Note Taking...

How do we find a balance and help students learn how to take notes? Writing everything down isn't practical or effective. Writing too little down means students are missing important information. Marzano stresses that notes should be a "work in progress". Revisiting and revising notes as the students understanding of the concept expands is an important part of the process. The goal is to have sufficient details for the notes become a good study guide for assessments.

Teachers might begin by taking notes themselves and sharing those notes with students during or after the lesson. Providing structure for note taking can also be helpful. Outlines and/or graphic organizers the students can complete during the lesson can support learners as they strive to improve their skill level. Be sure to leave room for flexibility so students can continue to personalize their learning.

Several technology tools for creating organizers have been suggested in previous posts. Don't forget the importance of including images to enhance retention.

What if we consider expanding the skill base by allowing students to collaborate on the notes for a topic? The teacher could provide a shared document or a wiki to allow multiple students to access the notes. Students can then compare what they recorded individually to look for common points and additional ideas they may need to be added or excluded as extraneous. Wording could also be reviewed to find the most succinct way to capture the information.

What tools are available to help your students become better note takers?

Let's rethink the possibilities.

Based on content found in:
Classroom Instruction That Works: Research-Based Strategies for Increasing Student Achievement written by Robert Marzano, Debra Pickering, and Jane Pollock
Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works written by Howard Pilter, Elizabeth R. Hubbell, Matt Kuhn and Kim Malenoski

1 Knol = 1 Unit of Knowledge

When you think of search engines, Google pops into your mind first! What else does Google offer? Google Earth, Google Docs, Gmail, You Tube, iGoogle, Google Finance, Google Health, GOOG-411, etc. The list is now extensive.

But, the time has now come – they are expanding upon their market even further. Google is presenting their latest tool – a free internet encyclopedia simply dubbed “Knol” – meaning a unit of knowledge.

For the past seven years, Wikipedia has captured the market as a collaborative internet encyclopedia. What is the difference between a Knol and Wikipedia? Google’s Knol requires all writers to state their identity upfront. This allows you to take credit for your work and, at the same time, allows others to see the credibility your voice offers. What is Google’s main mission in presenting the Knol? Simply stated, to highlight authors.

Not sure what to write about? Your Knol can cover (almost) any topic you’d like. Here are a few pointers to keep in mind about Knols…

1) Knols are not edited! Be sure you proof and provide correct information!
2) Knols can be collaborative efforts, or one single voice
3) Other readers can post comments and ratings on your Knol
4) A Knol is different from a blog
5) Knols are indexed by search engines
6) Knol topics can be duplicated, but the content should be original
7) Be sure to write specifically for the audience most likely to read your Knol
8) Authors can make money with Knol submissions using Google’s AdSense.
9) You only need a Google account to login and begin writing
10) http://knol.google.com/

Ready to write your first Knol? Check out this link which provides best practices for writing great Knols:
http://knol.google.com/k/-/-/uPUoECxfx/sd8yvy?nc=0.28660903358832#view

The Waiting is the Hardest Part

Since the beginning of the last school year I have been anticipating the release of Activarena, the software package that will allow multiple pens on an Activboard. The Promethean website describes the Activarena as a pack upgrade that allow classrooms to “become dynamic arenas for team-based activities, projects, competition and group projects.” That sounds great… When can I get it?

The software updates of Activstudio which included the addition of a “Multi-User” section on the dashboard gave me the impression a release was imminent. The site currently lists it as being available for your classroom in mid 2008 and says to “Imagine the potential of two, three, or more students working together, or teachers working collaboratively with students at the same time.”

I can imagine it; when can I get it?

I watched the countdown on the prometheanworld website and assumed it was for Activarena, instead it was the new version of the prometheanplanet website.

The last update I heard was Activarena would be built into the new version of Activstudio set for release sometime early 2009.

Of course I want them to get it right before they release it, but at this point my expectations for this new software will be high given the wait.

Go out of this world… but stay in your seat.

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is already known for their scientific discoveries, amazing inventions, world-wide partnerships, out-of-this world explorations and breath-taking photographs. But, did you ever stop to imagine them as your personal assistant in the classroom? NASA experts are as close as your computer.

Options are varied. If you teach science, technology, engineering, or mathematics, your students are guaranteed to be engaged. What could be even better? You can easily match their offerings to your standard course of study objectives.

What can you gain by having new friends at NASA? The possibilities are endless…

· Lesson Plans (Including step-by-step hands-on activities)
· Interactive Multimedia (Quizzes, knowledge-based games, etc.)
· Classroom Partnerships (Projects that involve direct communication with NASA)
· Webcasts and Video-Conferences (Did I mention they are completely free?)
· Educational Television Programming and Videos
· Podcasts
· …and more

Start with the below link, and you are on your way to presenting and out-of-this-world curriculum.

http://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/index.html

Before you go, did you know that as a result of the folks at NASA and their fine research and scientific skills we have the following products…

Invisible Braces
Edible Toothpaste
Ski Boots
Ear Thermometers
Smoke Detectors
Joystick Controllers
Enriched Infant Formula
Scratch Resistant Eye Glasses
Protective Paint
Sneaker Insoles
Fire Fighter Equipment

Now, did this get your attention? It surely got mine! I had the privilege of touring NASA just a few days ago and the knowledge they passed along was staggering. Your students want to learn from NASA too…

Medpedia - A Collaborative Online Medical Encyclopedia

Medpedia http://www.medpedia.com/index.php/Main_Page will be coming online at the end of this year. You can go there now to preview the site or apply to be a medical professional member. Like Wikipedia, it will be the largest collaborative online encyclopedia. However, Medpedia will be totally dedicated to health, medicine and the human body. This collection of work will be a tremendous impact for the medical field, scientists, researchers, educators and the general public. In the near future you will have the ability to learn about the 30,000 plus known diseases, 10,000 plus prescribed drugs, the thousands of different medical procedures and the millions of medical facilities around the world. The content will be written for the general public but it will also contain more technical pages for those in the medical field. Medpedia will contain the latest intelligence on health and medical issues. The web pages will include images, video and sound. Only screened and licensed medical professionals and organizations will be able to edit Medpedia's content. Harvard Medical School, Stanford School of Medicine, the University of California Berkley School of Public Health, the University of Michigan Medical School and several other health organizations will be some of the content editors for this massive project.

Hopefully we will never have a need to visit some of these pages, other than for education, but if we do, it will be an incredible resource to help us understand these important issues.

HotChalk Learning Environment

Great website to look at for a learning environment in which to collaborate online is HotChalk. To best explain their site, I will quote information from their website "HotChalk Learning Environment is a collaborative online resource for K-12 teachers, students and parents. It is a an easy-to-use learning management system (LMS) which is accessible by an Internet browser. It provides a media-rich library of teacher-contributed lesson plans and digital content. Teachers may use this Web-based system as an added resource when designing daily student activities in an online environment. HotChalk’s basic service is free for all schools everywhere, and is supported by corporate sponsorships and advertising." Why not think about joining today: http://www.hotchalk.com/mydesk/" For the more information on the description above (provided by their website )and additional information about this resource visit their website today.

Summarizing...

Another high yield strategy identified in Classroom Instruction that Works (Marzano, Pickering and Pollock) and addressed in Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn and Malenoski) is summarizing.

In order to use this strategy, students must learn what information to ignore, what information to rephrase and what key information to keep as they review a section of text. This requires careful analysis of the passage. An awareness of the stucture of the material can help direct the summary. Some literature has a beginning, middle and end. Other articles may take the form of a conversation, narrative, or be intended to argue a point.

Teachers can provide structure for the summary by providing questions to frame the analysis. Kidspiration, Inspirations and Microsoft Office drawing tools can be used to create graphic organizers to guide students in their initial efforts. Later, students should be able to create their own organizers to structure their summary.

The AutoSummarize tool in Microsoft Office Word can provide a starting point for students to explore this new strategy. Several formats are available and the percent of the article included in the summary can be adjusted. This will provide an opportunity for students to compare their analysis with the results provided by the program or adjust the program settings until they feel the appropriate information is selected.

Having students create PowerPoint slides of the key points is another way to utilize technology to develop summarizing skills. Limiting the number of bullets or the amount of text can help students learn to pull out the essential information.

Collaborative summaries can be created using a Google Doc or a wiki. Working as a team, students can discuss the information to be included or excluded.

What other ideas come to mind?

Let's rethink the possibilities.