Oh, Rocketbook, you are the best of both worlds- analogue and digital.
Much like a child of the 1980s, like myself, born before the inception of the Internet but hearing the dial up of AOL my freshmen year of high school.
Today, I still like both worlds. Writing things down makes them “sticky.” Personally, writing is how I process most of the important ideas that bounce into my brain. I also love pens. And notebooks….stationary, too. I work for an K-12 Google consultancy (yes I love edtech) and I definitely have the most paper on my desk then any of my colleagues. I am also teased for my love of washi tape. I am not ashamed. I cannot shed the cloak that is a K-12 educator, pen hoarding problem and all!
Recently, I had the privilege of attending an Edtechteam Google Summit at Charlottesville High School in Virginia. The entire event, centered around transformational learning with Google, was amazing! The “icing on the cake” was the “freebie,” they offered as an attendance gift, a Rocketbook One.
Sigh. The best of both worlds- digital and analogue. Be still my paper and pen loving heart.
So, what exactly is a Rocketbook, you ask?
Rocketbook is a self-proclaimed “cloud connected intelligent notebook.” Yes, it’s a spiral notebook, but it’s so much more! You can actually shoot your handwritten notes to a variety of cloud-based apps. Whoa! INSERT IMAGE (say its the Rocketbook One)
There are several different versions of the Rocketbook:
The One: it’s only for a one time use and whatever writing utensil you’d like, which is a bonus for me as I love to use a variety of pens.
The Wave: made for specific pens, the Pilot Frixion, and it’s reusable by taking a quick zap in the microwave for up to 40 times (LOL, we will get to that in a bit).
The Everlast: also made for the Pilot Fixion pen, and is reusuable. The key difference from the wave is this version lasts forever, allowing you to erase pages time and time again.
The Color: made specifically for dry erase markers and it’s also reusable by a quick zap in the microwave.
Coming Soon! The Rocketbook Everlast Mini will also be available. It boost the same reusable power in a mini version.
Click here to see a product comparison.
How does a Rocketbook Work?
First, download the Rocketbook App to scan your handwritten notes to any of the supported cloud services. There is an iOS and Android App.
Next, take handwritten notes in your Rocketbook and choose one of the seven symbols at the bottom of the notebook page to associate it to a cloud service.
Finally, write on the Rocketbook pages, choose the appropriate icon, and send it to the desired cloud app.
Need more help, check out Rocketbook’s Quick Start Guide
You may be wondering how the Rocketbook is reusable?
If you are using any book, with the exception of the Rocketbook One, you microwave your book (as long as you used the appropriate pens) with a cup of water and the ink disappears from your book. Magically ready to use again- and again!
A friendly reminder-if you have a Rocketbook One like I do, “Do Not Microwave!” The spiral is metal, and….well, you know how that will end- not good!
What are the supported cloud services?
Box, Dropbox, Google Drive, Evernote, iCloud, OneNote, Slack, and email, with more integrations on the way.
There are seven symbols on the bottom of each page that you can assign to the cloud apps of your choosing.
Curious how I set my Rocketbook up?
The Rocketbook’s front cover has a legend that shows what icons go cloud each app. In some instances, I just send the note to the main drive folder and organize the files from there.
I send my notebook pages to the following cloud app services:
So, what are 5 Reasons I’m Obsessed with Rocketbook?
- Best of both worlds- analogue and digital. I can still handwrite notes and sync them to my digital life.
- Easy to use- set up is seamless. It just requires a fast application download and some time to write things down!
- Help organizing handwritten items- also allows you to share with a drive folder or email. I write a grocery list and share it to a drive folder for my husband to go to the store. For students, it’s an easy way to stay organized. You can hand write your notes from a class and add them to the appropriate Google Drive folder.
- Allow personal collaboration- handwritten notes are a thing of the past but they don’t have to be!
- They support teachers! I couldn’t love this powerful and connected notebook more UNTIL I found out they also donate $1 of each book sold to adoptaclass.org. The donations help offset the amount teachers pay out of their own pockets for school supplies. So often teachers themselves foot the bill for students’ supplies. I know because I’ve done it.
So, have you tried Rocketbook? Have your students? I’d love to hear your experience. If you want to purchase your very own, use this link so they know that Cat from eductechchick sent you! I’d be most appreciative!
BONUS: Want to try Rocketbook for yourself and/or your students? Grab their free pdf pages and shoot your handwritten notes to the cloud app of your choice!