Teaching with Technology

Using educational technology to enhance the learning environment and increase student engagement!

Note-Taking with Technology

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Our classrooms are becoming increasingly digitized…which is extremely exciting!

At the same time, many of our students, especially at the secondary level, have been taught a specific way to take notes…an activity we can agree is essential to student success.
However, with many classrooms becoming “flipped” or “blended” learning environments, the way our students have been taught to take notes may no longer be the best way to take notes. Let me explain.
Student Using ComputerAs a student, I was taught the typical outline approach to note-taking. My teacher recorded a rough outline on the board with Roman numerals, letters, numbers, and the occasional bullet. My classmates and I filled in the outline as the lecture progressed. I, like most of you, used a notebook and a pencil. The teacher was the center of the classroom…my teacher provided the students with knowledge, and then the students regurgitated that knowledge on a test. If you could master that concept..boom, you get an A!
Times, though, they are a-changin! 
Next year, when I have a true 1:1 classroom, I don’t plan on having my students purchase notebooks and folders and pencils and pens. Our classroom will be “cloud-based,” so my students won’t require those typical classroom tools.
Will my students still be required to take notes…YES!!! Will their notes still need to be structured? YES!!
So, what tools can my students use to take notes in this new learning environment? Check out a few resources below:
Evernote
I LOVE Evernote! This tools works with so many other apps-including the digital version of my textbooks. Students can create notebooks, highlight, include images, video, recordings, and so much more. For more information about this amazing tool, please click here.
Quick Note (Chrome)
Add this app to your Chrome account! It’s free! Highlight a selection of text on a page, right click, and add it to your notes. 

Google Keep (Chrome)
This is seriously an awesome app, and is definitely a must have for my Chromebook classroom. Students could use this as a note-taking tool, but it would also be beneficial for just recording tasks or reminders. Check it out! It’s FREE!

VideoNot.es
Due to the increasing digital nature of our classrooms, our students will most likely be watching short video clips at some point in time. These videos could be created by the teacher in the flipped model, found on YouTube, Vimeo, etc. VideoNot.es is an incredible tool that students can use to take notes while watching a video…and it can be save in the student’s Google Drive and Evernote! For more information about VideoNot.es, please click here.

Thanks for reading 🙂


Check out VideoNot.es: It is AMAZING!

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Do you ever want your students to watch a video for homework? Do they ever struggle keeping up with the video, or remembering that the assignment is actually…an assignment…and they may need to take notes?

Stress no more, teacher friends!

If you haven’t checked out VideoNot.es, please do so immediately!! 🙂

This is an amazing tool that allows students to watch a video (any video that has a website) and simultaneously record notes. These notes are TIME STAMPED so teachers and students can reference specific content from the video.

Wait, it gets better.

Do your students utilize Evernote? This is the most popular note-taking tool in my classes, and is probably the most common app used in my building (for good reason).

VideoNot.es has an option to link to your Evernote account! Incredible!

I’m sure many of you who “flip” your classrooms have used VideoNot.es because it just makes sense!

The best feature of VideoNot.es? Notes taken through this app automatically save in Google Drive!! Awesome!

Students can even SHARE their notes with classmates and their TEACHER!

For an example of how VideoNot.es can be used while viewing a YouTube video, please click here.

If you haven’t checked out VideoNot.es, I highly recommend it. It’s a free app that links to Evernote and saves in Google Drive…what else do you need? 🙂

Here are some articles about VideoNot.es in the classroom. Enjoy!
VideoNot.es : Note Taking for the Flipped Classroom
US History Teachers Blog: VideoNot.es for Note Taking in a Flipped Classroom

You may also be interested in these posts:
Chrome Apps for Students
Chrome Apps for Teachers

Thanks for reading 🙂

Evernote: Great Note-Taking Tool!

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As many schools are making the jump to digital platforms and 1:1 classrooms, an electronic note-taking tool is a MUST!

Most, if not all, of our students have grown up shopping for notebooks, pencils, and folders to use in school. I vividly remember racing down the school supply aisle, throwing Lisa Frank notebooks and folders (and the awesome trapper keepers!) in the cart before my mom noticed!

So, now that we are making the move to Chromebooks in my building, those notebooks and pencils will not play as much of a role in my classroom.

The way I teach will definitely change. Students will not listen to me drone on and on about our content as much as they do now. However, they will still need to take notes and maintain those notes to be successful in my class.

How can they do this? EVERNOTE!

There are many digital note-taking tools available, Microsoft OneNote immediately comes to mind. However, the accessibility of Evernote, and the fact that its free, make Evernote the go to note-taking tool for me.

Here are some basics about Evernote:

  • Users can create a FREE account at www.evernote.com
  • Choose to share your notebook via Facebook, Twitter, Email, or just through the URL
  • If you are using the Evernote iPad app…
    • include pictures
      • students can take pictures of important diagrams or images during a class discussion
    • include audio
    • set reminders to study the information
      • all students can benefit from this!
    • share your notebook
      • if students are absent or missed something in class, their peers can share the information 
      • think of the group study sessions students could have using evernote!
    • search your notebooks
      • search for a term, a video, image, and more!
There’s even a Chrome extension for Evernote!
Evernote graphicThis is an awesome tool for your students to use! Evernote works on so many different platforms. Students can download an app for their iPad, iPhone, iPod, or Android device. Many of my students choose to take notes on an electronic device in my class, and all but a handful of students choose Evernote.
Evernote allows students to organize their notes, and still keep a “notebook” for each class.
Below are some great resources for using Evernote in your classroom! Enjoy!
Check it out! You won’t be disappointed!
Thanks for reading 🙂

Chrome Apps for Education: Students

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Wow! There are so many awesome Chrome apps that would benefit students in most any classroom! The apps listed below are incredible for managing information and creating amazing products. Enjoy!

VideoNot.es
Take notes WHILE watching a video! The notes are “time-stamped” so the student knows at what point in the video their notes were taken! This links with Google Drive…so they can access their notes ALL THE TIME!!


All in one planner…for Chrome!


Evernote
The awesome note-taking app…is also for Chrome!

InstaGrok
A whole new type of search engine! Students can search for a specific concept, and see how other relevant topics connect to their search. Wow!



Edublogs
Great blogging service for students…available in Chrome!


Reference.com
Students can dictionary and thesaurus resources right from their Chrome browser!!

Students can create and access TONS of great flashcards!

Multiple types of reinforcement and review tools!!

Access current events through this Chrome app…awesome for Bellringers or to begin a class discussion!

Students can upload, create, and edit videos inside their Chrome browser!!


Padlet

GREAT app for brainstorming or collaborative work or…pretty much anything!

Google Keep
Allows users to record quick notes about anything…that are accessible on any device!


Google Apps Script
Build your own web applications!!!

Essential iPad Apps!

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The apps available for use on the iPad are absolutely amazing! Even if you’re like me and only have one iPad in your classroom, your students can benefit enormously from using the incredible iPad apps!
great ipad apps
There are so many fabulous apps available for use in education, and there is NO WAY I could possibly list or discuss even a majority of them. Listed below are a few of MY favorite apps to use in my classroom, and encourage my students to use. I will continue to update this list!

    • Google Earth
      • By now, most people have heard of the awesomeness (new word!) that is Google Earth. Teachers can take their students on field trips without even leaving their classroom. My students love to visit the White House and use street view to go inside! We also love to visit Buckingham Palace, the Palace of Versailles, the Louvre, the Grand Canyon, and of course, Area 51 🙂
    • Edmodo 

      • If you’ve read my Learning Management Systems (LMS) post about edmodo, then this app needs no introduction! Students can download this app to their electronic device (iOS or android!) and access course materials, participate in discussion posts, and receive notification alerts for their teacher. The edmodo platform is VERY similar in appearance and accessibility to Facebook, which makes my students comfortable with using this program.
    • Scan
      • I like to incorporate QR codes into my classroom learning environment. In my lecture presentation, I include a QR code that links to a primary source, a video, or information and allow students to use their electronic devices to access the resource. It is SO MUCH EASIER to create a QR code for students to scan than to provide them with an extremely long URL and repeat it constantly! Scan is awesome (and is sometimes free)!
    • Educreations
      • Educreations is an AMAZING tool for the iPad. Educreations allows teachers to upload an image, take a picture (with a tablet or smartphone, etc), or search for an image on the web. Once the image has been selected, you can draw and type on the image, which is amazing in virtually any classroom! Teachers can also record information and save the lesson! AND…it is FREE!!!
    • YouTube
      • Youtube really needs no introduction…it can be an amazing tool in the classroom! Many channels are popping up that have amazing content for your classroom. Currently, in my social studies classes, I incorporate many Crash Course videos (mostly the American History genre). Check it out for classroom use!!
    • Prezi
      • The Prezi app for the iPad allows the user to create a prezi directly on their iPad, share the prodcut, and present it directly from their iPad! A Prezi app is also available for the iPhone…the only downside is you cannot create from your phone, just present. Imagine, however, students standing up in front of your class, presenting a prezi from their iPhone. AWESOME!! Watch for a post totally about prezi!!
    • Tellagami
      • This app is FUN to use as a presentation tool. Create a “gami,” customize the background of your screen, choose a voice for your gami, and enter the text you want to play! I love to use this at the beginning of class to get students’ attention and provide them with information for the day! Give it a whirl!
    • Evernote

    • Many of my students LOVE this app! Since I allow them to take notes on their electronic device in class, I encourage them to use this wonderful app to organize and manage their notes, not only for my class, but for all of their classes. Users can create notebooks, import pictures, take pictures, and do so many more things right in the app. It is awesome and FREE!
Storage Apps
Having access to my cloud based files on my iPad is essential. These apps are extremely e
asy to use, and are used extremely often by me!!
  • Google Drive
    • Access your Drive files on your iPad or iPhone. The app also allows you to create (with limited options) documents and spreadsheets on your device. FREE!
  • Dropbox
    • Access your Dropbox files on your iPad or iPhone. Choose do open your files in apps you already have on your device. I frequently open a Dropbox file in the edmodo app, and attach a file to an assignment or a note on edmodo directly from my iPad!
MORE APP IDEAS FOR YOUR CLASSROOM!

Thanks for reading!
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