My students are beginning to utilize Notestar well. I think the seniors are finally starting to see the benefit of planning and organizing their research. We have been using Read Write Think's webbing tool for organizing their ideas. I don't like it as well as Inspiration (which isn't on the kids laptops this year). Its pretty basic, but there is no saving and going back in to edit which is its major flaw. They kids need to be prepared to finish all their planning in one session or the risk losing info.
The biggest problem I am trying to conquer with my Seniors right now is time management when it comes to a long term project. A lot of them are letting deadlines get away from them, so I have been playing with some project organizer tools to figure out what to recommend for them. I am trying out Trello and Zoho. Another possibility is the Lazy Meter, which I have used in the past.
I have heard several people comment on the fact that the kids are struggling with the urgency of things. I am still a big believer in really teaching the kids how to use a calendar for due dates and such. I can't believe it is already the middle of November already and there are only about 20 school days left in the SEMESTER. :) Without a calendar that I check REGULARLY, I don't know that I would have a grasp on that concept either. How do we get the kids to establish a relevance and buy-in to it though??
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