Evernote is currently my favorite service for taking notes, saving bookmarks, and saving media online. Evernote for Android got a facelift this week and now it’s better than ever.
The first thing that you’ll notice about the new look is the homescreen’s new look. The homescreen now puts the most frequently used functions in one place for one-touch access. I primarily use Evernote for bookmarking and tagging websites. For me, having the tags available in one touch on the homescreen is a time-saver. Having the primary functions of Evernote available in one touch is also great for those of us that are prone to “brain freezes” when we want to add something to our Evernote accounts.
Click here to read the complete run-down of the new Evernote for Android features. Or watch the video overview below.
You’ve heard of Snakes on a Plane, but have you heard of blog posts on a plane? I traveled a lot in March (19,000 miles according to US Airways) which meant I had a lot of time when I was disconnected from the web. Even though I was disconnected from the web I was still able to draft some blog posts. To do so, I used Evernote on my Samsung Galaxy Tab. Then when I reconnected to the web I simply copied and pasted and pasted my post into a blog post.
What does this mean for students? It means that they can take notes on their Android devices even when they cannot connect to the Internet. Of course, when they are connected to the web through their Android devices students can bookmark and annotate websites that they find useful in their research. The video below walks you through the features of Evernote for Android.
BoardTabla is a free Android app designed to help you quickly capture presentation slides on your phone or tablet. The app is basically a camera with some handy extras. To capture a slide just snap a picture with BoardTabla. BoardTabla will automatically crop sections like borders that aren’t needed. Once the image is captured you can write free-hand notes on the slides.
BoardTabla could be a handy Android app for students to quickly capture slides and annotate them in a way that makes them meaningful to them. BoardTabla allows for sharing of slides through email, text messaging, and Facebook. The sharing function could be helpful for students to send notes to classmates who are absent from class.
If you’re a fan of using Microsoft’s OneNote to take notes, you’ll be happy to learn that OneNote is now available for Android devices. You can create notes, including notes with pictures using the OneNote Android app and sync them to your desktop or laptop through Microsoft’s SkyDrive service.
If you’re already using OneNote and SkyDrive on your desktop or laptop, you should already have a Microsoft Live ID. If this is your first try with OneNote, you will need to create a Microsoft Live ID to sync your notes.
If you work in a school that is using Microsoft SkyDrive services and Android devices, using OneNote for Android should be a natural fit.
If you received a new Android device this holiday season. Here are eleven apps that you should try. All of these apps are free so there is no risk in trying them out. If you have an app that you love and think should be added to this list, please leave a comment.
1. Skitch for Android is currently my favorite app on my tablet and phone. You can use Skitch for Android to create drawings from scratch. You can use the app to take a picture and mark it up. Or you can also use the app to edit and draw on images that you have saved on your tablet, in a Picassa album, or in an Evernote account.
2. Evernote is a fantastic app for bookmarking your finds on the web. Whether you’re browsing the web on your Android device or browsing on your computer, Evernote is equally awesome for saving your favorite finds. Evernote gives you the option to bookmark just the url of your new favorite website or you can add notes and tags to your bookmark. Your bookmarks can be viewed from any device that you sync with your Evernote account. Beyond bookmarks you can save images and other files that you need to access from multiple devices. Sharing is caring and Evernote allows you to share the notes in your account with others if you so choose.
3. Using DropBox in conjunction with DropItToMe is one of the ways that I try to avoid inbox overload. The DropBox Android App allows me to access all of my DropBox files from my tablet and phone. I can also use the app to add new content to my DropBox account. The video below is an overview of the DropBox service.
4. I couldn’t make everything on this list serious so I’ve included Google Music. Launched to the general public last month, Google Music is Google’s response to iTunes. You can upload music from your personal collection and access through any internet-connected device. You can shop for new music directly through the Google Music Android app. Right now many songs are on sale for just $0.49 and many albums are available at just $4.99.
5. Sync Space is a whiteboard app available for Android devices and iOS devices. You can use Sync Space to create drawings and documents on your tablet. You can create using free-hand drawing tools, using typing tools, or a combination of the two tool sets. Your drawings and documents can be sent to and synced with other users so that they can comment and edit your drawings and documents. If you have installed an app like Evernote or Dropbox you can upload your drawings to either of those accounts too. Learn more about Sync Space in the video below.
6. Are you on Google+? I am and if you are too, give the Google+ Android App a try. I’ve found the app much easier to work with than the mobile version of the website. And if you turn on notifications, you’ll always know when someone mentions you in a post or responses to one of your posts.
7. TweetDeck is my favorite desktop client for keeping up with Twitter and Facebook. It’s available as an Android App too and I think it’s the best app for keeping up with Twitter and Facebook on my phone and tablet. Just like the desktop version, the TweetDeck Android app allows me to create groups and columns of the people that I follow.
8. Feedly is currently my favorite app for reading RSS feeds. I’m using it on my Samsung Galaxy Tablet and now on my laptop too. Feedly takes your RSS feeds and turns them into an easy-to-read magazine-like format. You can sync your Google Reader account to Feedly and it will retain all of the categories that you may have created in Google Reader. You can also sync Feedly to Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, Read It Later, and Instapaper. I can share from Feedly to all of my favorite social networks like Twitter and Google+ as well as bookmark things in my Evernote account from Feedly. The video below offers a short overview of the reading experience in Feedly.
9. If you use Edmodo to keep your students and their parents informed about your class and your school, check out the Edmodo Android app. The Edmodo Android app allows you to manage the essential aspects of your Edmodo account. The app gives you access to your gradebook, groups, profile, and file library. You can use the app to post new messages to your group(s). My file library was accessible through the app and I was able to add new content to my file library. Students can use the Edmodo Android app to read notifications from their teachers.
10. If lesson planning around the Common Core standards is something that you have to do, the Mastery Connect Common Core app could be helpful to you. The app is designed to help educators quickly locate the common core standards for mathematics and language arts. To locate standards through the app just select the content you teach and the grade level you teach. The app will pull up the standards based on your selections. (Dislosure: Mastery Connect is an advertiser on my other blog, Free Technology for Teachers).
11. There are many excellent note-taking apps in the Android Marketplace. One of the simplest and easiest to use is Color Note. Color Note is a simple note-taking app that I’ve been using on all of my Android devices for the last year. Color Note offers a sticky note environment, a calendar option, to do list options, and the option to share your notes via email and sms. You do not have to create an account of any kind in order to use Color Note. It really takes just a couple of seconds to install it and get started.
. Then when I reconnected to the web I simply copied and pasted and pasted my post into a blog post.
If you’re a fan of using Microsoft’s OneNote to take notes, you’ll be happy to learn that OneNote is now available for Android devices. You can create notes, including notes with pictures using the 
3. Using 
4. I couldn’t make everything on this list serious so I’ve included Google Music. Launched to the general public last month, Google Music is Google’s response to iTunes. You can upload music from your personal collection and access through any internet-connected device. You can shop for new music directly through the 
5. 
6. Are you on Google+? 
7. TweetDeck is my favorite desktop client for keeping up with Twitter and Facebook. It’s available as an 
8. 
9. If you use Edmodo to keep your students and their parents informed about your class and your school, check out the 
10. If lesson planning around the Common Core standards is something that you have to do, the 
11. There are many excellent note-taking apps in the Android Marketplace. One of the simplest and easiest to use is 