Part 1 - Exploring “Extra” Tools

I use Notabilty quite a lot to present instruction to students.  I haven't used the extra tools because frankly I forgot what they were and how to use them.  I use the microphone to record reading assessments.  The quality it good and I can save it in an organized manner.  I will definitely use the magnifier tool to help me make my notes neater.  I haven't used the tape tool, but I see how I could save time in class by completing the note and taping over the parts I want the students to figure out.  I like the way you can manipulate the ruler, and I can see my students using it to measure lines.  

I have been using Notability more and more lately. For whatever reason (maybe comfort and feel), I really wasn't using my iPad a whole lot during my instructional time. But as a result of positive peer/colleague pressure, doing more and more Digital Badges, and participating in Tech Tuesdays and Tech Cycles, I've been using it more than ever before... Two of my favorite "extra" tools that I've been exploring are the Laser Pointer and Tape features. Since we do a lot of note taking, reading and writing, and annotating of documents, etc. in my US History classes; it's nice to point out and emphasize the key points, themes, vocabulary, etc. on the screen for my students. Also, the Tape feature has been nice to use when covering up the answers, examples, textual evidence from documents, annotations, etc. during class time; as well as using it as a study guide and review tool. I definitely anticipating using this feature more during our Regents review classes at the end of the school year.

After exploring the video on Notability’s advanced toolset, I was really impressed by how many features go beyond simple highlighting and writing. My favorite is definitely the magnifier tool. Allowing students to zoom in on small details, diagrams, or text without having to enlarge the whole page and automatically moving it across the page with the little blue section is great for efficiency when they are writing lots of notes. This can also be helpful for labeling body systems in health or analyzing data tables during a fitness unit. I can see the magnifier supporting students’ learning by making digital notes more accessible and organized. It encourages attention to detail and supports students with visual differences. Overall, this tool reinforces how technology can make learning more personalized and precise.

What is your favorite tool(s)?  
The magnifier tool is my favorite tool that they have on notability. It's not my favorite tool in the sense that I think it would benefit my students most. It is my favorite in the sense it helps me feel more organized when I do free writing with a stylus instead of typing anything out. The magnifier tool helps me be able to have more control over what/how I am writing. I also love how the tool moves on it's own without me having to move it once I reach the edge. It makes taking any quick notes for data much easier!

How can you see them supporting your students’ learning?
I think the tool that would provide the most support in my students' learning would be the audio recording tool. Working with such young learners, having an audio recording of directions would help those who need to hear the directions more than once to understand the task. 

My favorite tool was the audio recording option. I liked this the most because it was easy to use. Notability did a great job syncing the audio to my writing. As a teacher I could foresee using this would be beneficial for those students that tend to get distracted. If they miss something in our class discussion they could easily refer back to the recording. I could also see this as beneficial if I were to record so that absent students can easily catch-up on notes they missed. I have considered "flipping" my classroom and this could be a great option to help me take that next step in that direction so I will have to give this consideration. Teacher only benefit this could be helpful if students submit their work VIA notability and I grade I could take audio feedback for their work as students could potentially better understand what I would usually type out in my feedback to them on completed work. The second tool that would be beneficial to my students is the lasso tool. It would allow them to rearrange elements on their notes/page during a lesson without the hassle of retyping the information. As a teacher I could foresee using this during a lesson (when using my iPad) to rearrange elements on my whiteboard, to create diagrams without the need to redraw or to better adjust spacing of my notes. 


Tape is great because it would allow students to highlight text that they found to be important. 

1// Favorite tool, that is tough! So I have used the scan option before when I want to add something to an existing file and I love it. But honestly the sticky note app can really jazz up the completed notes I post and help these documents become a better study tool.


2// In both my math courses (Geometry and Financial) I post notes or solutions to the work we do in class to help with graded out of class assignments and for any student that is absent, as a way to help them catch up). I will start using the sticky notes for various purposes. Anytime we have a formula I will color code that. Maybe the yellow notes will be the formula for the day or unit. I will use another color for the "important note of the day". I think even as a ticket out the door to the students, as a take away or "one thing I learned".

I also sometimes write on the board, and I do not know why I do not take a picture and add it to the notes. It takes only a few sections and adds some multi media aspects to the notes.