Tag: Evernote

“A short pencil is better than a long memory!”

Thank you Megan Costello for sharing that with me. It was a quote that her father had shared with her.

When you write it down, you not only have it available as a reference, you also are more likely to remember it in the first place. So you’re able to absorb and act upon the information better than someone who doesn’t take notes.

So when you’re going to meet with someone – in person or on the phone – take notes! (A Short Pencil is Better than a Long Memory, By Bigg Success Staff)

Documentation of my work is an essential part of my workflow. It may not be eloquent, refined, accessible or even intelligible (no really), but I keep meticulous notes – because I have to.

I juggle so many details any given day, that if I did not document them, I would be failing in my responsibilities. If I just coded and adjusted settings all day long, that wouldn’t be as necessary. As a senior instructional designer, I’m often changing my focus from 100,000 feet down to a microscopic level of detail. It’s the rapid and constant shifting that makes it difficult to recall specifics about processes and procedures.

I mostly rely on Evernote and Google Apps for my day-to-day documentation and obviously this blog is a very important place for reflection.

Update to Recording Lectures

I’ve updated my Evernote: Recording Lectures.

I used this page to document processes and strategies for faculty-authors to make the task of recording audio content for online lectures easier. I start off with some specific information on how to make a recording using Audacity. I even have a screencast that I’ve made to walk the audience through one possible workflow. The second-half of my notes covers best practices that will help with the planning, recording, and post-recording phases. These notes are helpful when I sit down with faculty-authors and serve as a good reminder for both of us because there are a lot of considerations when setting out to capture high-quality audio content.

This update is related to a revision of SRA 221: Overview of Information Security where I’m trying something new for our department: hired professional voice talent. I made a connection and was able to find a fantastic graduate student who will be perfect for the job. We’re still working on back-end paperwork, but I’m confident that we can work something out.