It’s no secret I’m a huge fan of interactive notebooks. I love them for being crafty and hands-on but still totally dedicated to learning. Students love them too but sometimes it would be great to have something just as fun and engaging that didn’t require time at the printer and scissors and glue. Well, this is where Digital Interactive Notebooks come into play – they’re a total game changer. Digital resources are a relatively new thing in the resource development world and it’s been a steep learning curve to workout exactly how to design, create and publish these resources. That said, the end result is totally worth the effort and there will be many more to come. We’ve also had great feedback from teachers who have found their students really engaged with their learning through digital resources.
Let’s take a quick look at Digital Interactive Notebooks.
What is a digital resource and how can I access them?
Great question! I’m so glad you asked. A digital resource is a file that can be completed by your students on iPads, laptops or computers. There’s no need to print anything, the entire activity is completed online. Most digital resources we create are delivered via Google Slides which means they can be downloaded as a PowerPoint activity if required, alternatively if you have a Google Classroom set up you can issue the work straight from your Google Drive.
Being digital, you will be provided with a download link to access the resource. Most resources designers use Google Drive to store their digital resources and you will most likely be given a link to create a copy of a resource. You then save the file as your own Google Drive document or on your PC. All of our digital activities include comprehensive instructions on how to access and save your file in your purchase folder. We also include a handy document that provides instructions for the huge variety of digital learning platforms available such as Google Classroom, OneNote, SeeSaw and many others. It’s important you read the instructions fully and take the time to follow the steps. If you get stuck send us an email so we can help you out. Once you’ve done one you’ll be sorted!
What do digital interactive notebook activities look like?
Like printable interactive notebooks the digital versions feature graphics and images and interesting layouts. One of my favourite things is that they can be full colour because they’re not going to be printed. This makes them even more engaging and fun to work on. You’ll be presented with pages or slides that are A4 in size. The sections that would normally be on a printed version will be embedded into the page and text boxes are available for students to enter text.
Some digital resources feature moveable graphics that students can move around on the page using a mouse or their finger. This is great for timelines and sorting activities. You can see an example of the moveable pieces in our Economic Needs and Wants activity above.
In short they look really spiffy!
If you’re keen to checkout our range of digital resources click here to head to our growing range of Business and Economics resources. We’ll be adding more digital resources as we create new products and creating helpful videos to help you set up your own digital classroom.
If you have any questions about digital resources please leave us a comment below.
Happy teaching!
Amy!
