What is your workflow system? Which tools do you use in your personal and professional world to manage information in performing tasks? In education, we talk more about a student’s personal learning system, but it still comes down to work/learning and the process of being efficient and successful. Students use hardware, such as iPads, computers, and phones loaded with software/apps that help them find information, process and curate it, and communicate their findings and understanding.
The Third Graders at my school are on track to develop their own personal learning systems. The image above is a screenshot of one way the students are researching specific animals. The left side of the image is of a browser open to the Encyclopedia Britannica. The right side is of the Inspiration mind mapping software.
Many of the Third Graders use this split screen technique to read from websites to process their findings and record the information into the notes attached to each category symbol in Inspiration. Other students like a full view of the website and their mind map. They read from the website, minimize the window, and then maximize the mind map from the system tray to record their notes.
The Third Graders began developing their personal learning system last year while working on the ColonialQuest WebQuest. They used websites and books to record their notes in paper notebooks. This year, they use paper to record notes from books they read in the classroom. They will draw from the paper and digital notes to write their papers.
As they progress through Lower School into Middle School, the students will start using our Haiku learning management system, more Web 2.0 tools for creativity and collaboration, Noodle Tools for research, Google Apps for content creation and sharing, MindMeister for creativity, planning, and collaborating and many apps on the iPads that they will use to support their learning needs and styles best.
January 18, 2013 at 10:49 am
Great post, David. It’s really helpful to think about (and help the students think about) their thinking process as they approach new content/concepts/processes.
February 3, 2013 at 2:48 am
Hi David! Thanks for this post, we are starting to research a self-selected environmental issue (what is the problem and how can I help to solve it?) and I like the idea of using a map to organize ideas and notes while reading and taking notes. I think it may help the students to think about the relevance of what they write and make connections while reading and taking notes. It may help them keep the focus on their issue and guiding questions.
February 3, 2013 at 8:51 am
Hi Nancy- Excellent points that get me thinking. Your approach to problem identification and solving sounds excellent. I was speaking yesterday with the head of our LA department about how we can build into the curriculum the scope and sequence of guiding students to process information, record it, reflect and then make connections. We sometimes don’t build in the scaffolding and mechanism to develop these skills. Mind maps definitely help with the grouping of similar information as well in making connections. I do wish Mindmeister would provide the text box tool on the connector arrows like Inspiration does. Being able to explain the connections really pushes the students to synthesize information and use their creativity.