a pro and you've done them.

Your to-do list I love. This as my to-do list. Sometimes I'm at home and I think of something that I need to do in the office. And I log into my to-do list, I log it, and then I don't have to worry about it anymore because the next morning it's going to give me a reminder. And I'm able to tap that off. So it's been really, really helpful.

Prior to this, one of the things that I used to do as I was walking around is if I remembered something I had to do for the office, I would email myself, so then I would get an email. So the check boxes have helped me, one spot, one place, to track everything in.

You can add labels. This is another one of the best features that it has. It's easy to add labels. So you're able to add a label, for example, bills. You can have a label type for bills and shopping for your schoolwork. I use it for counseling, enrollment, our different work programs that we have.

The labels will help you track each category separately so you're able to view those notes separately in a more organized way. You're only looking at the notes for that specific label or that topic. You can color code your notes.

So if you want to super-simplify or maybe visually organize your notes, you can have different colors for different topics or different labels that you want to create, or you can set different backgrounds for each note. A feature that I use a lot is the Reminders feature. So by default, I have all notifications turned off on my phone, but I do keep the reminders from Google Keep on my phone.

That means that I get a little message or a push message that comes to my phone and lets me know that I have a pending item, or it just allows me to have a reminder for any time-sensitive things. So you are able to set up reminders for your notes. Another favorite feature-- I love all of Google, so all of them are favorite features.

But Google Keep has a Chrome extension. So I find this to be a great way. Most of us use the Bookmarks maybe on our Chrome.

Google Keep allows you to track different websites in an easy way, where it puts them in your Google Keep notepad. I really like this feature because it adds the little picture of the website on it. And you can also keep notes on it.

So one of the things, especially when you're in a presentation or you're looking at a website-- I used to always bookmark it on my Chrome, and I would always forget why I did it. So this allows you to bookmark it and place a little note of why you're coming back to this website, or what you do on this website, or why you're particularly interested in it. So when you do come back, you have that little note in that place that you can always come back to.

You can also draw. As you create that post-it note, it gives you an option to draw. I like using this feature with students. So one of my favorite features that I've used with my students is I create a label for a specific class.

My students all know that they are required to have a Gmail account so they're able to access their Google Keep notes. I create a Google Keep note for each of my students, and then I use Google Draw as a little dashboard of whiteboards. So what I do is I have the students log into their Google Keep.

I use it as an exit ticket. So at the very end, I have all my students open up Google Keep. I ask a question, whether it's a math question or any type of question, or sometimes at the beginning when I'm first using the tool, I just have them write a thought, a word to express how they feel.

They write it in their Google Keep. And I can check in on my Google Keep dashboard, and they're leaving out of the class as I'm getting their exit assignment. And then the next day when they come back, I have them erase their Google Keep dashboard, and then we start with a new exit ticket.

So this is one of my favorite features where you're able to see all the sticky note drawings all in one place for one class. I do like to use that a lot for those exit tickets out the door, or you can use it for different activities. Mobile Voice Notes is a feature available on your phone.

This is a great way for students to take notes on the go, for you to take notes on the go. You can record words. For our ESL learners, they can record pronunciation. We can practice reading out loud.

So there's a feature where you do a sticky note, and it allows you to record that voice and listen back to it. I've even used this. When I'm on the go and I just need to remind myself of something, I'll record myself. And that allows me to come back and remember what my thought process was at that time. It's more of a voice note for yourself.

Another feature that you can use-- so you can take any image that has words on it, and you can grab the image from the text. So Grab image text is going to take that picture of the text, and it's going to type it out for you in the note.

So basically, you have your picture. Whatever lettering is on there, it'll place it in your notes. And it goes into Google Docs. So once you have it in your note-- or your Google Keep note, what you can do is you can export it into your notes in a Google Doc. So now, you have a document with everything that was written on that picture that you're able to manipulate or change or highlight for notes, whatever you want to do with it.

Some of the features that you're able to use to teach students is-- one of my favorite features is for Vocabulary and Spelling List. So with the pictures, I've asked students in beginning ESL to create flashcards. So they add a picture and a word underneath it, and then they're able to use their Google Keep as a vocabulary list or a spelling list if you do the check marks.

It also allows for project management with the checklist. So sometimes I have my students create their Google Keep checklist, and I give them what I want them to put in that checklist. And then I have them click off as they're finishing each step of the project.

The math examples I use to do with Draw. So they go into the Draw feature. And they're able to complete a math task on the drawing. And then I'm able to get a quick assessment of where they're at.

You're able to share notes. One of the features with the sharing of notes, there is no view feature only. So whoever you share those notes with, just know that they're going to have complete access to edit that note.

So that's one of the features to consider as you are sharing notes with somebody else. You will both have access. So this works really well when you're collaborating on a project with someone, and you have a task list of things that you want to do.

You're able to click on the list. So if I finish one part of the project, my partner will know that piece is done, so we're moving on to the next piece. And the draw on images is a great place for us to jot down our thoughts. Or if you're drawing some type of picture, it allows us to just-- a place where we can keep different colors and be creative through that process.

More than anything, try the new Go Digital and explore with it. Have fun. It has so many features that you're able to use and manipulate with your students. Thank you for watching this OTT.

Thanks, Yecsenia, for presenting Google Keep for Teachers. That was great. And I even learned some few things.

I'd like to encourage viewers at this time to subscribe to OTAN's YouTube channel, where instructional tech videos related to adult education can be found, including OTAN Tech Talks. All of this information and more is available on the OTAN website at www.OTAN.US. Thank you for watching this OTAN Tech Talk.