LA Times - iPads vs. Libraries

I've spent a lot of time considering the digital divide and the roles that schools play in leveling it.  When people ask me if libraries are going away, I don't have an easy answer. I'd like to say no, but they are dependent on continued funding and support. I'm lucky to work at a school that supports both traditional research and innovation. The library is used individually or by classes virtually every period of the school day, and students are waiting when I arrive in the morning. One could argue that some of that work doesn't need to take place in a library now that students have iPads, and they'd be correct. Yet students seem to like working in a space that is devoted to knowledge and discovery. Learning is hard work and it takes effort. I don't see that changing even though facts are more easily retrievable. 

The framing of iPads or libraries as a civil rights issue surprised me. Both libraries and technology require continual support; it's not enough to "purchase" one and be done with the investment. So there is the obvious cost-benefit question, but how much should we consider student preferences about what makes them excited to learn?
http://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-constantino-lausd-ipads-or-libraries-20140915-story.html

Handwriting-to-Text App

Here's a "secret" that shouldn't be one. If you need an app for a specific purpose, your first stop should be the Internet. Yes the app store is flashy, and you'll end up there eventually. Don't rush it.
Search online for features that you want, and read reviews of ones that sound the most promising. 

Head to the app store with an app in mind and search for it directly. 

Earlier this spring, I was looking for a handwriting-to-text app. After comparing features of various apps, I chose 7NoteHD. It's $9.99, and I've watched it improve over the past few months at guessing my handwriting. It is a powerful tool for writing out notes then having them automatically convert to text, so you can easily share your notes or file them online. 

My other recommendation if you're searching for a note-taking app, but you don't care about handwriting-to-text, is to go for Notability. Your notes will be even prettier than if you had taken them in an old spiral-bound notebook, and you can insert images, organize in outline form, and quickly search your text. 

Any other favorites for notes online?