Below is a collection of some great visual noting apps. The apps provide a wide variety of interesting features that will enable you to take your visual note taking experience to the next level. For instance, using the collaborative feature you can work with your students or colleagues on the same visual note, diagram or mind map and in real-time.
The apps also enable you to create your visual notes in different formats including: mind maps, diagrams, flowcharts, handwritten notes, sketches on virtual papers, and many more.There are numerous ways to use visual note taking with your students or in your personal/professional projects.
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| Image credit: Inkflow app |
For example, you can use visual note taking to brainstorm new ideas for your project, capture and record your thoughts on the go, enhance your expressive writing with graphic elements, and to boost your planning and overall productivity. I invite you to check them out and share with us (@educatorstech) if you have other suggestions to add to the list.
1- Inkflow
Inkflow provides you with a note taking and brainstorming experience similar to the pen-and-paper one. Whether you use a stylus or not, you will be able to easily sketch, draw or write your thoughts and re-arrange them the way you want. You can choose from a wide variety of paper backgrounds to use for your notes. You can also insert text and images anywhere on the page and customize their look and size. Your final notes can be exported as PDFs or JPEGs and can be shared to different social media websites.
Compatibility: iPhone/iPad and Android alternative (Evernote) / Price: Free, offers in-app purchases / Age: 4+
2- Trello
Another great app to help you visually organize your projects and to-do lists. You can use lists, boards, and cards to capture your thoughts and enhance your planning. You can also draw on or insert due dates, labels, and checklists to track the progress of your projects. Also, "add Power-Ups like a Calendar view of your due dates or add locations to cards to get a Map view—your project will take on a whole new perspective."
3- MindMeister
MindMeister lets you leverage the cognitive power of mind mapping to enhance your overall productivity. It offers a number of interesting features that include: the ability to create and edit numerous mind maps, add different file types to your maps, use nodes to draw connections, supports real-time collaboration, syncs across different devices and platforms, and export your mind maps in PDF or PNG format.
4- Lucidchart
Lucidchart is another good app for visual note taking. You can use it to easily create flowcharts, diagrams, wireframes, process flows and many more. Lucidchart supports collaborative team work enabling you to work on the same diagram with your colleagues. The app offers various pre-made templates and shapes to choose from. Everything you create on Lucidchart mobile app is saved and synced with your account. You can also export your diagrams in different formats including PDF, PNG, or Visio.
5- Zoomnotes
ZoomNotes Lite is an iPad/iPhone visual note-taking app. It lets you quickly make handwritten notes and sketches on virtual paper, on PDF files, on MS Word, Excel and Powerpoint docs (via GoogleDrive), and over images. Uniquely, it also lets you zoom in and out without arbitrary limits, an invaluable feature for this type of app. It has a free fully functioning pen (although you will be able to try the pens too), and more available as in-app purchases."
