VideoNotes

VideoNotes, operating under the domain videonot.es, was a web-based tool designed to enhance the online learning experience. The service was developed by the France-based, education-focused startup UniShared and launched around April 2013. The company was part of the Y Combinator IK12 batch and was listed with a team size of 11 in Palo Alto, although it is now marked as inactive.

The core function of VideoNotes was to provide a simple yet effective method for taking notes while viewing educational videos. The platform presented a dual-pane interface: a video player on the left and a text editor on the right. This setup allowed users, primarily students and educators in online learning environments, to type notes that were automatically time-stamped and synchronized with the video playback. A key feature was the ability to click on a specific note, which would instantly navigate the video to the exact moment that note was taken, streamlining the process of reviewing material. The service supported content from major educational and video platforms, including YouTube, Coursera, and Khan Academy.

VideoNotes was deeply integrated with Google Drive. Upon signing in with a Google account, the application would create a dedicated folder where all notes were automatically saved. This integration facilitated easy storage, management, and sharing of notes, making it a useful tool for collaborative projects or for teachers to distribute and collect assignments. While the platform was praised for its utility in flipped classrooms and for remote learning, it eventually became defunct, as noted by former users in early 2020. The business model appeared to be a free service, leveraging its utility to gain traction within the edtech community.

Keywords: video note-taking, educational technology, edtech, Google Drive integration, online learning, synchronized notes, time-stamped notes, collaborative learning, flipped classroom, UniShared, Y Combinator, student tool, video annotation, Coursera notes, YouTube notes, Khan Academy notes, study tool, e-learning, digital classroom