There is a new form of note-taking that is catching on around the country and is aimed at students who are visual learners.

According to Kathy Schrock, an educational guru, “Sketchnoting, in its purest form, is creating a personal visual story as one is listening to a speaker or reading a text. ”

Basically students take notes and use visuals to enhance their understanding.  Some students take live stechnotes, while many others use stechnotes to summarize or review what they have learned.

Basic Elements – 

 Letters – You can use full words or letters as symbols

Bullets – helps organize lists, etc

Frames – Sets different sections apart – (hint – cloud for thought, etc)

Connectors – Ties big ideas together

Shadows – points of emphasis – you don’t need every word, but want to emphasize the important ones.

People – You will want to use people (are you stick figure, box figure or full on artist?)

What Do I Need To Get Started? It is up to you. Some people use pen / pencil and paper (colored pencils are a great addition). Other students make use of Ipads and tablets to sketch online.

Is there an App for That? -Here are a few good ones – FlipInk, Adobe Ideas, ByFiftyFThree, Brushes, JotClassic

Resources –  Below is a great site that has links that are worth exploring:

Epic Sketchnoting Resources: How to Get Started Teaching Sketchnoting