Rocketbook is an educator must

   Fast, efficient, functional and user-friendly are not commonly used words when describing teaching tools. Can a gadget actually give an educator some extra time? The Rocketbook app can do all of that and more.
   I first learned of @Rocketbook two years ago, after being a Kickstarter project. The ability to have a reusable tablet by placing in a microwave with a cup of water was extremely cool and intriguing. Fast forward a few months, I purchased one for my wife. It is part of her routine for notes and quilting designs.
     I got my first Rocketbook at an Edtech Summit last year. That same tablet is my daily driver for all school meetings and any noteworthy information. I feel I am a better listener and participant at those meetings instead of bringing my laptop. Paper and pen still have their place.
    How does it work? All Rocketbook pages have a black border with seven destination icons and a QR code at the bottom. Download the Rocketbook app in Android or IOS. After creating an account it is time to select destinations for digital scans. There are 10 destinations like Google Drive,  OneNote, Dropbox, Evernote and even sending to any email address.
    This company partners with educators well with the word FREE. They offer 7 different pdf formats to download. Dot grid, graph, and even music pdf format. Now that is really cool.

  Here's how I use the magic in my classroom. I teach design robotics and each student has their engineering notebook. Every couple weeks I do a notebook check. There never seemed to be an efficient way to get through 30 students. Rocketbook free download fixed that.
    I printed the dot grid, then enlarged it on 11 x 17 inch piece of paper. Creating one sheet for each of my design robotic classes. After downloading the Rocketbook app on an old Nexus 7 tablet, I assign the icons from the bottom of the page to class-specific folders created in Google Drive.
   Now when checking a specific engineering notebook assignment, each student brings their entry to a table with the 11 x 17 inch Rocketbook grid paper for that class. There is always a few students that like to be my teacher aid and they love doing the scanning on the Nexus 7 tablet. Students know their name has to be clearly written in the upper right-hand corner to get credit.
   I work with small group seminar instruction while the scanning takes place. The process creates a nice workload flow while freeing up some much needed instruction time. The entire process runs incredibly smooth.
    The last piece of the puzzle is when I look through their notebook entries in Google Drive. Each entry has the date and time stamp of the scan. I thumb through student work with ease, opening the Google Drive folder and arrow right or left to check their progress. Again, the student needs to have their name posted clearly on their entry.
    I shared this tool and process with our math teachers. They love the efficient functionality for checking formative practice assignments. Especially review equations to prepare for summative tests. Rocketbook is an educator.