Notetaking apps for iPads have been a game-changer for my low vision students. With the use of these applications and online resources, the students can adapt documents according to their own visual preferences and greatly reduce the amount of paper (including cumbersome enlarged copies) that they have to manage. If the students maintain good electronic file management, the use of a notetaking app can increase their organization of instructional materials and resources, as well as decrease the weight of those heavy backpacks! I also frequently use notetaking apps myself. I am finding them particularly helpful with the readings for two Read 2 Succeed courses that I am currently taking!
This Notes and PDF Expert link will take you to an excellent Paths to Technology post showing how a student uses the Apple Notes app in conjunction with the PDF Expert app to scan and complete a job application form.
There are four parts in this series. In Part 1 of this post I will discuss the various ways in which students can use two iOS applications, PDF Expert and Noteshelf 2, including a list of several of the features available in both apps. I have also attached to this first post a checklist template for progress monitoring of notetaking skills, which is based on the list of features and options in the Noteshelf 2 app. This checklist can be modified to align with PDF Expert or any notetaking app of the teacher’s choosing. In Note-taking Applications for the iPad: Part 2 I compare the two apps and discuss the pros and cons of each app. In Note-taking Applications for the iPad: Part 3 I discuss different types of styluses which can be used with the apps (although most of my students elect to just use their finger to interact with the screen, so they don’t have to keep up with a stylus; I prefer to use a stylus to do my annotating because I can be more precise with it). In the final post of the series, currently in progress, I will address the topic of note-taking applications in the Android environment.
The following is just a sampling of some features which my students and I find particularly useful; it is by no means an exhaustive list. For complete information about using each app and features available in each app, you can access the app’s user guide by clicking on the following links:
Here are some examples of what students can do with both apps:
Many of my low vision students this past year used one of these notetaking apps, and I heard many positive comments from them about ways in which the app has made it easier for them to complete, organize, and submit their assignments. That is the best testimonial I can think of regarding the use of this technology tool!
The following link will take you to the checklist of note-taking skills for progress monitoring:
Note-taking Application Skills Checklist
These links will show you the current information (at the time of this writing) for the apps discussed in the Apple App Store:
As mentioned in the beginning of this post, Part 2 of this series will address differences between the two apps and pros and cons of each app.
https://www.perkins.org/sites/elearning.perkinsdev1.org/files/Note-taking%20Application%20Skills%20Checklist_0.docx
By Luv2TeachAll