District Administration - April 2012 - (Page 58)

supervisor’s opiNioN of the multiple devices in different locations? Cloud-based solutions like iCloud and Google Docs store the document so that it can be modified on any Webenabled device. Alternatively, applications like Dropbox allow you to create a “drop” folder on each device, sync these folders, and drop the latest version of a document into the folder on the device on which it was created. It is then automatically updated in the Dropbox folders on the other devices. EverNote and Microsoft OneNote are other options that sync documents to multiple devices. New Notetakers I can’t keep up with professional articles. It is a struggle to find time to read pro- fessional articles or lengthy documents that arrive by email. Most of us put these documents aside to read later. We might bookmark sites, print hard copies, or archive email. Our stuff is in many different locations, and we don’t have it at hand when we actually find time to read. The iPad or other tablets offer a very handy solution. Apps like Instapaper allow you to save Web sites, PDF files and emails in one handy, organized and searchable place on your iPad. The key is to organize the articles in a way that makes sense. I have three folders on Instapaper: Read Soon, Read Sooner, Read Now. I click on a Read Later button on the favorites ribbon of Safari, and the article is saved for later. Apps like iAnnotate or GoodReader allow you to write on and mark up PDF files on your screen, and then store them for future reference. With the iPad, I have my reading list with me at all times. I take notes but have multiple notebooks. Tools like EverNote and Microsoft OneNote are very effective note-taking tools that sync automatically with all of your devices. If you take notes on your tablet device, the notes will sync with your computer so that you can add to them there. The apps allow you to add text, PDF files and Web sites to your notes. You can take pictures with the camera on your tablet or smartphone and drop them into notes. You can go back to add to notes on the same file. Technology can certainly be a timesaver that enhances productivity, but it is OK to lag behind the leaders and adopt solutions that are tried and tested. Mobile tablets like the iPad really hold great promise for allowing administrators the chance to keep up with work tasks while out of the office. They have been out for a while and look like they are here to stay. It might be time to make that leap. DA Eamonn O’Donovan is a former principal and an assistant superintendent of human resources in southern California. 58 April 2012 District Administration http://www.eduportal.com http://www.eduportal.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of District Administration - April 2012

District Administration - April 2012
Contents
From the Editor
News Update
Special Ed Update
Facilities Update
District Profile
Administrator Profile
Robust and Safe BYOD
Success Breeds Success
Funding Building Projects in a Tough Economy
Widening Participation to an IB Education
Why All the Chatter about #EdChat?
Supervisor’s Opinion
Going Mobile
New Directions
Crisis Response
Student Counsel
Product Focus
Online Edge

District Administration - April 2012