Category: Notability

Distance Learning, Notability, Screencast, Tutorial

Notability and Distance Learning

Mandi

Those of you who know me know I have been a Notability fan for at least 8 years. I love it. It has improved significantly since I started using it and every upgrade makes me love it even more.

During this crazy time of distance learning, Notability and your iPad can be a welcome help. You can create notes that can easily be shared in Google Classroom. You can screen cast and save to Google Drive to be shared in Google Classroom. If you download Zoom, you can use Notability and share your screen and give notes live.

I have created a few videos to help you navigate and efficiently use Notability on your iPad. This includes backing it up to Google Drive, screencasting, and some basic use.

I don’t have a tutorial for Zoom, but I will work on it and get that added here as well.

Notability is not free. Right now it’s $8.99. I’m telling you it’s worth every penny you spend. They do have volume discounts of 50% off for purchases of 20 copies or more at one time.

Please let me know if you have questions about Notability or if there are additional tutorials you would like to see.

Set up Download and Sync to get your files to Notability faster.

Set up a Folder to make importing to Notability easier

Set up and basic use of Notability

Connect Notability to Google Drive to import and backup

Open a file from Google Drive

Screenrecord on iPad with Notability

Google Slides, Notability, Planner, Uncategorized

Electronic Planner

Mandi

Last year I created an electronic bullet journal type calendar/planner and shared it here. This year Slides Mania (@SlidesManiaSM) created a template that is FREE to use. That’s right free and customizable. Head to their site, download the slide, and watch the video to customize your own.

You will want to add as many slides as you want, such as the weekly slides, delete the text you don’t want to see, add dates where you want them to be, and place the slides in the deck where you want them. Once you download this as a PDF, that part is no longer editable. I created my weeks and placed them directly after the monthly view. When I click on January then I can scroll to each week in the month.

Editable Katie_Digital_Planner_Template_SlidesMania.png

You can add links if you want. For instance, you can click on the first week in January and link it to the weekly view. This will take a little more time to edit, but the functionality is nice throughout the year.

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Once you have your planner set up like you want it, go to file, then download as a pdf.

I save this in a folder in my Google Drive so I can access it from Notability. Notability is not a free app, but it is worth the money. I use this app daily in my classroom. To explain all the wonderful things Notability can do would take another blog post 🙂

Once this is saved in Google Drive, open the Notability App. Import the file from your Google Drive. Once it’s loaded, the links will still work, but you can also write in the boxes. It’s the best of both worlds.

The best part, in my opinion, is that the template was already created. I was able to change my theme in less than 10 minutes and now I have a planner to use for 2020.

Thanks Slides Mania for saving me a ton of time.

Notability, Planner, sketchnotes

Bullet Journal Teacher Planner

Mandi

I love to create sketchnotes and have tried my hand at bullet journals.  I love creating sketchnotes on my iPad, but I have always kept a paper journal. This year I discovered a PDF linked electronic bullet journal that you can use in Notability or GoodNotes. I wanted to try it out but not spend a ton of money on it. I discovered a tutorial online that taught me how to make one using Keynote. OH MY GOSH, it was so much fun. I created a teacher planner and I LOVE how it works. I’ve provided the PDF file for you to use if you want to try it out too.

Yes, I know, you can use Google calendar and I do, but there is something about writing on a calendar that works for me.

You click on the tabs on the side to take you to the month you want. You can click on beginning of the week to take you to the week you want.

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You need to store the PDF in Google Drive or Dropbox and import it to Notability. You can also use GoodNotes, but I haven’t personally tried it.

Enjoy the file. Remember this is my first attempt so I can’t promise perfection. You an also go on Etsy and search for electronic bullet journals to find some others have created.

PDF File

ISTE2016, Notability, sketchnotes

Sketchnotes & ISTE2106

Mandi

I’ve returned from ISTE2016 and I have so much to share but sketchnoting has consumed my brain so I’ll share this first and get back to the amazingness that was ISTE2016 in the next post (hopefully with a sketchnote to help describe the experience).

I was able to attend two sessions on sketchnotes while at ISTE.  Matt Miller @jmattmiller, author of Ditch That Textbook, the guy I talk about on this blog ALL THE TIME, had the first session. It was a great launching point and he had us make a sketchnote during Sir Ken Robinson’s Ted Talk. I SUCKED AT IT! Here’s all I was willing to post:dancer

I’ve created sketchnotes before (see here) but always AFTER a presentation has ended. This was tough! During the session I met Carrie Baughcum @heckawesome another FANTASTIC sketchnoter. AND… she was presenting later with Sylvia Duckworth and Kathy Shrock. I KNOW! MIND BLOWN!

Their session had a TON of resources & inspiration but also many examples of how students use it. Both presentations referenced brain research and how we learn better. I know this is something I want to allow my students to do. I think it will help my “doodlers” focus on my content a little more.

I wanted to practice so I found some websites to help me. The first was Sacha Chua on her blog Living an Awesome Life. This was a great beginning spot to practice. I used Notability (another favorite I mention on here often) and I tried some by hand also. Here are my practice pages.

Notability: Sketch note Practice

Sketchnotes on paper

Next I went to the site Nuggethead where he has homework after each lesson. The lesson for day 2 was to create a sketchnote while watching a Ted Talk, one with editing and one without. Well… without editing didn’t work for me but here is the sketchnote completed. It’s from Aaron Duff’s @education_geek and his TEDx talk Hack(Ed)-disrupting the eduverse. It’s not perfect but I think I captured the essence of the talk.

Here’s my finished product: Aaron Duff TedX

Yes, that’s a ME sketch. I kind of like her. I’m excited to share this note taking option with students and I’m excited to get better at it myself. A special shout out to Matt & Carrie for inspiring me to get better!