Digital Note Taking
Posted: Thursday, October 20, 2011
by Michael Eza
Digital Note Taking
New technology should be used by students and instructors for the purpose of note taking and organization since the overall process, benefits associated with, and uses of these tools will make the learning environment produce more positive, efficient and frequent results from the students because most students do not know the most beneficial methods for taking notes, especially those associated with new technologies and these improved skills are known to improve the classroom’s performance. Note taking is a process that is used when facts and opinions must be retained for future reference and assimilation, but there are many different reasons and methods for taking notes. In a classroom setting note taking is something that is often left to the student’s discretion, as far as how and when it will be done and what it will be used for. There are, however, specific methods, uses and tools that have been researched and are proven to assist and improve these processes.
R. Perrin writes in his pocket guide authorized by the American Psychological Association that “all note taking should be meticulous and consistent, both to avoid plagiarism and to simplify the subsequent writing of the paper.”(2009 p. 13) Beyond this he mentions it “must be complete, consistent, matched to the kind of material being used, and honest” (2009 p. 13) By following this format the taker can form a well rounded argument, but also they can help prevent and avoid any form of plagiarism that may occur in the process by remaining consistent both in the style of notes taken and references attached to those notes. In addition to the types of notes given by Hacker (summaries, paraphrases and quotations), Perrin mentions that notes are also used for facts, such as technical information, like names dates and places. (2009) Each of these types of notes requires a slightly different approach and because of this it would benefit the taker both in efficiency and quality of results to have a set format and way to approach each type of taking notes.
Perrin states that “note taking is an individual process” (2009 p. 13) and J. Gibaldi writes “Although everyone agrees that note-taking is essential to research, probably no two researchers use exactly the same methods.” (1999 p. 28) Note-takers now have a wide array of options, more than ever before; when it comes to taking notes as far as the tools they use to do this. Note taking can now be done through paper and pens/pencils, note cards, writing on photocopies, computers, voice recordings, hand-held electronic devices such as e-readers and even internet phones. Each of these tools has there various benefits. Perrin indicates that note cards are best used for organization, while paper is best for long and copious notes, and computers and photocopies can improve efficiency. (2009) There are a few tools, such as the Livesscribe Pulse Pen, which incorporate many of the benefits of these various tools into one device while eliminating many of the previous drawbacks associated with them.
It is imperative that students are aware not only of the types of note taking and what the best tools to do this with are, but also what the best methods for doing this are. There are for example uniquely different ways to study for a test than to study for a research paper and because of that there is a different type of note taking for doing so. There is also a problem in the field of education when it comes to teaching students these skills as J L. Irvin and her co-authors point out in the following passage. ‘There is an understanding in the field of education that studying and note taking are essential to student learning, but there is a disconnect as to who is responsible for this education whether its is the elementary school teacher’s responsibility, the content area instructor’s responsibility or the study skills instructor’s responsibility is unclear, but despite this without the instruction on these study skills the students will continue to study by their own methods, which are often inefficient’ (Irvin et al 2007). They go on to mention that “Simpson and Nist (2000) found four research-based and classroom-tested strategies that are useful for students: Question generation and answer explanation, text summarization, student generated elaborations [and] organizing strategies” (Irvin et al 2007 p.188). ‘These methods allow students to do something while studying which is known to improve their overall retention’ (Irvin L. et al 2007).
Within these four described methods the “question generation and answer explanation” (Irvin L. et al 2007) and the “text summarization” (2007) methods are best used for gathering information and improving the student’s understanding of materials discussed or assigned in class while the other two “student generated elaborations” (2007) and “organizing strategies” (2007) are best used for creating new material, such as a research paper or summary assignment from previous studies and notes. Students need to develop the ability to create and rate questions related to material in class and they need to be able to answer these questions in order to fully comprehend the material. This means developing question-answer relationships, which in summary determine the level of research needed to answer a specific question. For instance they can determine whether the question can be answered immediately without the help of any resources, but ones mind or if the answer will have to be sought out in books or online. (Irvin et al 2007) Using a writing utensil and a note card one can do this type of studying, but it also could be done through voice recordings or by creating some sort of digital representation. The easiest thing would probably be to simply write it down on paper, but this is usually not easy to find when it becomes time for studying and/or research purposes and if a digital copy is needed it must be typed.
Text summarization is the taking of large pieces of rhetorical information and breaking it down into the relevant points and facts as needed for future analysis. This is probably the most common form of note taking used in conjunction with taking notes from a classroom lecture. Irvin and her coauthors indicate that text summarization is really a two-step process. This process begins by taking the given information and breaking it down into a simplified form they refer to as “power notes” (Irvin L. et al 2007 p. 191). In power notes the information is basically separated, categorized and itemized. Once this is done an overall summary of what has been reviewed can be written through referencing the newly created notes (Irvin L. et al 2007). This method will improve a student’s understanding and retention because of the overall process involved in synthesizing the material. When using this method of studying a computer would be most useful since the array of information is often broken down into paraphrases and quotes in the power outline and need to be recombined in the overall summary.
At last the methods for creating papers: The student generated elaborations and the organization strategies essentially state that successful studying and paper production occur through the generation of ideas and materials related to class that would reflect actual test question responses and then an organization of those responses through concept mapping (Irvin L. et al 2007). Again this type of studying would be done most efficiently through the use of a digital formatting device like a computer because the data that is created in the process may be used as part of the overall project output. Further more, by using a computer the student is less likely to commit plagiarism by mistyping notes they thought had been there own idea.
Whatever method is used to create notes and assignment papers, Hacker mentions “the challenge as a researcher will be to find a systematic ways of managing information” (Hacker 2003 p. 316). And this is for the specific purpose of avoiding the stealing of ideas or published materials and claiming them as ones own in the form of plagiarism. While information is being dissected and put back together it is sometimes easy to mistake the line between genuine creation and retelling, which is why is important to note the authors names and references used, cite specific page numbers and uses quotes when a direct passage is being used in a paper.
There have already been several tools suggested for the purpose of taking these various kinds of notes, but there are a few specific modern technologies that have proven to be more efficient for taking notes. These include voice recording devices, computer or digitally taken notes and electronic pens. Voice recording devices can improve the efficiency of note taking by allowing the researcher to quickly store their information in an accessible location, without the need to look up from the text. Often voice recordings can now be reproduced as digital copies through the use of various computer software known as speech to text programs. Creating digital copies through the use of a computer or other hand-held electronic device also can improve note-taking efficiency, by allowing for information to be stored in an organized and digital format. Digital pen’s combine the best of both worlds in that they can voice record when needed and link those voice recordings with digital representations of notes that are taken by hand. These devices are perhaps the most efficient when used effectively because they allow the researcher to organize their notes in a copious and accessible fashion, which is automatically saved as a digital copy that can be formatted into a word document and if needed it can voice record information. In this way the student can reduce the overall time they spend on a project and improve its quality by perhaps voice recording during a question generation and answer explanation session and then writing power notes in the same class when a piece of curriculum material is being synthesized. Furthermore all of the information they have obtained can then be transferred into and manipulated by a computer, which can reproduce digital copies of any needed information without the need to retype any work done during the lesson.
Note taking is proven to have a beneficial effect on student learning and these benefits have been seen to increase with the use of new technologies. This has been found to be true both through statistical analyses as well as through student and instructor given testimonial statements. Sri for example is a high school algebra teacher who “finds that note-taking not only provides students a record of the lecture but also serves to keep their attention and increase learning.” (Stuarevant and Linek 2004 p. 77) And Leslie a teacher of high school English has been observed to model note taking through what is called a “think aloud” activity where she actually models the process she goes through when note taking (Stuarevant and Linek 2004). These two teachers believe note taking is beneficial because they have seen it work through an improvement in their students’ performances.
Some students don’t feel or understand the benefits of actively taking notes. As an example “For Luis, ‘studying’ has an even more definite short-term connotation” (Irvin et al 2007 p.178). “To prepare for a test, for example, Luis [they] would look over the chapter, look over his [their] notes, look over his [their] homework, or look over the study guide.” (Irvin et al 2007 p.178) This type of note taking and studying does not help the learning process nearly as much as participating in summarizing, outlining and organizing information can. New technologies like digital pens can improve the ease and efficiency of taking notes and make note taking a more interactive and enjoyable experience than it had been since many of the class assignments would be able to be compiled through the digital archive the pens can create.
Beyond these reasons note taking has been statistically proven to improve student performances. Many of the earlier statistical studies on note taking, although flawed, had consistently reported that note taking improves memory abilities. “Even when there are no opportunities for review, encoding notes is often found to be helpful. Basic research on human memory strongly suggests that the encoding function is facilitative when it results in greater depth of processing, greater elaboration, greater analysis.” (Nye et al 2010 p. 86) ‘In the most recent study on this topic published by Higher Educationa comparison of 75 university students correlated the top eight and bottom eight performers in a class as well as the amount of words in their notes through out the course. There was a direct correlation between an increased number of words in the students’ notes and an increased exam score as well as a direct correlation between fewer words in the overall notes taken and a lower overall exam score. As an example the top performer took 4530 words of notes and received a 162 exam total while the lowest performer took 2280 words of notes and received a 96 exam total, while the second lowest performer took 1075 words worth of notes the received an exam total of 99 and the second highest performer received a 159 exam total and took 4030 words worth of notes.’ (Nye et al 2010 p. 92) This sort of connection shows that by note taking students improve their chances of both learning and receiving a higher overall examination score. Additionally a study on cognitive effort found that note taking is more thought provoking than playing a game of chess “Note the position of “Notetaking from a lecture” – just above “Playing Chess (experts)” (Piolat, Olive, & Kellogg, 2005).” (Larchmont 2009 p. 7)
Many sources agree that technology can help this endeavor. Bean cites that technology can help students in revising and editing (2001) while Gibaldi notes that “Using a computer might save you time and should improve the accuracy with which you transcribe material” (1999 p. 28) and Perrin mentions that “Notes on computers do not have to be retyped during the writing process” (2009 p. 13). Stake holders at all ends of the educational spectrum have taken notice of the importance of using new and emerging technologies in the class room and because of this “over the past decade, the federal government has invested heavily in numerous initiatives to assure that schools keep pace with technology developments.” (Lawless and Pelligrino 2007 p. 577) These initiatives have done a great deal and because of them teachers can now integrate the schools technologies with the students’ by encouraging digital note taking technologies. This type of integration can provide many benefits for the student and teachers, assignments can be handed in electronically and grades can be transmitted electronically also more frequent revisions can occur and the overall accuracy of the materials gleaned should improve.
Beyond these basic benefits technology does improve a students performance. Forgetting for a moment the impact a smart board with live animations and programmed sounds can do to improve the student body’s attention, the sheer volume of information now available at both the educator’s and researcher’s fingertips is a monumental improvement in the breadth of information obtainable. “The sheer increase in the availability of electronic resources in schools and classrooms makes it important for teachers to be prepared to effectively integrate technology into their instructional practices.” (Lawless and Pelligrino 2007 p. 581). One way to integrate this technology is through requesting that students conduct digital note taking, summarizations and organizations of outlines.
A. Benjamin asserts that the best tools used to teach reading comprehension include Internet, computer software, and large libraries with unabridged texts and school-to-home connections (2007), which are often best accessible through internet search engines like http://www.gutenberg.org/, which houses a growing number of complete and unabridged texts. Besides this there is a growing need for students to become computer proficient to improve their literacy, workplace and educational skills. As Irvin and her coauthors point out “Preparing a PowerPoint presentations encourages students to use multiple sources of information, select effective presentation designs, organize and synthesize the information and master a powerful tool with real-world applications” (Irvin et al 2007).
It is clear, at this point, that both technology and note taking are essential to the learning process. Digital pens combine the need and desire students have to take notes by hand while allowing them to integrate their work into a digital setting. “Taking notes with a computer, however, actually takes twice as long, on average, as with pencil and paper (Ward & Tatsukawa, 2003); it is difficult to draw diagrams with a mouse or touchpad; and notes written on a handheld PDA device take 37% longer to read than notes handwritten on paper (Davis et al., 1999). Furthermore, when surveyed about their preferences, students preferred pen and paper to laptops.” (Larchmont 2009 p. 6) The integral factor to digital pens is that they can collect and organize data in ways that were never before possible through the use of other digital devices, one pen company specifically Livescribe “has developed an application called Paper Replay that synchronizes what is being recorded as handwriting with the audio recorded at the same moment.” (Larchmont 2009 p. 7) This feature allows the user many options when it comes to text coding, which is described by Irvin and her coauthors to be a “strategy [that] consists of a marking system that records the student’s reaction to what is being read and prompts them to monitor their comprehension.” (Irvin et al 2007).
With text coding and the Livescribe smart pen the user can make specific marks when the have heard specific comments from the teacher, or when they themselves are about to ask a pertinent question. These marks can be searched for later, digitally, and collaborated into a single document or file. This same method can be used for reading comprehension or project research, and since the speed of recording is improved the overall quality and efficiency of the student’s performance should also improve. Much in the same way a PowerPoint presentation lends itself to allow students to connect the classroom material to presentation materials a digital pen can allow students to connect classroom material to research material in a quick and seamless fashion.
Livescribe also has a program, which changes the digital images and recordings into flash animations. The user for the purpose of determining accuracy, relevancy and speed in the notes that are taken can review these. Furthermore the Livescribe Company has an online digital archive that is available to all smart pen owners to access, which contains the uploaded flash animation notes and recordings of peers and/or colleagues. Researchers of any kind can review these to reflect upon their own abilities and learn from others. Although there are no current statistical studies that reflect the weight and importance of incorporating note taking skills with digital technologies some academic researchers have already begun to see the usefulness of digital pens. “Audio/tactile graphics have been available for some time, but the innovation of using smartpen technology will have a major impact on the usability, portability, cost, and ease of creating these accessible figures which have been clearly shown to improve science learning for blind and visually impaired students (Landau, Russell, Gourgey, Erin, & Cowan,
2003)” (Larchmont 2009 p. 15)
The importance of note taking and using technology in the classroom is supported by factual evidence, which states that students are likely to benefit from them. Students must be able to do these both efficiently and accurately and to achieve this they need instruction as to how, and what are the best strategies and technologies to be used and during what type of instruction. By informing students of the available technologies, strategies and forms available to them for the purposes of note taking they will become better prepared for class and better understand and comprehend the materials discussed. One tool which is specifically useful in this endeavor is a digital pen, which can both create digital copies of notes and take voice recordings simultaneously
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