The 21st Century Principal

Evernote just got even more useful for me with its new iOS app Scannable. In many of my past posts regarding Evernote, I have made it clear that the Evernote note taking application is my everyday "go-to" app in both my professional and personal life. With all the smartphone apps, desktops apps, and browser extensions, Evernote makes note taking and web curation simple and easy.

Scannable Document in Evernote Desktop App

Scannable Interface in iOS

Sunrise Calendar App is an excellent way to gain access to your Google Calendars across multiple platforms. Recently, Sunrise became available as a stand-alone Mac App in addition to being available for iOS devices, Android devices, and Chrome. The best thing about Sunrise right now is that it’s free. It is easy to use and simply gives you easy access to your Google calendar. You can also connect some social media accounts such as Twitter and Facebook, as well as Evernote. It’s simple interface makes it an excellent choice for a Calendar app across all your devices.



Here are some other interesting features of the Sunrise Calendar App.

• Compatible with Google Calendar, iCloud and Exchange
• Synchronizes in real time
• Quick Add Event Feature
• Reminders
• Connect to multiple Google Calendars
• Supports Mac notifications
• Offline Mode

If you’re looking for a calendar app for your Mac, Desktop or handheld device, you will find Sunrise Calendar App's simplicity and ease of use reason enough to download it today. For more information about the Sunrise Apps, check out their web site (https://calendar.sunrise.am/).

OpenEd, the world's largest K-12 education resource catalog that, according to their web site, contains over "million Common Core aligned videos, games, and assessments," just released their student iPad app in the iTunes App Store.

With OpenED, educators can create a course for free. Each course is assigned a unique code which then can be shared with students. Students then enter the code into their OpenEd iPad app to access the course. OpenEd now includes over 1 million education resources that includes content from PBS,BrightStorm,  EdCite, and BrainGenie. Best of all, OpenEd is Free to Use!

Here's the link to OpenEd.

Check out the OpenEd app in the iTunes App Store here.

OpenEd's iPad Interface

Daybook Pro, the iPad app that allows teachers to deliver lessons and teaching content through their tablets, has just gotten better. Users can now directly add files to the app from their Dropbox account. Their website also offers a new set of video tutorials that will get users started with Daybook Pro. If you want to see how this app can meet the needs of classroom teachers, you can check out their onsite introductory video here.  Daybook Pro is also quite affordable at $10 a year or $1 per month.

Daybook Pro Interface

I experimented with Daybook Pro, and it is an excellent option for teachers looking for a content and instructional delivery system using their iPads.

Evenote, as I've posted many times, is such a versatile application that every educator is bound to find it useful. Besides the fact that you can access the application across devices, there are some additional extensions and tablet apps that make it even more useful and versatile for the school leader and classroom teacher. Check out each of these tablet apps and Chrome extensions to extend the usefulness of the application even further.

iOS and Tablet Apps

vJournal: vJournal is a simple, free iOS app that allows your to create dated journal entries that are then uploaded to an Evernote notebook called "My Journal." It is extremely simple to use. Each entry is automatically dated. When you are finished typing an entry, simply click the upload button. You can also insert photos in your entries as well, which means vJournal also gives you the ability to create a photo journal. From the perspective of a school leader, vJournal is an excellent app for keeping various log entries and observational data. Check out vJournal in the iTunes store here.

vJournal Interface

Penultimate: Penultimate is a free handwritten note-taking app for the iOS device. There are times when all you need is a place to jot info and, if you're like me, you don't even carry a pen or paper any more. Penultimate is a handwriting app for the iPad that syncs to your Evernote account. You can also insert photos from your Camera Roll or take a picture and insert it into your handwritten notes. Penultimate's features add even more functionality to Evernote. Check out Penultimate here on the Evernote Penultimate Web Site.

Penultimate Interface

Skitch: Skitch is a graphics app for the iOS or Android device that allows users to communicate graphically. You can take a photo and use graphical tools to mark that photo up and then send it to others. For the school leader or educator, it is excellent way to make communication more visual. Skitch is also available for download to a Windows PC. For more information about Skitch, check out the Skitch Evernote Web Page here.

Skitch Interface

Boxer: Boxer is an email app for the tablet that offers users a whole range of features.  The one feature that is of interest to Evernote users is that it allows you to send email messages to whichever Evernote notebook you select. This integrates your email into your Evernote application, adding still another function to your Evernote capabilities. Check out Boxer for email in the iTunes store here.

Boxer Interface

Chrome Extensions

Clearly: This Chrome extension has so many features for a free extension. With a single click, users can make blog posts and web articles clean and easy to read. Clearly removes all the superfluous content such as ads and sidebar content. Users can read articles easily. Using the "Text-to-Speech" feature, users can have that article read to them too. Articles can be highlighted and then uploaded to either a default Evernote notebook or one chosen by the user. For more information regarding Clearly,  check it out in the Chrome Web Store here. Clearly is also available for Firefox and available for Opera users too.

Clearly Interface

Evernote Web Clipper: This Chrome extension also gives users many, many more features that expand Evernote's functionality. Users of this extension can choose how they want the Web content to be "clipped" and saved. They can save it into the Evernote notebook of choice as an article, simplified article, full page, bookmark, or screenshot. Users can also highlight text, insert arrows,  and type text notes. Users can also share the Web article through Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, or email. This Chrome extension is just another powerful way to extend your use of Evernote. Check out the Evernote Web Clipper in the Chrome Store here.

Chrome Evernote Web Clipper

Evernote by itself is certainly useful, but as the tablet apps multiply and the capabilities of Web browser extensions expand, its usefulness only gets better. Evernote proves time and again that technology is only as good as the software we use, and the software is only as good as its functionality.

Boxer is an email app that might be of interest to those looking for an email application for their iOS device. This email app approaches email in a slightly different manner than others. It supports email accounts with a variety of services such as: Gmail, Outlook, Exchange, Yahoo, Hotmail, iCloud, AOL and IMAP accounts. It does not support POP3 accounts, however.

Boxer Email Interface

Even better, Boxer allows you to connect your email to your Box, Dropbox, Evernote, Facebook, and LinkedIn accounts too. With this feature, you can add a photo from you Dropbox photos, or you can save a message right into Evernote. As a heavy Evernote user, this expands the functionality of that application even further. Some of the other interesting features of Boxer include:

• Quick Reply: This feature allows you to choose from a list of "Quick Reply" messages to respond to a message. Some of those replies are: "I've added this to my to-do list," "I'm on it and I'll follow up shortly," or "Can you give me a little more detail?" The Quick Reply feature makes it easier to manage and respond to many routine email messages you receive.
• Easy-to-Use Action Grid: When dealing with an email, you simply bring up an Action Grid (See below) from which you decide the fate of the message you're reading.

Boxer's Email Action Grid

• Push Notifications: Receive notifications when you receive an email message.
• Support of Multiple Email Accounts: You can set up Boxer to access email across multiple email accounts.
• Use Gmail Labels: If you're like me and use Gmail labels, Boxer allows you to do this as well. Boxer also sets up a "To-Do Label/Folder in your Gmail lineup as well, so you have access to those emails you assign to your Boxer To-Do list in your Gmail account.

As a former English teacher, I have often believed in the power of outlining as a means to organize thoughts for a project and a presentation, and now, as an administrator there are still many times I use the strategy to organize thoughts or ideas for a school-wide project. Obviously, users could use just about any word-processing app to create outlines, but with the advent of mobile devices, being able to create an outline easily on my iPad or iPhone is a must, and word-processing apps are just a bit too complicated for this activity.

There are, of course, many outliner apps available for mobile device users, but some are as costly as $29.99 and others, while free or less expensive, do not offer all the features one would want in an iOS app. Recently, I downloaded and tried an outliner app called Cloud Outliner, and it has proven to be an inexpensive solution for creating outlines on iOS mobile devices. It basically offers users these advantages:

• Inexpensive: At just $2.99 it is obviously not as expensive as some of the other outline apps available such as OmniOutliner, which currently sells for $29.99. Understand, though, it does not have all the features of the more expensive outliner apps, but it is a fully functional option for the price.
• Syncs with cloud accounts: Currently, users can sync their outlines with both Dropbox and Google Docs.
• Email Outlines: Users can email their outlines to others as well.
• Simple Interface: Cloud Outliner's simple interface is easy to learn and use. It has just the right amount of features for creating effective outlines.
• Evernote integration: This is one of the best features for me. You can create an outline and sync it to an Evernote notebook. That makes it just one more app that expands the functionality of Evernote.

Cloud Outliner for iOS

PlayScience II is an interesting iPad app that covers all essential topics in Grade 2 Science, such as Plants, Animals, Earth, Weather & Sky, Matter and Motion & Energy. It also has several activities such as a memory game, jigsaw puzzles, crosswords etc. along with animations, voice over and interaction that make learning fun for children. Because it caters to the entire Grade 2 syllabus, it can be used by parents to complement what their children learn at school or can be used by elementary teachers in their classrooms. The app does not require internet connection, and can be used anywhere - at home or at school. The makers of PlayScience II currently offer a "Lite" version for free and the paid version for $7.99.

For more information about PlayScience II check out them out in iTunes here.

PlayScience II Interface

Recently,our district changed providers and changed phones. As a result, we are now using iPhones. As a avid user of an iPad, deciding which apps to put on my phone was an easy decision. I immediately wanted to be able to access the same applications I can already access on my iPad and on my desktop or the web.

Here's my must-download list of iPhone apps.


QR Reader: This is my QR code scanner of choice. Scanning is quite easy. I can even create QR codes within this app. There is a free version with ads, which is what I am currently using, and a paid version too. In an era where QR codes and bar codes are everywhere, it makes little sense to have a mobile device without the ability to scan these. For more information regarding QR Reader for the iPhone, check it out in iTunes. QR Reading in iTunes

Wunderlist: Having a task management app is a must. Having one that allows access across devices and on the web is also a must. Wunderlist gives me that option. I can access my "To-Do List" on my desktop, the web, my iPad, and my iPhone. Tasks entered in any of these locations are synced across devices as well. For more information about Wunderlist, check out their web site. Wunderlist Web Site

Dropbox: Dropbox has lost it's luster for some people who have had difficulties with what they say are lost files or trouble with syncing operations on multiple computers. I have had few difficulties like this, so I still use Dropbox to save files to the cloud. I also like the photo-syncing feature as well, so any photos I take automatically load to dropbox, hence down to my computer. Dropbox Web Site

KustomNote: KustomNote is a new app that I recently added to my lineup. As a heavy Evernote user, this application gives me the ability to create customized templates for collecting information, that is then stored in my Evernote account under the notebook I select. With this app I can create a simple template for taking meeting notes that are stored in my Evernote account. For more information about KustomNote and its app, check out their web site. Here's an article that gives you an excellent overview of KustomNote. MakeUseOf Article on Kustomnote

Calendars+:  This is an easy to use calendar app that syncs with all your Google Calendars. Since our district uses Google Apps, I have access to multiple district Google calendars, so this apps makes syncing those calendars quite simple. For more information, check out Calendars+ in the iTunes Store.

vJournal: vJournal is an app that allows me to create dated entries, like a journal, and then it syncs those entries to my Evernote Journal notebook. It creates a new dated entry every time you enter information. This is an excellent app for logging events or ideas. For more information about vJournal, check it out in the iTunes Store.

Google Drive: Having an additional access point to my Google Drive documents is priceless. There are countless times when I am asked about a document, and turn to this application to review or access that document. This app is especially useful if you school or district uses Google Apps. For more information about the Google Drive app, check it out in the iTunes store.

iKeePass: iKeePass is a program that allows you store and access passwords for all your software and web sites. This app is compatible with the open source desktop program KeePass as well. Using this program allows you to access your passwords through your iPhone. I have it on my iPad as well. For more information regarding iKeePass, check it out in the iTunes Store.

Evernote: For obvious reasons, having access to my Evernote note taking application on my iPhone is a big plus. Those who need to be able to access notes or take them, need this app on all their devices. For more information about Evernote's mobile app, check it out in the iTunes Store.

Gmail: This app allows me to access my email accounts. Since I have both a personal and a school Gmail account, with this app I can sync both accounts to my iPhone. I also use the same app on my iPad. It is easy to use. For more information on the Gmail app, check it out in the iTunes Store.

Twitter: Being a heavy Twitter user, having access to that social media app on my iPhone too, is a must. The Twitter app works sufficiently well to provide that access. For more information on the Twitter app, check it out in the iTunes Store.

Google Voice: Google voice allows me to set up a voice mail account, and it allows me to send text messages through my iPhone. For more information regarding the Google Voice app, check it out in the iTunes Store.

Facebook: Like Twitter, I do use Facebook to connect with others. The Facebook app for the iOS works just fine for my needs. For more information regarding the Facebook app, check it out in the iTunes Store.

Google+: I also like having access to my Google+ account on my iPhone as well. For more information regarding this iOS app, check it out in the iTunes Store.

Feedly: Feedly is now my primary RSS reader since the demise of Google Reader. Having access on my iPhone allows me one more place to access my favorite blogs and news sources. For more information regarding the iOS version of Feedly, check it out in the iTunes Store.

Flipboard: Flipboard is essentially another RSS reader, but it gives you an magazine-like look to your resources. I use this to access my favorite news and media sources. For more information regarding the iOS version of Flipboard, check it out in the iTunes Store.

Pocket: Pocket is a tool I use to collect RSS reads for later use. Having access on my iPhone, my iPad, and the web means I can view these articles anywhere I happen to be. For more information regarding Pocket, check it out in the iTunes Store.


For me the important thing is being able to access my most useful and often-used applications across devices. When I received my iPhone, these are the apps I immediately downloaded and installed. It is also an excellent iPhone starter-app list too.

I have never been completely happy with the calendar app I have been using on my iPad. I have been using the Google Search app for both my email and my calendar, and it has worked fine for email, but the calendars feature has a great deal of quirks causes quite a bit of frustration. Since our school district uses Google Apps, being able to sync multiple Google calendars is a must with any calendar app I use on my tablet. With those needs in mind, I think I have found an excellent calendar app that meets all my needs: it is Calendars or Calendars+ by Readdle. Calendars is simply the free version of Calendars+, both by Readdle.

While there appears to be a bit of a learning curve with this app, Calendars+ by Readdle has these features that make it a much better way to manage my calendars than Google Search.

• The Calendars app has a much more pleasing and intuitive interface, which more closely mirrors Google Calendar on the desktop.
• Users can drag and drop events.
• Syncs with all of you Google Calendars so you can access them all on your iPad or iPhone.
• Manage all your Calendars. This is especially useful for me since I have multiple district calendars to work with. However, according to the web site, this feature is available only with Calendars+, the paid version of the app.

Calendars by Readdle (the Free version of the app) and Calendars+ by Readdle are an excellent choice if you are looking for a versatile app that syncs and works with all your Google Calendars. For more information about the free app Calendars check it out here. For Calendars+ (the paid version of this app), check here.

Calendars and Calendars+ by Readdle

If you’re looking for a much, much simpler app for your iPad or iPhone to keep track of meeting information like meeting notes, talking points, action items, there’s an app for that called QuickAgenda. QuickAgenda makes note taking easy, and best of all, you can sync those notes to your Dropbox account and email a copy to those you would like to share them with. Here’s the main features of QuickAgenda:

• You can enter all the logistical information like Name of Meeting, Date/Time, Location, Purpose of Meeting, Main Points of Meeting, Attendees (including their email addresses), List of Action Items, and Notes from the Meeting.
• You can sync your QuickAgenda notes through your Dropbox account should you have the app on multiple devices.
• You can share your QuickAgenda notes with others by email by simply entering their email addresses. (The only issues I see with this so far is that apparently you must use the native iPad email app and you do not have access to a contact list.) These two drawbacks aside, it still easily to email your notes.
• It is currently free in the iTunes store.
• This app is quite easy to use, even easier that the Journal App that I wrote about earlier in the week here.

QuickAgenda App Interface

QuickAgenda is an easy-to-use meeting note app that would be quite useful for the school administrator or educator who isn’t looking for a powerful note taking app; just something simple. You can check out QuickAgenda in the iTunes store here.

QuickAgenda Will Email Notes to Others