Google Keep for Conference Resources
Welcome to the first in a series of short posts about technology tools I have been using recently. This particular tool helps immensely with organization!
Before winter break, I had the privilege of attending the Virginia Music Educator’s Association Conference and the Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic. These are events I look forward to every year, as I imagine many educators do. One thing I often hear people discussing is the best way to keep track of the awesome resources we collect at such events. I can’t count the number of handouts, concert programs, pamphlets, brochures, and flyers I bring home that often sit in my bag for months on end. I always have great intentions of sorting and organizing the materials to help insure the information gets put to good use. But that’s not always the case.
One thing that has helped with this problem and gives me easy access to the materials is using Google Keep. Google Keep reminds me of virtual sticky notes that are accessible on any device. You can organize notes by topic, and can include
To start, I create a label for the conference. Midwest 2019, for example. For each session I attend, I start a new note within that topic. I include the session title, presenters names, and the handout link if one is provided. I can take notes throughout the session and add pictures or even audio recordings. When there are only paper handouts, I will often take a picture or scan them to include in the note.
This session system has worked well for me. I can keep all of my notes, handouts, and links in one place, ensuring I don’t take home unnecessary papers. And it helps me remember which sessions I attended. At a conference as busy as Midwest, sometimes that’s a challenge! I also love that I can easily share notes with other people and copy them to Google Docs.
While I know there are many other digital note-taking tools available, for this purpose I prefer Google Keep. It’s simple to use and contains basic tools. This minimalist approach makes it perfect!
Now I’m curious – what other systems do people use to keep conference materials organized? Are there any other great ideas that work? Please share!
New to the blog? Please consider subscribing!
