Google Keep

ConnectivismSocial ConstructivismOrganization

Google Keep is a multimodal note-taking, organization, and list-making tool that exists as part of the G Suite for Education alongside applications such as Google Drive, Google Classroom, Google Forms, and Google Meet. With Google Keep, users can create, share, and organize written, audio-recorded, or image-associated notes. With this tool, educators can encourage their students to demonstrate their creative skills through note-taking and help students organize group projects and track their learning progress through collaborative to-do lists. By using the Google Chrome extension for Google Keep, students and teachers can bookmark and take notes about web pages for later use. Google Keep also has the same high level of accessibility and ease of use found in many other Google tools. 

Google Keep interface
Google Keep interface

Tool Snapshot

PriceFree
LearningSocial constructivismConnectivism
Ease of Use★★★★★
Privacy★★★✩✩
Accessibility★★★★✩
Class SizeUnlimited
LoginYes
ISTE*SEmpowered Learner, Knowledge Constructor, Creative Communicator, Global Collaborator
COPPA/
FERPA 
Yes

Type of Learning

Google Keep supports learning through social constructivism and connectivism by enabling students to work, learn, and grow together through the use of technology in a collaborative fashion.

Ease of Use

As with many applications in the G Suite for Education, Google Keep is relatively intuitive to use. The plethora of icons come with descriptions that appear upon a quick hover with the mouse or pointer, and creating notes is similar to the process of creating documents in Google Drive. Even non-textual documents such as notes created as drawings or images are easy to add. This tool should present a low barrier to entry for most individuals, but especially those for whom the G Suite for Education is familiar. 

Privacy

According to Google’s privacy policies, users who choose to utilize Google products are providing a bevy of information about themselves to Google. This includes personal information such as the name and email address used to access Google’s services, as well as the browsers and tools used in this process. While Google does promise protection of these data and only shares in specific situations (e.g., legally-enforced requests, Google affiliates) and the G Suite for Education is COPPA compliant, the use of any of Google’s services requires the collection of a significant amount of information. Therefore, Google Keep, like many of Google’s services, should be used with the understanding that complete privacy is not possible. 

Accessibility

Google Keep is accessible through multiple means of technology (e.g., smartphones, computers, voice-to-text, images) and provides users with a listing of keyboard shortcuts (found under the settings icon in the top-right corner) that enable its use by individuals for whom mouse usage is not a convenient option. 

ISTE Standards

Google Keep supports student instruction and development in four of the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) Standards:

A Brief Overview of Google Keep

Watch on YouTube


Transcript

Google Keep & the SAMR Model

Dr. Ruben Puentedura’s SAMR model offers a lens for examining how technology is adopted in a classroom. As you strive to incorporate online tools into your classroom, we encourage you to use this model as an analytic tool. 

Here are some examples of how Google Keep might fit within the SAMR model: 

Far too often, technology is used as a direct substitute for other low-tech tools (e.g., pencil and paper). While substitution has some benefits (e.g., students develop their technological skills and knowledge), we encourage you to think about how you might use Google Keep to modify or redefine learning.

Sample Learning Activities

Math

Science

English/Language Arts

History/Social Studies

Other

Resources

How to Use Google Keep 

A screenshot of the web application Google Keep with the words "Take a note" circled in red in a text box
Adding a note in Google Keep

How to create a basic, text-based note in Google Keep

How to create a multimodal note in Google Keep

A screenshot of the web application Google Keep with the option for creating a drawing-based note circled in red
Paintbrush icon

A screenshot of the application Google Keep circling the icon for uploading an image and creating a note
How to upload an image to Google Keep with a note.
A screenshot of the application Google Keep circling the icon used to invite collaborators
How to invite a collaborator in Google Keep.

Research

Kakoulli-Constantinou, E. (2018). Teaching in clouds: using the G Suite for Education for the delivery of two EAP courses. Journal of Teaching English for Specific and Academic Purposes.

Science Scope. (2017). Technology tools for a paperless classroom (3rd ed., Vol. 41). Seattle, Retrieved from https://www.questia.com/library/journal/1G1-514176772/technolog%20y-tools-for-a-paperless-classroom.

Ventayen, R. J. M., & Orlanda-Ventayen, C. C. (2018). Google’s Gsuite Applications in Open University System’s Perspective.

Authors

Page created by Jeff Edelstein, Emma Needham, and Isabella Notarangelo.

This content is provided to you freely by EdTech Books.

Access it online or download it at https://edtechbooks.org/onlinetools/google-keep.