Notetaking Strategies Worth Taking Note Of

Ah, summer. The time when the academic year gets turned on its head and nothing is as it has been...

Whether you're taking an accelerated class this summer (a full term of Stats in 4 weeks? Crazy!) or taking a break from academics, now's a good time to consider working on some success strategies. Notetaking is a great one to work on, because it's something you can benefit from both academically and personally. I read a post to the DSSHE listserv by Ike Presley, National Project Manager for American Federation of the Blind. He described the process he uses to teach notetaking skills to people who are blind. I was impressed with the clarity and logic with both the process and his description and immediately asked him if I could blog it - a permission he very graciously extended.

First things first. Let's establish that taking your own notes, no matter how you do this, is always, always, always going to be better for your retention and understanding than reading someone else's - for two reasons.

1. Anytime you are actively engaging more than one process, you will learn better. Even if your notes suck - and I have students who tell me that theirs, indeed, do - they are your notes. You know your brain better than anyone.
2. Quoting from Ike here: "...the variation in what different student think should be included in the notes. I always tell people this is dependent on what the student already knows or is familiar with and thus determines what they will write down for their notes. It may be too little [or] too much for the student who will be receiving the notes."
   

So here, without further ado, is Ike's process, adapted a bit by yours truly to incorporate some specific AT ideas. (Ah, a paraphrased summary of my reading - I should retain this well!)

• "First, find some form of written note taking that the student can feel comfortable/competent with."
• Low-tech options: Pen & paper or a slate & stylus. Experiment with different sizes, layouts, and colors, if you wish.
• Higher-tech: a laptop, PDA or Braille notetaker
• "Next, use some type of recording device that will allow the student to insert bookmarks."
  
• Low-tech: a standard tape recorder. Tap the desk with a pencil to insert a unique sound into the recording as a bookmark.
• Higher-tech: use a digital recorder and the tapping method or a digital voice recorder with index marking
  
• High-tech: "To improve the quality of the audio recording provide the instructor with a wireless microphone that will work with the recording device and allow the student to keep the device near by for book marking." A Bluetooth microphone would be ideal for this.
• "In class the student will use their preferred tool for taking written/brailled/typed notes and use the audio recording as a backup." If the student has difficulty keeping up, simply create a bookmark in the recording and create a space in the notes.
  
• Low-tech: In handwritten notes, a few blank lines.
  
• Higher-tech: In electronic notes, use a string of unusual but easy-to-create characters to indicate a space. Ike suggests three asterisks (***).
• After leaving a space, start taking notes again. Rinse and repeat.
• Here's the critical step: "When the student returns to their study area they will need to open their notes file, set the recording device to the beginning of the presentation, and locate the first place where they missed some information." Yes, friends and neighbors, this means you do have to review your notes! Using this process, you can add in information you missed the first time from the recording.
  
• Low-tech: find those blank lines and fill them in.
• Higher-tech: search for those character strings and replace them with actual notes.

With a little patience and repetition, the process can not only help you cement that information from the presentation in your head, but also help you speed up your own notetaking process. It removes the fear that you missed something important, allowing you to concentrate on what's in front of you.

For a really high-tech but surprisingly simple solution, watch for my next post. I'm reviewing the LiveScribe Pulse.

Accessible Surveys from Survey Monkey?! Really!

Woohoo! Survey Monkey recently announced that they have made their web survey templates compliant with Section 508.

Why is this such a big deal? Well, most survey tools are not designed for accessibility for people using assistive technology. In fact, most make it darn difficult to complete a survey using AT, especially using screenreaders. By actually gaining 3rd-party certification of their compliance (from RampWEB Accessibility Consulting group), Survey Monkey has demonstrated a commitment to hear from everyone, not just people without disabilities.

Again, woohoo! And thanks to Sean Keegan and Jayme Johnson from HTCTU for the heads-up.

This means, my friends, you have no excuse for ignoring those survey invites in your student email from Student Affairs and other groups on campus that really do want to hear from you. You now have access to a voice and a vote as to what happens on campus. Don't let them pass you by!

Electronic Holiday

For the past week, I've been on vacation. My family and I went camping in beautiful Morro Bay, California. My father-in-law proposed the radical rule for this week that we go non-electronic... no cell phones, no iPods, no laptop.

We mostly did it. I claimed a bit of an exemption, since I'm taking an online class an needed to be able to access my class and do homework, and my sister-in-law, mother-in-law and I did go online to find the destination for our traditional yarn shopping expedition.


Unplugging was good for me. Didn't have to worry about keeping the various devices charged. Didn't have to continually pull little white cords out of my kids' ears so I could talk to them (although my daughter and I continue to have short conversations in ASL, headphones or not). I kept the times that I was online incredibly focused, with no extra surfing. Made me think carefully about the technology that I use just because and the technology that really serves a purpose for me. I'd recommend the electronic holiday- just pulling back to the absolute essentials rather than the optional stuff - to anyone looking to find a little more space, both literal and figurative, in their lives.

Of course, you'll notice I'm right back blogging, and later this week I get my new Mac and an iPod Touch.

Zac Browser for Autistic Children

Why on earth would a blog designed for college students be posting about a browser designed for children with autism? (The link leads you to an article from the Seattle times laying out the whole story.)

Because this is one of those seemingly small, but potentially landscape-shifting, innovations. It's just one software company exec's attempt to make the Web more available to his grandson. But instead of trying to make it work for all children with autism, or trying to corner a niche market with it, he makes it just for Zac, and he makes it available to anyone else for free.

Makes you think. As you put together your life using assistive technology, how can you share that experience to help someone else? Did you write a script that makes your world more accessible? Share it! Did you find a way to solve a problem using common household items in a new way? Describe it! Would love to see your comments.

Way to go, John LeSieur. Thank you for loving your grandson. Thank you for adding to the AT world.