Collaboration Tools (and a little bit more) Part 3: One Note

I have talked about One Note in the past, but I feel despite the number of times I mention it, I come up with even more rationale for it's brilliance.  I love this program.  I love it's simplicity.  I love how many things it can do, so I am adding it as one of my collaboration tools for the classroom.

Why?  It does more than collaborate but, if you are using the live, online version, the opportunity to work with others is an awesome tool.  I have used it a lot in my classes and I have shared it with some of my colleagues and some of them have started using it in class.

I was in a training session about one note and the presenter was telling us about her daughter, a pharmacy student in college.  She uses One Note for all of her notes and classes.  She inserts audio of the lecture and takes notes as well.  COOL!  The software on the computer allows for tablet note taking and doodling. You can insert math notes and questions and complete the problems directly on the program.

The online version, mind you allows for a lot less in the insert, add, edit component.  You have to download the program and open it on the computer to add all the bells and whistles, but, as a teacher, there are a lot of great ideas that can be done with the online tool that makes students working together work.

With the online tool, you can track changes and edits.  You can see who did what at all times. You, as the teacher can create the actual notebooks for the groups, invite them and then monitor them as the kids work.  It's a great way to get kids to work together to accomplish a great outcome.

Do you teach History and have a student who is special needs?  Allow them to record the notes on their device or, you upload the notes to the notebook and then have a student who takes good notes edit it on the online platform.

What about Science?  Create an experiment notebook.  Have questions and logs students need to complete about the dissection they are doing or the experiment they are completing.

Foreign Language?  Flip that class...  embed videos or links to them and include the vocabulary.  Make your own text.  Why rely on the book the companies want us to buy for $60 each when you can make each tab a chapter and build your own tools.

Math Teachers:  Create a chapter by chapter notebook and include links to videos, activities and problems.  The students can work together or alone to master the techniques.

The list goes on and on....  Look at one note, it is a challenge to come across as you have to access the Skydrive via Microsoft, but once you are in... you are in.