Many of the techniques Ashley suggested can be supported by technology, and the array of digital tools at our disposal can address a wide variety of learning styles.  The following resources are readily available, easy to use, and can strengthen the teaching-learning process.

FLASHCARDS

Developing students’ higher-order thinking skills may be the ultimate pedagogical goal, but learning requires scaffolding, and fundamental knowledge and skills are often acquired through rote memorization.  The lowly 3 x 5 flashcard has met this need for generations, and while paper index cards can be effective, more powerful electronic options are available.

Ink Flash Cards: Included with the free Microsoft Education Pack, Ink Flash Cards are double-sided and accept text, ink, and images. When reviewing, users have the option of presenting the cards in order or randomly, and the cards can be set to advance automatically.

TabletFlash: Language teachers should consider trying TabletFlash, a comparable (and free) program that includes the ability to record and embed audio hints.  Because the audio is stored on the card files, copying and sharing card sets is simple.

Quizlet: Started by a 15 year old in 2005, Quizlet is a free web-based tool for mastering vocabulary.  Users can create and share their card sets and/or browse Quizlet’s extensive library of user-submitted content.  Quizlet’s five different study modes (Familiarize, Learn, Test, Scatter, and Space Race) range from “fun to powerful” and are highly engaging.

GRAPHIC ORGANIZERS

Graphic organizers have long been used by students to organize/classify information and visually represent the relationships between important concepts.  Just as electronic flashcards are a major improvement over their paper predecesors, new digital tools make creating Venn diagrams, concept maps, and KWL charts easier than ever.

OpenMind 2.0

Although Inspiration has long been the standard among commercial applications, we recently migrated to Matchware’s OpenMind 2.0.  In addition to concept maps, OpenMind can also create timelines, integrates with Microsoft Office, and includes a number of organizer templates.

Webspiration

Inspiration recently introduced Webspiration, a free (for now) web-based version of their popular software program currently available in a public beta program.  Although it lacks some of the features of its desktop counterpart, it has great collaboration features and gets high-marks for ease of use.

Other Online Options

There are a number of online tools available for creating graphic organizers, including MindMeister, Mindomo, Mind42, and Bubbl.us.  Each can create basic mind maps and all are free.  As with any Web 2.0 tool, however, it’s important to consider sustainability; some of these sites may be gone before the next round of exams.

MULTIMODAL NOTES

Note-taking is unquestionable an important skill, and good lecture notes can mean the difference between success and failure.  For many students, however, the writing process requires so much mental energy that they completely miss the classroom discussion.  Fortunately, tools like OneNote and DyKnow can help capture what is being seen and heard.

OneNote

As an electronic notebook, Microsoft’s OneNote offers several advantage over traditional pencil and paper:

• Notes may be typed and/or handwritten
• Page elements (e.g. notes, images, etc) can easily be repositioned and resized
• Numerous options for pens, highlighters, and page lines
• Copy/paste from the Web includes the URL
• Notes can be searched whether typed or inked
• All resources for all classes are in one location

[There is a video that cannot be displayed in this feed. Visit the blog entry to see the video.]

While our Tablet students are generally quite comfortable using OneNote, many don’t realize that it also allows them to record and embed audio and video.  With an external microphone or webcam, the audio/video for a class can be captured and saved inside the lecture notes.  While it isn’t feasible to expect that all students will utilize this feature every day, it can be highly effective for auditory learners and/or those who struggle with listening while writing.

DyKnow

Many teachers use DyKnow to present material and make learning more interactive.  While OneNote places responsibility for audio/video recording on individual students, DyKnow offers teachers the option of recording their lecture for the entire class using the Audio Recorder feature.

Audio Recorder allows teachers to capture and synchronize audio with navigation and objects inside a DyKnow notebook.  The teacher can start or mute audio at any time during class, and the audio will be saved with the notebook for later review. It’s worth noting that the ink/text of each page (panel) in a DyKnow notebook can also be replayed, enabling students to see their notes recreated line-by-line.

HELPING STUDENTS LEARN

Ashley’s presentation provided a framework that flashcards, graphic organizers, and multimodal notes can support.  For any of these tools and techniques to be effective, however, students (1) must be made aware of them and (2) be taught how to use them.  As we begin the new trimester, I would encouage all of us to be mindful of how we can incorporate these ideas into the classroom; I’m sure our students will appreciate it.

Windows Journal

Created specifically for the Tablet PC, Windows Journal is a free, basic note-taking application that includes a “printing” option for sending files to Journal (Print –> Journal Note Writer). Once “printed”, the file’s contents can be searched, annotated with ink and text, and then exported as either a web archive (.mhtml) or image file (.tiff). Frequent users may prefer to save annotated work as a PDF using Acrobat Professional (included on our Tablets) or a free PDF creator such as Primo PFD. Although Windows Journal may seem simple in form and function, it is ideal for dealing with non-Office or non-Acrobat documents (notice the Stella model shown below) that do not need to be archived by the user.

OneNote 2007

Although OneNote is a Microsoft Office application, it is available as a stand-alone product and thus I will address it separately from the “typical” Office suite of Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.

Like Windows Journal, OneNote 2007 has a “print” driver (Print –> Send to OneNote 2007) that will send any open file to the application. The two major differences between the programs (besides price) are (1) OneNote has more export/sharing options and (2) files sent to OneNote will automatically be saved into a OneNote notebook. This feature can be quite handy provided you want to save a copy of the annotated file (i.e. sometimes documents do not need to be saved long-term). For example, a meeting agenda sent via email might be a good candidate for OneNote; a student’s concept map that you want to grade and return could be handled in Windows Journal.

Office 2007

Anyone who has tried to use the reviewing tools in previous versions of Office knows the tedium of working with stickies and comments. Fortunately, Office 2007, with its improved “ribbons” and inking features, makes annotating Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files a breeze. All three applications utilize the same tools and process (Review –> Start Inking). There is a wide variety of colors and weights, and as long as the file is saved in a compatible format, even Mac and non-Tablet users will be able to read the annotations. Note that with the Lenovo X61 the eraser tool isn’t necessary; simply flip the stylus around and start erasing!

PDF Annotator

Adobe Acrobat files (.pdf) have long been the “de facto” standard for electronic document exchange. And while the Professional version of Acrobat does allow for inserting comments, this process, much like that in Word, can be quite cumbersome. PDF Annotator allows users to easily add ink, text, and even images to Acrobat documents. A great number of professional papers are available in .pdf form and being able to highlight/annotate, save, and redistribute these resources electronically is truly convenient.

Start Experimenting

As with most things, there is no “one best tool” for annotating; each has its place and purpose. Windows Journal is well-suited to what I like to call “transient” documents and its versatility cannot be beat. OneNote is more powerful but saving every document into a notebook may not always be necessary or desirable. Office 2007 is clearly the choice for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files, and PDF Annotator makes easy work of marking up Acrobat files. Learning to use all four will help you get more from your Tablet PC, so choose an application, open a file, and start experimenting!

Web Search Power Tool for Tablet PC

The Web Search Power Tool is part of Microsoft’s free suite of PowerToys for Windows XP Tablet PCs. When in Tablet mode, simply ink a search word/phrase and the results will be returned from one of four available search engine options (Google, MSN, Yahoo, and HotBot). Although it is not possible to add other engines, Google should suffice for those occasions when you want to work predominately with the pen.

GeckoTIP

As described at mozdev.org, “The GeckoTIP extension provides Tablet PC Input Panel support in Firefox, Thunderbird, Sunbird, and Flock.” Once installed, special TIP buttons will be available (shown below) that allow for context-sensitive pen input. These buttons make entering URLs and completing web forms a breeze. Those wishing to explore GeckoTIP can find more detailed information and screenshots here.

Clip to OneNote

Although technically not a browsing or stylus-specific tool, Clip to OneNote is one of the most useful FireFox extensions available for the Tablet. Once installed, users can highlight text on a webpage, right-click (or use the stylus button), and send the selection directly to OneNote, complete with the citation address. Installation is simple and directions with screenshots are available here.

Note: Although originally written by Gmx Lee for Firefox 1.5 and Office 2003, the updated extension from Patrick Schmidt works fine with FireFox 3 and Office 2007.

Start Experimenting

If you’ve never used the stylus with a web browser before, I would encourage you to experiment with the Web Search Power Tool and GeckoTIP, and the Clip to OneNote extension is a “must try” for anyone who does online research. There are times when the keyboard is the right tool for the job, but with the right applications, it doesn’t have to be the only tool at your disposal.

Microsoft Experience Pack

Although a little dated, Microsoft’s Experience Pack includes five handy Tablet PC programs. While each is worth a look, the two I’ve found most useful are Ink Art and Snipping Tool.

Ink Art provides an assortment of drawing tools that let you paint with your tablet pen. Unlike the simple inking/drawing tools in OneNote and Word, Ink Art is pressure sensitive and provides the user with greater creative control. Although Ink Art is probably sufficient for most casual artists, those needing more sophisticated options should consider ArtRage 2.5 Plus.

Snipping Tool is a versatile, ink-enabled screen capture utility. Unlike a “Windows-S” image grab that simply pastes into OneNote, Snipping Tool allows for free form, rectangular, or full screen captures that can be saved in a variety of file formats. The image below illustrates the effect of adding comments and highlighting.

Microsoft Education Pack

The Microsoft Education Pack contains five programs designed for teachers and students. The two most worthy of your time are Equation Writer and Ink Flash Cards.

Equation Writer converts handwritten equations into typed text which in turn can be pasted into a document. While most useful for math and science classes, it’s also a great tool for demonstrating the power and flexibility of the Tablet.

Ink Flash Cards can replace the traditional index cards that students use for drill and practice. The cards are double-sided and accept text, ink, and images. When reviewing, users have the option of presenting the cards in order or randomly, and the cards can be set to advance automatically. Language teachers should consider trying TabletFlash, a comparable (and free) program that includes the ability to record and embed audio hints.

Start Experimenting

If you’ve never used the Experience or Education Packs before, I would encourage you to spend a few minutes experimenting. The only way to really understand the Tablet PC is to play with it, and the tools we reviewed today should make that task fun and easy.