Education and Omnifocus Review
One of the best applications I discovered of 2008 has to be Omnifocus. If you haven’t heard of the software it is a brilliant ‘Getting Things Done (GTD)’ application that offers a range of brilliant tools that work really well in education. If you are anything like me you are juggling a dozen projects and often you are bombarded with new things to do from colleagues or students. Omnifocus offers a way of managing and controlling all these tasks.
The first concept is the project. In addition to all the administration and extra-curricular tasks I consider each of my classes to be a separate project. Within a project you have ‘Next Actions’ these are the steps needed to complete the project. In the class context I consider the tasks not to be next actions but separate tasks (and Omnifocus can cope with this type of management). Tasks can be given a due date and Omnifocus will warn you once you are within five days of the due date etc.
The next concept to be aware of is ‘Contexts’ these are the locations in which the tasks can be completed. For example, Phone, Work, Home, You can click a context within the main interface and Omnifocus will list all the appropriate tasks for that context. If you also run the iPhone version of the software (that synchronizes with the desktop) you can actually use GPS to mark contexts and highlight the tasks nearest to your current location. [Click on the Thumbnail for a larger view].
One of the biggest advantages of Omnifocus over other GTD applications is the sync features. If you have a Mobile Me account you can sync Omnifocus with two Macs and also your iPhone over the air. This is a massive advantage allowing you to add tasks quickly on the move. Tasks added on the go are stored in the ‘inbox’ until you are ready to allocate the task to a project and context.
One tool that I have started to use on a daily basis is the ability to email tasks to Omnifocus. It can be as simple as adding — to the subject line and emailing yourself. This is particularly useful if your VLE (Virtual Learning Environment) sends you a lot of email or other staff email requests or tasks. Tasks emailed to Omnifocus end up in the Inbox for sorting later.
I am finding I am adding 2-3 tasks during a class via iPhone and then am able to follow issues up later on. I haven’t branched out to syncing with iCal as yet or using the Dashboard Widget but the tools I have been using have really made managing projects and classes much easier.
Check out the Omni site for a demo and let us know how you get on. If there are any teachers out there using Omnifocus and you have any tips please post them below.
1 Comment
Have you looked at Omnioutliner. I have done a whole years lesson plans for a new course I am setting up. Its wow
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