Technology, through out the years, has opened many options in note-taking for students. Taking notes can be one of the most important things that a student can do to successfully pass a class. There are many ways to effectively take notes these days that do not leave your hands cramping! Cell phone cameras have become a wonderful study tool. I have used my camera phone to take pictures of models during labs, notes on the boards, and even some power point presentations. However, cell phones are typically banned for student usage in elementary, middle and high schools. Electronic Note-Taking has become a very popular way to take, organize and even share your notes. There are numerous websites and apps that bring note-taking to another level. Some popular websites are Evernote, NoteStar, and OneNote. Another favorite way to take notes is by using Google Docs. I have used Google docs and its app in numerous classes. It is a great way to bring other classmates together to work on study guides and notes.
Visual-Thinking and Concept-Mapping Software is very interesting to me. I get caught up in having writers block almost every time I am required to write, especially if it is a topic that I am not interested in. I am the type that can work through it best by talking about it. I have talked my bored husbands head off numerous times! But that gets me through my block and my light bulb comes on! I also need to have an actual pen and paper in hand to begin my writing but I think that has a lot to do with how I learned in school growing up. I did not have the luxuries of these wonderful new technologies like Kidspiration, Inspirations, and InspireData. Brainstorming through technology seems to be a wonderful tool for students to utilize today. There was a time that I had to write an essay and I had no idea how to get through it. I could not brainstorm, talk it out, draw maps, nothing was working. I emailed my instructor and she sent me a quote that I have since thought about many times. Here is the quote:
The final concept in chapter 7 that I read about was Google Earth. This web tool is a favorite of mine! It is truly an amazing map that can be used in many different ways depending on the subject you are studying. "Students can take virtual journeys throughout their community or across the country to visit places of current or historical interest". ( Maloy, O’Loughlin, Edwards, Sharon A., Woolf, Park 2013)
There is also Google Earth 7 that could be a great tool for teachers in Science or Astronomy. It shows greater details and includes things like the moon and stars. I took a course called the Geography of Appalachia and we used Google Earth in class to get an Arial view of the affects that mountain-top mining had on the geography of land. Google Earth gives students a completely different view of the area they are learning. I look forward to using this in my own classroom.
Resources
Maloy, R., O'Loughlin, R., Edwards, S., & Woolf, B. (2013). Transforming Learning with New Technologies. 2nd Edition. Boston, MA: Pearson Education Inc.
Wood, B. (n.d.). Start designing. Retrieved February 21, 2016, from https://www.canva.com/
