Posts
Splashed all over Twitter are sketchnotes.
Their potential as a visual taking notes was intriguing since I know many of my students benefit from connecting visuals to their learning. I saw a lot of potential in students manipulating their notes to transform them into sketchnotes.
In particular, I noticed the work of Silvia Tolisano (her Langwitches blog) and Sylvia Duckworth (her blog post on sketchnotes). Their renditions of keynote speeches, conference sessions, and how-to’s captured my interest and compelled me to investigate how I could sketchnote on my tablet (I like to attempt tasks on my own prior to asking students to engage, as I wouldn’t want to ask them to do something without doing it myself.).
As I went into this year’s Blended Learning Communities (BLC) conference in Boston, Massachusetts, I was determined to produce some sketchnotes. The presenters make the event a great opportunity for learning and reflection so I knew it would be a good opportunity.
There are many different free apps one could use. (But with students, I would initially encourage the use of paper to eliminate the distraction of a new tool while getting their feet wet with sketchnotes.) Prior to the conference, I settled on Autodesk Sketch . It is easy to use and has additional tools that can be purchased if I feel the need.
Some who produce sketchnotes can do so while someone is presenting. Being a novice, I did not feel comfortable attempting that for fear of both frustration and missing things I wanted to hear. Instead, I just took notes.
After the conference ended, I went back to my notes and started working out some sketchnotes. I was delighted with the processing that took place.
My experience further emphasized that creating sketchnotes would be a great opportunity for students to reflect upon and process information. There is great value in rehashing information and recreating it in a visual form. I can also envision students collaborating to plan out their sketchnotes to add an additional layer of processing. I look forward to introducing sketchnotes to my students.
My experience further emphasized that creating sketchnotes would be a great opportunity for students to reflect upon and process information. There is great value in rehashing information and recreating it in a visual form. I can also envision students collaborating to plan out their sketchnotes to add an additional layer of processing. I look forward to introducing sketchnotes to my students.
Below are two examples of sketchnotes that I produced at BLC.
If you have experiences creating your own sketchnotes, creating them with students, or if this post has generated some thoughts of your own, please share them in the comments. I would appreciate hearing about them.
If you have experiences creating your own sketchnotes, creating them with students, or if this post has generated some thoughts of your own, please share them in the comments. I would appreciate hearing about them.
