Google Keep

Education applications for Google Keep

by Jacqui Murray at Ask a Tech Teacher

Many of my colleagues consider Google Keep an easy-to-use, easy-to-deploy note-taking option for students. Here are nine suggestions for using it in the classroom:

Bookmark interesting links. While researching a topic, copy-paste the links to a Keep note for reference. You can collaboratively curate this list and/or share it with others. Most links show a preview in a list below the link collection so it’s easy to see what’s covered on that site.
Write notes to yourself. Because it’s easy to take and categorize notes, this is an ideal way to jot down quick notes and reminders like an appointment or phone number.
Share information with others. Because notes are easily shared, this is great for group projects or Genius Hour activities (that require students to track their progress). Data that can be shared include links, images, screenshots, videos, camera shots (mobile only), and more
Color-code a note for “Homework” and pin it to the top of the Keep canvas. This makes it quick to add homework items, track progress in completing it, and share it with other stakeholders when needed.
Set time-based reminder alarms for notes and bookmarks. This alerts users to meetings, group projects, or anything that is based on a due date.
Set a location-based reminder. This reminder goes off based on the GPS location of the user (and their phone) in relation to whatever event you programmed the alert for. For example, you may set a reminder to bring a project to school that is tripped when you leave their home. If you’re a teacher, you may set a reminder to report for bus duty when you reach school.
Record hard-to-pronounce words. These might be academic or domain-specific words relevant to your classes, or words in a second language being studied. The teacher can record these and share them out with students.
Share a picture and ask students to record their thoughts. This is great for a warm-up or exit ticket. Depending upon how it is shared, students can respond individually (meaning their answers are private) or collaboratively (meaning they can see everyone else’s answers).
Create a shared-responsibility bullet list for the class. Students complete the work and check it off, or add items that need to be done.

Google Keep is a robust G Suite tool that can help teachers and students create and share notes, lists, and reminders. Keep is available on the web and has mobile apps for the Android and iOS mobile operating systems. Keep offers a variety of tools for taking notes, including text, lists, images, and audio. Google Keep integrates with many of the other G Suite tools.