Overview
With so much information flying around on the web it is actually quite easy to find new ideas, tools and resources for your classroom. What is difficult, is finding a place to store them all and finding the time to assess, organize and put them into practise. Pocket is one solution that many leading educators are using to organize ideas and clear this clutter. It’s really quite simple… Find something you like online, click the button and it is saved to your Pocket.
Name: Pocket – getpocket.comPricing: Free/Premium
Compatibility: Desktop/Tablet/Phone (more info)
Access: Email signup
Privacy: Customizable (privacy policy)
A Quick Look
Pocket ‘the tool’ works much like pocket ‘the trouser accessory’. Put stuff in it that you want to use later. Pocket lets you save directly from your browser or from apps like Twitter, Flipboard, Pulse and Zite so that you can view the content whenever you have the time. Even offline.
In Practice
1. Class resource center
Pocket allows you to tag all of the different articles, videos, images and other pieces of content you save. By setting up an organized tagging structure, Pocket can be used as your own searchable resource center. This means that regardless of what device you are using or where you are, you will always be able to access every resource you have ever saved.
2. To-do list
Try keeping a refined list in your Pocket of all the classroom ideas and activities you want to put into practise. Set yourself a realistic goal, such as one per month, or one per term and as you try each one, tick it off and it will be hidden to your Pocket archive. This is a great way of hiding items when they are no longer needed, whilst always having them available to revisit later on.
3. Student research collection
Pocket can be an extremely useful application for your students too. Given the simplicity of the tool and its exceptional compatibility on all devices, Pocket can act as the perfect digital scrapbook for students. As long as your students are permitted to sign up via email, they can use Pocket to collect and organize relevant articles, images and videos for class work, projects or any type of media curation.
4. PD sharing network
As well as saving resources, Pocket can also be used to share with colleagues and friends. Sharing can be performed via Twitter or Facebook, but also within Pocket itself. When you receive shared pages in Pocket, they will be collected in your Pocket Inbox, which appears as a green bar at the top of your list. Try encouraging some of your staff to join you on Pocket and start building a Pocket resource collection together.
5. Class pinboard
A neat feature of pocket is the ability to save items by simply sending via email. This can work very well if you are collecting resources from a number of different people. Next time your students are researching a topic, have them email relevant articles and media they find to add@getpocket.com. This will allow you to bundle all the resources together for later discussion, refinement and  use.
Links and Next Steps
- Pocket Help Center – Official help and FAQ from pocket
- What’s In My Pocket with Mark Isero – Interview with Director of Instructional Development at Envision Schools
- Quick List Of Mobile Apps For Administrators – Recommendations by educator Steven W. Anderson
- Pocket: Find It Now, Read It Later – Ideas from The Digital Teacher
- 5 best iPad apps to help students succeed in the classroom – Article from TabTimes
What are you using to organize your classroom resources? Let us know your tips in the comments below.
Feature image courtesy of Flickr, Huey Yoong.