Marginal Notes and Doodles
Growing up, I was the kid that tended to doodle in the margins of my notebook as I took notes in class. Little did I know, those doodles would turn into doodles AND marginal notes as I continued my education through my undergraduate and my graduate studies. Ironically, when I was in high school, I believed it was sacrilegious to write in books, yet now, I couldn't imagine reading a book/textbook/journal without writing notes!
But oh how far we have come since those days of old note-taking! Now, technology is more prevalent than ever. As is such, the manner in which a person takes notes has evolved as well. When collaborating on a document, the process once involved reading a document, taking notes on the document, scanning the document, and then sending the document to the next recipient. Now? Now, the process is as simple as logging on to one’s computer and typing away right in same moment that other collaborators work on that same document! Not only does this decrease the amount of time spent working on a document, but this also increases the efficiency of note-taking, in addition to having the potential of multiple viewpoints displayed.
While marginal notes and doodles seem like a novel idea, the fact remains that neither technology nor the internet are available to every individual. How then can we expect all of our students to collaborate at once if they do not have the capability to access what is needed when completing a collaborative assignment? Provided that students have access to everything they require, then this does not become an issue. Until then, though, we as educators, should do everything in our power to ensure that our students have what they need to be successful.
