Organize

Using online tools to organize your content is a huge help for today's students.  Not only can you collaborate on documents in real time, in most cases there is no longer a need to use email to share work.  It is also possible to use cloud-based storage to make access to documents and other content easy, without the need for an external hard drive or portable flash drive.

Google Docs (Drive).  This is the free, cloud-based office suite from Google.  Not only can you collaborate with peers online in in real time, you can download the collaboration as a PDF, Word, Excel, or PowerPoint file.  I have used Google Docs for a few years now to have students collaborate on writing projects, then invite me as a collaborator, where I can then give direct, specific feedback with the comment feature, which also allows threaded comments, to assist in the editing process.  Work that you create with Google Docs can also be published as a webpage that can be used on a blog (this is what I did with the PLN Guidelines on this blog).  Now, with Google Docs becomming Google Drive, you can also use Google Drive to upload and store up to 5 GB free. You can also use Google Drive offline and save files directly to a Google Drive folder on your desktop, which will then synch seamlessly with your cloud storage.  Here is a short video on the process:

Dropbox

Before Google Drive, Dropbox was my tool of choice to share multiple files for group collaborations or projects.  It is a free web storage device that allows you to share documents or entire folders across the Internet.  You receive two GB for free.  One of the features I like about Dropbox is the ability to put a file in the public folder, which then gives me the ability to get a link to the file so when the I share it, the user gets immediate access to the file after clicking the link! Dropbox also makes it easy to save directly to a dropbox folder on your computer that synchs with your virtual dropbox.




Evernote
I must admit that I want to use this tool more than I do.  Evernote is a tool that is available on your computer, smart phone, and mobile device that allows you to take notes, pictures, voice recordings, web clippings, etc., and synch the information across all your devices.  Their motto is "Remember Everything." It also uses a technology that allows it to read text on images to make finding things in your Evernote account easy.  I see this tool's usefulness for the individual as well as deployed in a school environment.  Here is a short video on the possibilities:

Some other possible organizational tools:

Wunderlist is a task management tool that works across multiple devices.  I like that when I finish an item on my list it goes to the bottom as completed. . .gives me a sense of accomplishment!

Box is another great site for online file sharing.  Two features make this a great tool.  You can simply drag a document to your Box page and it will upload automatically and you can share the document by embedding it in a webpage or blog.  This makes the document not only visual, but downloadable and able to be views full-screen. The free account comes with five GB of storage!