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iPad Productivity in Council and Presidency Meetings - What methods do you use?

Posted: Tue Jul 05, 2011 3:07 pm
by pwilson
I am interested in those who have iPad's sharing their productivity methods for using their iPad's in presidency meetings and PEC/Ward Council meetings.

This is beyond using the church created apps and leveraging lds.org/tools, but what methods do you use to take notes, follow along on a electronic agenda etc.

I have used Note Taker HD for taking General Conference notes, but have not found a good way to add notes to a previously created agenda that may exist as a document or for example in a google doc.

Thanks,
Paul

Evernote

Posted: Wed Jul 06, 2011 7:12 am
by jeffvand
I'm a bishop in our ward and use my iPad a lot in meetings. I find it is a lot less intrusive than having a laptop between me and the rest of the meeting.

I use evernote for my personal notes and bishop only notes.. Great application for taking notes. It is free for up to a certain amount of data. I only use text notes so I never get near that limit. Then I can review those notes on my computer when ever needed.

I also use google docs for our bishopric, and ward council agenda's. We ask folks to add items to the agenda in advance. I open it and view it during meetings with a program called G-Whizz. It has all google apps on there. I can edit the doc if I want from my ipad (we have a doc, not a spreadsheet, so it is easier to edit). Mostly the clerk or the executive secretary edits it during the meeting though.

Let me know if you have questions.

I did also try to digitize the reports and have them sent to me as PDF's every once in a while. You know everytime you do a MLS send and it asks if you want to print a copy for the bishop. I figured rather than waste the paper the clerks could just save those as PDF and send them to me. They are not as techie as me so it never took hold, but I do still occassionally scan things to pdf so I have them digitally. I use a program called iAnnotate for that one.

Just for kicks, I also listen to pandora when I study and have it running in the background and use LDS Scriptures (not the church one) for studying. I love their interface a lot more (tabbed scriptures), and the highlighting is much easier. I don't always study on my iPad, but when I do that is what I use.

Posted: Wed Jul 06, 2011 10:16 am
by pwilson
We have almost the same setup, google docs for bishopric/ward council and adding items ahead of time and sharing with WC members for reference. I also use LDS Scriptures (not the church set), but the church library looks promising once they get the "My notebook" sync working with the iPad library (though the crashing an inability to save notes between releases is an issue).

I use Docs to Go to access/edit Google docs on my ipad. I like the idea of leveraging PDF's for all the print-outs, but can also understand it being hard to get traction on this one.

Do you use a stlyus with Evernote or just type in your notes? I'd love to figure out a way to go paperless on Sundays, but it has been tough finding a way to access the sacrament program and conducting information etc as well as all the agendas.

Stylus

Posted: Wed Jul 06, 2011 10:24 am
by jeffvand
I don't use a stylus. I tried it out, but I like the ability to re-order and rework things and find it much easier with a keyboard. I do have a wireless keyboard I use occasionally when working on longer things, but for the most part I just use the on-screen keyboard.

Posted: Wed Jul 06, 2011 3:42 pm
by dannykos
Anyone else feeling uncomfortable about the use of google docs for confidential meeting agendas?

Posted: Wed Jul 06, 2011 5:28 pm
by nutterb
dannykos wrote:Anyone else feeling uncomfortable about the use of google docs for confidential meeting agendas?

No, but the only thing that appears on our agendas is the name of the family we are discussing. If our agendas were to be publicized, most of the people whose names appear on them wouldn't be the least bit surprised.

Posted: Thu Jul 07, 2011 4:25 am
by kisaac
dannykos wrote:Anyone else feeling uncomfortable about the use of google docs for confidential meeting agendas?
I've really hoped, and suggested, that at some point LDS.org could give us a secure workspace just like google docs, to alleviate that concern...

But back to the Ipad, one could make the case that if tablets are accessing google docs, or LCD projectors on a bishopric wall replaced paper agenda's, security may actually increase. Paper persists. If I hand out 12 pieces of paper with the title "agenda" at the top, and list confidential things to the ward council every two weeks or so, what is the likelihood that eventually (or even regularly) one of these will be left in a classroom, or on a kitchen table, or a car seat, or thrown in a trash can somewhere in the ward building?

Posted: Fri Jul 29, 2011 9:05 pm
by fletch1027
I am a counselor in the Bric and I use a combination of Notability and List Lite. Notability is great for taking notes and also can save it in my iPad dropbox, which I tend to use more for sharing than Google docs. I also use List Lite for keeping track of folks that receive callings, then I check off their name when they have been extended the calling. I've been using it for 3-4 months now and it has worked well so far...