10 Great, Free Apps for Students for Notetaking and Class Planning

10 Great, Free Apps for Students for Notetaking and Class Planning

These days, there are some great apps for students to use to take notes for class, or to use as class planners.







1. Evernote and EverStudent

My favorite is Evernote.
I use it for everything, literally, and many of my students use it for
taking notes, clipping web pages, creating to do lists, and more. There
is also a new Android app available, called EverStudent, that integrates with Evernote and acts as a planner for students. EverStudent
allows students to manage tasks and assignments with a planner
interface by class, color code classes, add instructor info to your
notes and group classes by semester or term. All the information is
synced to Evernote for access from any device and to share with others.
It is available for Android only.









2. Skitch

Skitch also works with Evernote
and allows you to create sketches and annotate, edit and save photos
and your sketches. Students could use this to take notes or sketches
that can't be done with just text. It's available for Android and Mac.
iOS version is coming.






3. MySchoolNotebook

MySchoolNotebook is another note taking app I just reviewed earlier here: http://educationaltechnologyguy.blogspot.com/2012/02/myschoolnotebook-free-onlineapps-for.html





4. Memonic

Memonic
is similar to other note taking tools in that you can clip web content,
take text notes, share notes, and access it from any computer. There
are also apps for iOS and Android. You can also email a note to your
Memonic account from any computer.


There is also a feature coming that will allow you to use Memonic's web clipper to save notes directly to your Evernote account.







5. SimpleNote

SimpleNote
is exactly what it's name says - it's a free, simple note taking app.
Notes are just text. However, it does have some great features. You can
access it from any computer or web-enabled device. You can easily start
and make a note and even share it with others. Your notes are searchable
with tags and content search, and there are some extensions and add-ons
that you can use with it.









6. SpringPad

Springpad
is a notes and organizing service that allows you to create and
organize tasks in a different way than Evernote, and organizes your
notes differently. You can take notes, clip web sites, create task
lists, and more, just like in Evernote, but you can also import data
from a bar code, search by location, and add photos. You can organize
things by notebooks and tags like in Evernote, but Springpad also has
"The Board" which is a digital cork board to help you organize the
important things.


Springpad is free, and is available via web app and for iPhone, iPad, and Android.






7. TrackClass

Trackclass is a great, free
resource for students. The site allows students to track their classes
and assignments, and even will send reminders (email or SMS) for
upcoming assignment due dates and test dates. There is also a note
taking utility so students can take notes on it if they have a computer
in school, or transcribe notes later. You can even attach files to each
class and assignment to keep things organized. It is a great way for
students to stay organized.

8. Soshiku 

Shoshiku is another free class organizer, similar to Trackclass.
It has a calendar, notes, task list, and reminder system like
Trackclass. It is not as full featured, in my opinion, as Trackclass,
but it is easy to use and some students may like it better than Trackclass.

9a. Paper Planners - Even today, with students having smartphones
and laptops and tablets, some still prefer to use paper planners. I use
to use Franklin Quest planners until I got my first PDA (A Palm IIIxe
in 2000). Some planners can be customized for your school too. We give
every student a planner that includes schedules, calendar, homework and
assignment lists, and even a hall pass log.


Here are some links to some paper planners. They are obviously not free.
Students could also print out blank calendar and planner pages that you
can find online and use them as a free paper planner.


Franklin Covey - great paper planning systems, but a little pricey for students.
Day Timer paper planners
DIY Planner - make and print your own planner pages
Planner Pads - paper planners
Day Runner - paper planners
Mead Student Planners
At-A-Glance
Student Planner USA - some nice ones on here (and not expensive)
SchoolMate Student Planners

9b. LiveScribe smart pen

Students could use a LiveScribe smart pen
to take paper notes, but have those notes synced to their computer (and
even to Evernote). This is a good option for math, science, and
engineering, where you really can't take good notes using a keyboard. It
also has a voice recorder to record what the teacher is saying. You can
buy notebooks, or print out your own paper notes.

10. Google - Calendar, Docs, and Task List 

Google is another great way to get organized and take notes. Google Calendar
is a great way to organize class schedules, assignment due dates with
reminders and more. You can even color code classes and assignments. If
the teacher uses Google Calendar for the class, you can just view that calendar with yours. Google Docs can be used for taking notes and the Tasks can be used as a task list. They can be accessed from any computer or mobile device.