NoteFish


 * [[image:notefish.png align="left"]] COOL TOOLS: Notefish Web Research Tool ** []


 * Facilitators:** Julie Coiro and Jill Castek

Download of these tips

• Supports the process of “synthesizing” since information collected from different locations can be read and digested as a whole. o Student can quickly and easily organize and reorganize their notes and ideas o Notebooks can be divided into sections, helping students to stay organized. • Supports reflection and critical evaluation since facts gathered from different resources can be compared, contrasted, and analyzed. • Opens up new possibilities for classroom collaborations and cooperative work. Students can work together to share notes with the rest of the class--so knowledge is built from the students, rather than “top-down” notes provided by the teacher (supports constructivist teaching and recognizes the contributions students bring to the learning process) • Teachers can easily track student progress, examine resources collected, add notes and comments to projects as they are being completed. • Students can retrieve work from any Internet connected computer. Notes on research conducted at home can be accessed in class and notes taken in class can be accessed at home for studying. • Work isn’t misplaced, work is kept organized, and work is housed all in one place.
 * Advantages of Online Notetaking**

Notefish is a Web service that allows you to take notes from portions of Web pages by copying and pasting them into one convenient online page. You can organize the notes by moving them around, changing their colors and breaking them down into sections - all from your web browser. You can save your page in Notefish for future reference, print it out, or share it with others who would also benefit from your research. You can also tag your page and share it with the rest of the world.
 * What is Notefish?**

To begin using the Notefish tool, logon to www.notefish.com with an email and password, download the toolbar at http://www.notefish.com/install-tools.php to install in your browser, and you are all set to begin. Follow the directions below to try it out for yourself! Think of ways you might use the tool to address each of the five challenges students (or teachers) face as they are asked to synthesize and organize information for an online research project.


 * 1. Link and Annotate**
 * Using Firefox, open one window with Notefish and a second window with your favorite search tool.
 * In the Notefish window > click “New” > title your page > click ok. Select your page from the list and it will open as a blank page, ready for you to begin.
 * In the second window, locate a page you wish to add to your Notefish list. Click the yellow “note” on the menubar of your browser and select the page you wish to add to your list. You can also right click on the website page and select copy to: from the menu.
 * Return to the Notefish window to see it automatically added to the list. Click on the image to move it, resize it, or click “Edit” to add/revise your annotation. Note the address has been automatically entered. When done, click OK to view your annotated item.
 * To view your bookmarked item, click on the abbreviated web address at the bottom left of the image and it will open in a new window.
 * To copy images or text blocks from a resource, highlight the text/image, and then use the Notefish copy command to paste it onto your Notefish list.


 * 2. Organize**
 * At some point, you may wish to sort your annotated items by topic or category. Click “New Section” at the bottom of the window. Name your section and indicate its location in your list. Click OK and the Labeled Section Divider will appear.
 * Drag your annotated items into the section by placing it under the divider bar.
 * To edit the section divider title or location, roll your mouse over the divider line and select “Edit” from the right corner at the end of the line. You can change its color too!


 * 3. Collaborate**
 * Notefish does not have features to have more than one person collaborate on the same list, but you can easily share your list with others you are working with.
 * To share your Notefish annotated list with others, click “Share” from the top, decide when the sharing expires, enter an optional password, and click “Submit”.
 * Copy/paste the website address for the shared page and communicate it to your friends privately or publish the link on a website or in an email message for others to click on.


 * 4. Search**
 * You can add searching labels or “tags” to your page to help quickly locate particular items across multiple Notefish lists at a later time. Click “Tags” in the upper left corner, add as many labels or keywords as you want (separated by a comma), then click off the tag bar when you are done.
 * To locate a notefish list with a particular keyword, enter the word into the “Search” box at the top of the window, and press Enter/Return. A list of pages with that keyword will be generated for you, and you can quickly access the page you need.
 * You can also use the “Search” box to search for keywords in your annotated notes – just click the button under the search box to select “notes” rather than “tags”.
 * You can also Search by the date you created the annotation, just as another option.


 * 5. Monitor Progress/Assess**
 * To monitor progress over time, you could ask students to save each day’s new version as a different file. Just view all pages, click the box in front of the page you want, select rename from the top menu, and rename it for the next day of the project (for example). Over time, you (or students) can view the series of files – and note an increase in resources or changes in their organization of the resources from start to finish.
 * You might also spread the synthesis process out over a number of days. On Day 1, ask students to copy/paste and briefly annotate their resources. On Day 2, task students with working with a partner to organize their links under several key headings. On Day 3, determine additional resources needed under each heading, conduct a search, and add at least one resource to each heading. Over time, the Notefish tool can enable students to understand how the difficult synthesizing task can be broken down into a series of manageable concrete tasks.
 * You might use the “New Note” tool at the bottom right to ask students to create a “reflection note” about their progress, next steps, and questions they have during the process. They can color code their note a special color designated for reflections only. Then, students can email you the location of their shared list and you can view their reflections/questions to inform your next day’s lesson.

To illustrate the power of Notefish, Julie created an example to “share” of a recent annotated reference list she created for a collaborative research project she is involved in. You can view the example at: []

For a description and how-to tips to use other more sophisticated "online synthesis tools" such as [|Zoho Notebook] and [|Diigo], explore the notes and the handout from [|Julie and Jill's presentation (with Lisa Zawilinski) at 2009 Pre-Conference] of the International Reading Association