Interactive notebooks are becoming widely popular in classrooms of all grade levels. They help to change up the way we as teachers deliver instruction and information. Interactive notebooks allow students to take an active role in their learning process while adding their own personal touch. Interactive notebooks have grown and evolved as technology has. Now you can use digital interactive notebooks in the classroom, with virtual learning or a hybrid mix. So, what exactly is a digital interactive notebook?
Digital Interactive Notebooks
Digital Interactive Notebooks are very similar to the paper version of interactive notebooks. Both types of interactive notebooks have the same purpose and outcome. However, a Digital Interactive Notebook is set up a little differently just due to the digital nature. With the same great opportunities for learning you can confidently use the type of interactive notebook that works best for your classroom!
As you know, interactive notebooks are a place for students to take and organize their notes. Foldables, pop-ups, vocabulary flaps, and timelines are commonly used in interactive notebooks. Students traditionally cut, paste, and color in their notebooks as they add the important information from their lesson. Notebooks are easily assessed and end up becoming a wonderful student portfolio of learning.
Digital Interactive Notebooks work the same way, except they are all digital and require no paper, scissors or glue! Instead they will complete all the same activities digitally. In fact, the use of technology just might make these notebooks even more engaging for our technology loving students.
Your students will usually work in a program such as Google Slides to take their notes. Instead of cutting and pasting an image, they may click and drag an image, or be prompted to find an image that relates to the topic. Students will use text boxes for answering questions and taking notes. Additional drag and drop elements are also included to make these digital activities truly interactive!
The hands-on interaction that you get with a regular interactive notebook still exists with a Digital Interactive Notebook, just in a different more amped-up way.
In addition to the core content, students are also integrating many different technology skills. Using digital interactive notebooks provide students with an authentic activity for integrating technology.
Benefits of a Digital Interactive Notebook
There are many benefits to integrating technology into our everyday lessons in the classroom. The same benefits apply to using Digital Interactive Notebooks. Digital interactive notebooks can be used in any grade level for any subject area! They are also extremely versatile and adaptable to meet your needs as the teacher and the needs of your students. Here are a few benefits of Digital Interactive Notebooks:
1. Availability
Digital Interactive Notebooks are available anytime, anywhere to students and teachers. Because of this, Digital Interactive Notebooks are easy to access by students. They can use any device such as a laptop, phone, or tablet.
No matter where your students are, they can access their work. This is extremely helpful if you are at a school where students are working virtually.
They also work well in a hybrid setting where they are at school some days and home the other.
Digital interactive notebooks are also easily accessible to you when it comes to review student progress or grade. Instead of a stack of notebooks, just go online!
2. Interactivity
Can you believe that digital Interactive Notebooks are quite possibly even more interactive than the traditional paper ones? With a few interactive options on the page, your students will be able to interact with the information on each slide or digital page. Because of this, you have so many more choices and options to implement in the digital version.
Not only will you love the ease of the digital interactive notebook, but your students will too. Just think…more colorful videos and pictures, access to insert website links, interactive charts, and graphs, moveable pieces, etc. The possibilities are endless!
3. Differentiated Instruction
Digital versions of interactive notebooks make it much easier to meet your student’s individual needs. No more copying notes for students who struggle to keep up! With ready to use notes you can be confident that all of your students have access to the important information they need.
Needing to add extra practice and remediation? It is super simple to add in extra video links or informational articles for students to review. For example, in math you can easily add in an extra set of practice problems for them to work out along with a video explanation! Easy Peasy!
You can also have different versions of the same notebook available to different students depending on their needs. It doesn’t take long and to set up just what you need and share it with your students! How’s that for differentiated instruction?
Because of this, you may find it super beneficial to switch your old paper interactive notebook over to a new, fancy Digital Interactive Notebook. You and your students will quickly reap the benefits of the digital version!
Looking for some ready to use Digital Interactive Notebooks?
Check out these options from the Appletastic Learning Store!
You can find more print and digital Interactive Notebooks in the Appletastic Learning Store!
Save These Digital Interactive Notebook Ideas!
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