Evernote and Gold Shaw Farm
One of my favorite online tools and one of my favorite channels
Academe (where a weathered historian shares)
What online tools are worth your time? (This is not a paid endorsement.) A part of me wants to make the argument that none of them are, but here we are.
Because of the steep learning curve with any new tool, people can shy away from a fantastic tool because it looks “too powerful” or “too complicated.” It can be genuinely difficult to imagine how to use it because you haven’t seen it in action.
Evernote has fulfilled my need for an online place to organize my work, to share information, to collaborate online. I use it for personal projects, I use it for complicated projects, I use it for my class prep, I use it for my work as department chair, and I use it for keeping track of all the work for The Middle Ground Journal.
Evernote is simply organized. It has notebooks and notes. You can keep them private or you can share whole notebooks or individual notes, controlling how much the recipient can do (just view, edit, and/or invite others).
Within the notes the functions are numerous and robust. Most helpful to me are: 1) CHECKLISTS within the text (I see these as the least aggressive cues to what ought to be done, for example, here’s the note that we share with book reviewers to help them complete the book review); 2) REMINDERS that apply to a note as a whole (it’s like the note is screaming to me, “Hey! Look at me today!”); and 3) TASKS with their own due dates and reminders (I have a few notes that are just “to do” lists with items that scream at me individually).
For the journal, we’ve created template notes called “workflow notes” for pieces submitted to the journal — primarily book reviews and articles — that allow the editorial team and the interns to track the progress of a piece from initiation to publication. One piece, one workflow note. Word doc’s can be shared, even edited as embedded files within Evernote so that changes are saved without having to re-upload the Word doc. Everyone can add information to a workflow note as they get a step done. I’d share that template with you except that I think it’s both too good and in need of improvement. There is also a notebook for our contacts, that is, a digital rolodex. Further, we track our hours worked and we share resources.
That, hopefully, gives you a taste of the utility of Evernote. Even in its free version, it is robust.
Looking for an adjunct to teach in the fall
This is an example of how Evernote can be used professionally.
My history department is looking for a community faculty who can teach African history, starting in Fall 2022.
Click here to see the details and feel free to spread the word by sharing the link.
With Critters, It’s Personal
Recommendation: think a little bit differently
I don’t watch much of the youtube but I have been watching this guy: Morgan and his “Gold Shaw Farm” channel.
A recent 16-minute video called, “Combating Climate Change by Eating Meat” is worth watching. Not only does he discuss the topic well and make the case for sustainable meat-farming and consumption, the video showcases why I keep coming back to watch more of his videos.
Morgan’s a farmer who talks to his animals like they are worthy of respect, which they are, of course. He regularly has a cat on his shoulder as he talks to the camera. He’s humble: willing to say “I don’t know” and “What do you think?” and listens. This means he’s interested in talking about ideas. He’s goofy. He’s down-to-earth in the best and most wide-ranging sense of the phrase.
To quote Morgan, “I’m tryin’.”
