Well, week 3 of my project and the one group who have been using OneNote for a couple of weeks have really grown to like what we’re doing (not just the course content, but also the way we’re doing it), I shall talk about progress with this group first.
What was I thinking?
When I first put the OneNote notebook together, I included some worksheets that I’d previously used as paper resources. These were Word files and, for some reason known only to me, I just attached the .doc files to a Questions to complete page. I was then asking my learners to download the files, complete them and then upload them to a Completed Work page.
I can hear you all screaming, ”What were you thinking? You made it too difficult for them.” Yes, you’re right, I did 😊. Somehow, this week, it dawned on me that I should just copy the questions from the Word documents directly to a notebook page and get learners to complete them there - seamless in an instant!
Learners responded to my changes positively and even more so when I put up a gap fill handout in the same format so learners could follow worked examples as I demonstrated methods and calculations. The group appears to be settled in to the changes and the one learner who mourned the loss of his beloved paper resources is now finishing his work first and being allocated extension tasks!
Today, I tried a new trick with them. Once I had finished my delivery session, I set them loose on exercises. Unbeknown to them, I was watching what they were doing and, when I saw they were making mistakes, I was able to add hints/tips using my iPad and digital ink. Their faces as my comments appeared magically in my handwriting (green ink) were absolute pictures! By the end of the lesson, learners had not only applied new techniques/skills but also been able to correct their own errors (with an occasional nudge in the right direction). It was evident that they appreciated the changes I was making and that learning had taken place as I did not give them the solutions - they worked them out all on their own.
One strange issue I did encounter was that the digital ink comments I made on my iPad appeared perfectly fine but, on Windows machines, the comments appeared in a slightly different place so they didn’t line up with the item I was commenting on. I am not sure why this happens - maybe someone could comment if they have a solution?
The other group taking part in this project started the first lesson this week. As expected, they were very wary of this switch and moaned a little - however, we managed to grab a computer room so tech issues weren’t an issue and they were soon following along with my presentation making notes as they went.
Some learners had a few difficulties getting to grips with the concept of using OneNote but I am hopeful that, with the changes I am now making (as above), the opinion of these learners will improve as we go.
So, what next?
Next I intend to rework the lesson materials so learners have a much easier time editing resources and completing worksheets. I am also scouring YouTube for relevant videos to embed into the lesson pages.
I am also looking to provide feedback using audio comments combined with digital inking.
I am quite pleased with how this project is going and will be interested to see if the positivity continues.
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