Running Records with Evernote

Check out this great use for Evernote: creating, saving, and "notebooking" student running records!

When I was in the classroom, I always wanted an easy way to record students while reading to use for conferences and to show growth throughout the year. I never could find a way. But now, Evernote can do it for you! This is the process that I would use in my virtual classroom:

1. Create a free Evernote account. Download the client to your laptop or desktop computer.
2. On the client, create a notebook for each student in your class. These will become your storage location for the year.
3. Find or write a section of text you would like your students to read. Depending on your purpose, you could choose a 100 word segment to record fluency over time. Or you could have a longer text to see how far they get over a set time period. 
4. Create a note and copy/paste the text into the note. Then name the file and send to the appropriate student's notebook.
5. You can then copy the note into each folder that you want and rename it
6. Log in to Evernote on the iPad. You should be able to see the notebooks you created and the notes.
7. Open the note you want to use. Then begin recording as the student reads. Evernote saves the recording as an attachment to the note. Save the note

Voila! You have just created an audio recording of student reading. Keep adding notes throughout the year. Students would love being able to go back to hear their reading to see what kind of progress they are making. And it's all online, so you can share the note URL to parents whenever you want. Think about the power of that function: Jimmie's parent could be sitting at work when an email pops up from his teacher. She opens the email to find a link to Jimmie's last reading entry. What a great way to instantly share progress and build community with parents. 

I hope you get to try this out! Let me know what you think!