Comments on: Teaching Organization with Notebook Checks

By: Laura

Laura — Thu, 28 May 2009 15:07:10 +0000

I had a SmartBoard, but the screen was too small and I didnt like turning my back on my students. I now use a tablet PC and the Smart technology (our district has a license). I can do everything I did with the SmartBoard, but the HUGE screen makes it much better.

By: Jen

Jen — Mon, 23 Apr 2007 13:44:45 +0000

I love your method! This really puts the responsibility on the student, not just for acquiring the contents of the notebook, but for being able to use the notebook, too. What students may not know is such a well organized notebook may be a reference they will use far in the future…the handouts from my high school senior Honors English class (1984-85 school year) helped me decode what was going on when my husband and I watched Pacino’s “Looking for Richard”! Granted, this is may seem a bit compulsive, but I knew I was going to be an English major and I kept everything.

Which ancient is it whose book is bascially the class notes someone took?? Plato??

By: Dana Huff

Dana Huff — Fri, 20 Apr 2007 02:11:29 +0000

Carol, a SMARTBoard is an interactive white board. It is hooked up to a computer and the user can interface with it much like you can with touch screen monitors on a computer so that the user can access any program on the computer from the SMARTBoard and also can write notes on the board using special markers. They’re really cool: http://www2.smarttech.com/st/en-US/Products/SMART+Boards/default.htm

By: Carol

Carol — Thu, 19 Apr 2007 14:35:25 +0000

Please tell me what SMARTBoard? Is it a program? How do you use it?

By: Dana Huff

Dana Huff — Wed, 18 Apr 2007 21:11:34 +0000

Thanks, Dana and Ruth. Tell me how it goes when you try it.

By: Ruth

Ruth — Wed, 18 Apr 2007 20:18:47 +0000

This is sheer genius. That’s how I’m handling my notebooks next year. Thank you so much!

(I came here from the Carnival, by the way.)

By: Dana2

Dana2 — Sun, 15 Apr 2007 12:11:51 +0000

Wow. WOW. Thanks a zillion for this, really. It makes so much sense! My students have asked me both about notebook checks and open-notes tests, and this hits both of them – generous, but strict too!

By: Dana Huff

Dana Huff — Sun, 15 Apr 2007 02:55:28 +0000

Kelly, I learned that the best way to save notes for student use is to export them as pdf’s. You won’t be able to edit those notes, later, however, so you might want to save them first as SMART notebook files and then export them as pdf’s. I upload all the SMARTBoard notes to my classroom blog: http://class.huffenglish.com/. Students can download them, but the bonus is I can too; if I am working from home and don’t have access to my files, it’s been handy. I truly don’t know how I taught without a SMARTBoard. I absolutely love them.

By: Kelly

Kelly — Sun, 15 Apr 2007 00:35:57 +0000

This sounds like a wonderful system–thanks so much for sharing it. Organization (mine) has always gotten in the way of my keeping up with notebook checks in my classes, but I will be receiving a SMARTBoard next year (and I’m so excited!), which I think will enable me to keep up with notebooks better.

By: karen

karen — Sat, 14 Apr 2007 16:52:49 +0000

I have a Mimio which makes my regular whiteboard like a SMARTBoard. I need to use it more regularly, though. I love how it saves everything I do on the board! I need to get more acquainted with it, too.