Here at ProfHacker, we write a lot about the tools we use. Some of these are of the “techie” variety, but not all. In this post, I’d like to briefly make note of a few tools that I use on a daily basis (two of them digital, two not) and explain how use them, and invite readers to share some of their own.
- Dropbox. Jason reviewed this service back in September. I can’t imagine working without it. I use it to keep critical files in sync between my home and office machines. It’s also handy in the classroom, as it makes any materials I may need for class readily accessible via the web.
- Google Documents. For many of the reasons Julie mentioned a while back, I gave Google Documents a try with the students in my Political Science writing class last semester. It worked well, and I now use it regularly in all my classes.
- A Rollabind notebook (that I picked up at a local Staples store). Sometimes, I don’t want to lug my laptop along, but I need to take notes. Plain old pen and paper work just fine for that, and I’ve found Rollabind’s junior size (5-1/2″ x 8-1/2″) to be the perfect size for tossing into my backpack. It’s easy to add and remove pages as needed, too.
- A small magnetic whiteboard, positioned just above my desk at work. Though I use Remember the Milk regularly both on my phone and through the web interface, sometimes I forget to check it. I like to have things I’m paranoid about forgetting right in front of my face–literally.
My daily workflow would be much different without each of these tools. What tools do you depend on on a daily basis? Let’s hear about them in the comments.
[The CC-licensed photo in this post is by Flickr user jurvetson.]
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12 Responses to Favorite Academic Tools
Amy Cavender - April 12, 2010 at 10:37 pm
$40 is a lot, to be sure. The models made for Staples run quite a bit less: about $6-$14, depending on the size and the cover, as I recall. I’m not sure why it’s impossible to find them on the Staples website.
jas - April 12, 2010 at 5:30 pm
I just followed the Rollabind link. Ouch. $40 for a (paper) notebook. And I thought Moleskines were pretentious. Be sure to only write it them with an $8 pen ( http://lifehacker.com/5511701/the-tiny-ohto-petit+b-pen-fits-comfortably-in-your-pocket ).
Allow me to point out that you CAN get “Plain old pen and paper” notebooks for under a dollar at Wal-Mart, but then the really cool faculty members won’t let you sit at their table.
George H. Williams - April 12, 2010 at 5:54 pm
Please don’t leave comments like this, jas. If you’re happy using pen and paper notebooks from Wal-Mart, that’s great. If you don’t want to use something recommended by someone on this site, that’s also fine. No one’s forcing you to do so.
It’s offensive to write that the reason someone makes use of a particular tool is because they want something “pretentious.”
And it’s worth noting that according to the company’s web site, Rollabind notebooks (which I’ve never used) are available in prices starting at $7.95. They appear to be significantly smaller/slimmer than 3-ring notebooks, but unlike spiral-bound notebooks they allow you to add or remove pages easily.
Jason B. Jones - April 11, 2010 at 3:19 pm
I like that!
Todd Petersen - April 10, 2010 at 2:12 am
My new flow is this: 1 or 2 sheets of paper from the recycle bin on a clipboard. When these fill up, I type, organize, and tag them in Evernote, which I sync with my iPod touch. For most other note taking and idea development, I use those old blue lab books, because they hold up. I get through about one per semester.
I almost never use a laptop anymore. Lately I’ve been opting to walk around and talk to people face-to-face more, which has been terrifically productive. I also sit in a high traffic place on campus during certain times of day and people that I need to talk to often walk past. Seriously. My dean has taken to calling this the “cosmic delivery system”—he knows where to find me and often does. This frequently works better than e-mail, and it’s often faster. A year ago, I wouldn’t have believed it, but it’s true.
For fun I bought an IBM Selectric II for 5 bucks and had it repaired for $100.00. I keep in my windowsill so I can type standing and look up at the mountains. It’s great for brainstorming and writing first drafts of important e-mails (believe it or not, it often takes less time to compose once on the IBM and retype once into Mail.app).
I’m not a Luddite, but my new hacks for the digital age involve being in physical spaces.
Aeon Elpis - April 9, 2010 at 3:13 pm
Google Reader is one of my favored tools — I have standing searches in my fields’ databases and I get updates any time someone publishes in any of my areas of research. I use ReadIt Later frequently, and both Chrome and Firefox have extensions for it now. And Google Calendar and Remember the Milk combined keep me organized.
I, too, carry a small notebook to talks, but I like them small enough to go in a purse and with a magnet clasp (the pen sticks to the magnet, too). Apart from the small notebooks, I do everything tech but writing revision. I couldn’t function without legal pads and colored pens.
I am a dedicated EndNote user, and the custom fields in there serve me well for research notes. It has limitations, but I like it better than RefWorks or Zotero (which I use as a backup for my EndNote library).
Drew M. Loewe - April 9, 2010 at 1:10 pm
Favorite Academic Tools:
REMINDERS:
I use my phone to send to-do’s and notes as text messages to Gmail. They appear as subject-line-only emails (easily reviewed without opening), tagged with labels (gotta love Gmail filtering).
For example, I send a text message of “(todo–bring legal writing book home)” and Gmail converts that to a subject-line email, labeled and searchable.
Using this technique, I have my my reminders both in Gmail and on my phone (in sent txt message folder). Need to make them into a print list with checkboxes? No problem–just select them to add them to Tasks, also right within Gmail, and print.
I’d probably do something different if I had a true smartphone, but this works for now.
NOTES, DRAFTING
KJots rules. ‘Nuff said.
RESEARCH, BIBLIOGRAPHIES
Zotero. Again, ’nuff said.
Billie - April 9, 2010 at 12:35 pm
They (“they”?) are going to take away techie cred, but my favorite tool? The one I use each day? Is an “At a Glance,” two-page-per-week, calendar. It is housed in a zippered binder. The binder includes monthly calendars and the weekly, but there is space for a note pad (replaces the small legal pad Michael mentioned and could replace a Rollabind), a little zippered pocket that holds additional pencil lead and erasers (I use a mechanical pencil), and a small pad of postit notes. I have tried and tried to use online calendars and task lists, but they don’t work for me as a primary location for appts. and to-dos. The hard copy is the master copy. I’ll then transfer dates/appts to the online calendar, but I rely DAILY on the master copy.
Billie - April 9, 2010 at 10:00 pm
I think we need another “what’s in your bag” post. :-)
Shawn Miller - April 9, 2010 at 1:42 pm
I use Evernote all the time. I keep the desktop app open on my laptop for notes, screengrabs, etc. I use the iPhone app to write while I’m waiting for the bus or a meeting to start, to take pictures of whiteboards, etc.
G. Michael Guy - April 9, 2010 at 11:58 am
I’ve never seen a Rollabind before. But I just put it on my list to check one out. It could be just the thing I need to replace the tiny legal pads I carry to meetings and lose later. Thanks for that tip. The rest of the stuff is old hat here, and I use them all.
Rana - April 9, 2010 at 7:58 pm
Well, the computer, of course. ;)
More specifically, Things, Firefox, Scrivener, PowerPoint and Excel all play crucial roles in my teaching.
Aside from that, the tools I rely on are the enormous tote bag that can carry both computer and oversized textbook; colored gel pens for annotating said textbook, taking notes, and taking roll; a portable jump drive for transferring PP lectures between desktop and projection cart; a Moleskinne notebook for jotting down ideas or taking notes.