By Danielle Skinner, OSU College of Science
I am one of those people who finds a new app and thinks, “This. This is going to skyrocket my production and creativity.” I try it for a few weeks, but it never works its way into my routine, or it’s clunky and there are features about it that I end up hating more than I like the good parts of it. Even worse, I run out of the free trial. I am constantly left wondering if downloading another app is going to really do me any good. As educators, we are constantly being faced with the newest and coolest technology for the classroom and for productivity. They all claim to be the next big thing to solve all of our problems. It’s difficult to determine if they actually work without wasting lots of time in that process.
The Fall of 2023 was my first term as an Instructor at OSU. Prior to being an instructor, I have gone through many iterations of note taking strategies and techniques to stay organized, and never really settled on one that I liked. So beginning in the Fall, I went back to the trusty pen and paper. Nothing could fail me if I have a pen and paper to write on. Once I got deep into the weeds of classroom management and organization, my pen and paper couldn’t cut it. I had a constantly growing section in my notebook for to-do lists, which became harder and harder to look through. Another section was for any kind of notes – notes that I would want to go back and look through later but couldn’t remember where it was. I had to rely on my memory and play connect the dots between notes to get to the one that I wanted. Pen and paper failed me.
So I switched tactics when I was introduced to Obsidian (cue the angelic music). At its core, Obsidian is a note taking app that simply allows you to search through your notes. It has a community plugin functionality that works similarly to the extensions in Visual Studio Code, which really expands what it can do for you. It also has a daily note functionality, so that when you open Obsidian for the first time that day, a new note is created. You can then go back to particular days if you want to see your notes – or you can search for topics. Notes are written in Markdown, which allows for simple formatting and organization. You can save note templates for particular note taking jobs, and you can keep track of any of your to-do lists. Oh yeah and it’s free!
Here is how I use Obsidian: I have a daily template that looks like the image below. Each day, I have particular tasks that might get added to my to-do lists. I categorize them based on the subject, and how soon they need to be finished. Each item can be assigned a due date and a priority, and with the community plugin “Tasks”, all my to-dos across my notes are compiled in the sidebar. Another community plugin “Calendar” keeps track of my notes made each day, so that if I know that I had an important meeting on a particular day, I just need to click on that day to see my notes. I also have notes that are focused on particular subjects and people. For example, I have a weekly meeting with my co-instructor, and thus have a note for only those meetings. Any to-dos that I make in that note show up in my global to-do list.
If you like taking notes, and keeping organized to-do lists, Obsidian is the last tool that you will need. There are lots of different functionalities that I am still exploring, but I have learned a lot from Nicole van der Hoeven on YouTube. This app has helped my organization so much that I have been shouting its name from the rooftops. As educators and researchers, we have to keep so much information in our heads. Let a tool actually help you out!
P.S. (This is not a paid advertisement, I’m simply an Obsidian fangirl)
About the author: Danielle Skinner, Ph.D, is an instructor of physics at Oregon State University. She teaches introductory calculus based physics and strives to create an inclusive classroom where everyone can be successful in physics.
Editor’s Note: This is part of a series of guest posts about resilience and teaching strategies by members of the Winter ’24 Resilient Teaching Faculty Learning Community facilitated by the Center for Teaching and Learning. The opinions expressed in guest posts are solely those of the authors.
Image generated with Bing Copilot
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