Why Digital Science Notebooks Make the Ultimate Study Guide

That’s why I am such a big advocate for digital science notebooks. Not only are they an organized, all in one resource for everything we do in class, but they also double as the perfect study guide for any assessment or test. With a digital science notebook, my students have all of their work, neatly organized and easily accessible on Google slides.

Digital Science Notebooks

I have several blog posts on why I love digital science notebooks.  I have been using them for almost a decade now! My posts are on how to set them up and what are the amazing benefits. I remember when the pandemic hit everyone was struggling to set themselves up digitally.  My students just stepped right into the regular routine because we were already using the notebooks! 

What Exactly Goes in the Digital Science Notebook?

What exactly goes into the digital science notebook? To be honest, everything. I’m sure other teachers give us weird looks when my students walk into my room with only an iPad. The notebooks contain everything students need for success such as class notes, pictures taken, video notes, lab data and reports, worksheets and diagrams, etc.  I send materials to the students either by airdropping it to their iPads or sending an email earlier in the day. I also give them templates to use if they choose. My students know that as they walk in the room that they are to upload any materials that are pertinent to that class.

I also require my students to set up a table of contents, with hyperlinks, so it is easy for them to jump around their notebook.  It also makes it easier for me to grade!

One Digital Notebook Per Science Unit

The system I use is each time we start a new unit, such as Forces and Motion, we start a new notebook. This keeps the notebooks from becoming too long on Google Slides. I give students a rubric and grade them at the end of each unit. I made the notebook worth 40 points and I still use the free rubric on this blog. 

My students take great pride personalizing their notebooks and staying on top of their table of contents. They know that getting a perfect score on their notebook is a fairly easy way to get good points on their average after each unit.

How Digital Notebooks Become The Perfect Study Guide

In this day and age of what I call “learned helplessness“ I see a lot of teachers giving study guides, which are basically the answers to the upcoming test. My student’s digital notebooks become their PERSONALIZED study guides so that there is no need for me to create one for them. I also tell the parents this early in the school year, on back to school night.

Why Are Digital Notebooks So Effective For Studying?

Organized:  Everything is in one place and there’s no scrambling to find lost papers or trying to remember which section of a paper notebook has a key diagram.

Interactive: Students can quickly navigate using the table of contents. It is super easy to revisit notes, labs or worksheets on a specific topic. 

Comprehensive: From class notes to lab reports, the notebook covers everything we’ve done in class. There’s no need to piece together information from multiple sources.

Teaches study skills:  By using the digital notebooks to study, students learn how to review material, make connections between topics, and organize their learning.

Tips For Success With Digital Science Notebooks

If you’re starting to use digital notebooks in your classroom, here are a few tips to help you have success. 

1. Teach students how to use them. Model, model, model. Dedicate time early in the school year to show students how to navigate their digital notebook, add notes and use hyperlinks. The more comfortable they are with the format the more they will use it.

2. Check the students’ notebooks often. As soon as my students make a unit Google Slides presentation, they are required to share it with me. That means  I can always check on their progress using my phone or ipad.

3. Model study strategies. Before our first test, I walk the students through how to use a notebook to study.  I show them how to use the table of contents to find specific sections. This helps them review their notes and lab reports effectively.

4. Encourage personalization. Let the students make the notebooks with their own color coded highlights, annotations, and even fun graphics. My students take great pride in their work, as I mentioned above, and love to create their own templates online.

Transform Your Science Classroom

As I have mentioned quite frequently throughout my blog, the digital science notebooks have completely transformed how my students approach learning. Not only are they more organized, but they also feel more confident when it’s time to study for a test. They’re not just learning science, they’re learning how to be independent, organized learners. 

I just had parent conferences.  One of the common denominator statements that the parents made to me was how much they love notebooks and how it “forces” their students to be organized.

What are your thoughts on digital science notebooks? Have you tried them in your classroom? Let me know in the comments, I’d love to hear your experiences!