Pour mémoire
“If you’re not verbing that, you’re not nouning that either.”
Verbal to Visual Classroom, forum posts so far
March 10th :
I’m logging in while waiting for my Skype meeting to begin. ;)
I am a university professor looking to revitalize my course notes and course presentations. I have had some success incorporating sketchnotes and similar visual components in the last few years, but I want to take it to the next level, develop a system possibly, at the very least a workflow that would mitigate the length of time it take to prepare such notes. I want the developpe a better technique as well, in terms if layout especially.
See you all in here and maybe during the webinar,
— Tournevis
March 10th :
I don’t know what Doug would say, but I understand context as both the place and the circumstances in which the note taking will take place. For me, this means in the classroom (both the physical classroom and the online classroom) where the class notes/presentations I make allow my students to better grasp, understand, learn and (most importantly) feel engaged by the material I am teaching. My context, therefore, is the transmission of information from my brain to the students.
March 13th :
I have tried so many things over the last few years, but I have found what I hate using, what I dislike to use, and what I like in what I use.
I prefer to use fountain pens to write, but it’s difficult to sketchnote with those, obviously. What I like about fountain pens is the fact that they are not hard on the hands. I suffer from a chronic condition that causes a lot of pain in the extremities and fountain pens don’t make things worse. But for sketchnoting, I found that using Sharpie Pens are a good compromise. They are not so hard on the hands because I don’t have to press hard to make a mark on paper. I have a large variety of colour. I use black as the base, the ancor, and colours from emphasis and symbols. For shading, if I’m doing that kind of sketchnote, I use Crayola PipSkeaks, because they are cheap, easy to find, the colour does not bleed through and my son can steal them without me crying over a 20$ marker. As such, the writing implements I use in sketchnoting are inexpensive.
The paper I use is expensive however. This comes out of using fountain pens for so many years. Fountain pens need a particular quality of paper and it means price is usually high and availability is hard. Over the years I have used a large variety of notebooks, from Europe and Japan, some VERY expensive, but I have stopped using almost all of them. I have settled in the moderately priced Moleskine sketchbooks, which are not the cheapest, but the paper is stiff, there is almost never any bleed through. I would prefer it to be white rather than cream, but I can fix that on the computer after scanning.
I am currently trying a new product, the SketchyNotebook, which has very white paper, but it is somewhat transparent. I normally don’t like that, but the note book comes with a number of PVC templates (lined, grid, projection, etc.) that show through the paper. This is great for me, because I suck at layout. Everything is crooked so help with layout is wonderful. Even if I never buy another SketchyNotebook, I plan to use the template a lot in the future. Maybe using blank notebooks?
Things are evolving.
March 22nd :
I’ve just started doing the exercises for the Text Module, but I do have something to contribute now, which I have found useful in creating visual class notes on my computer.*
I have been using visual classnotes in my teaching at university for a while now. So far, these notes have taken three forms:
a) using the chalk board to direct class reflection (classic teaching method)
b) creating discussion prompts in seminars
c) creating slide presentation for lectures
The latter two are almost always done directly on my computer. I have at times drawn them on paper, then scanned them, but I found that it’s faster and easier to make them on the computer directly. To make them still look like handwritten sketchnotes, I started using Mike Rohde’s sketchnote font, but since I have created fonts with my own handwriting. I have used manyservices, but the service I now prefer is here:http://www.yourfonts.com/
The first seminar discussion prompts I did used Mike Rohde’s font and icons bought on the internet:
I have now been using my own fonts and drawings:
So in both examples above, the writing is done with my handwriting fonts on my computer. The drawings are done by me. I have a large set of icons and basic figures that I have done, scanned and keep as png files on my computer for that very purpose. I do buy a few icons (usually from the Noun Project:http://thenounproject.com/) but prefer to draw them if I have the time and access to my scanner.
–Tournevis
* Yes, using a computer might be considered cheating…
March 22nd :
I use Cam Scanner, when on the road. I digitized the notes I took at a colloquium I attended Thursday-Friday with it. I think it does a good job overall. You can see my notes here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/tournevis/sets/72157649121587133/
But that it is not a perfect solution. When I have the time, I scan my notes on my flatbed scanner, an Epson Artisan 800, and I send them to Pixelmator (on a Mac). In it, I use the “Select color” function to select the background cream of the paper, then use the “Fill” function to replace it with white. I can then use the “Reverse selection” and “Fill” functions to change the color of the writing and drawing, or even use more granular functions to change only some of the text or images. You can see examples of my cleaned out notes (and some not cleaned out) here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/tournevis/sets/72157643591558944/
–Tournevis
En regardant tomber le mur de Berlin en 1989
Comme tout le monde occidental, il y a 25 ans, j'ai été émerveillée par la chute du mur de Berlin et l'effondrement de l'URSS qui s'en suivit. On pensait le voir venir à l'époque, et on n'avait pas tord, mais je crois que tous furent surpris par la rapidité du changement politique. Après quelques trois décennies à être convaincus que nous allions tous mourir des retombées radioactives de la Troisième Guerre mondiale, nous pouvions enfin espérer survivre jusqu'à l'hécatombe environnementale.
À l'automne 1989, je prenais un cours de création littéraire et produisais plusieurs fictions par semaine, généralement des vignettes, ma forme principale à l'époque. Voyez ci-dessous ce que j'ai écrit la semaine de la tombée du mur de Berlin.
Avertissement: Ce qui suit est une œuvre de jeunesse et en comporte tous les défauts. Lisez prudemment.
Ville fortifiée II
Jamais, de mémoire d’homme, n’a-t-on vu la ville si propre. Tous les murs crépis de frais, toutes les rues pavées à neuf, des fleurs à chaque fenêtre, des couleurs aux églises. Et un sourire à chaque visage. Et de l’amour aux jeunes yeux.
La vie est revenue. On marchande, on chicane, on court, on rit. Et on pleure aussi, on a mal, mais moins qu’avant. On vit.
Depuis deux semaines que l’on prépare la fête. Depuis deux semaines, on attend le moment. Pendant qu’au château, on a peur.
Hier encore, dans les rues, on sentait l’excitation dans les odeurs, dans les murmures, dans les yeux. On devinait l’attente, on ne l’exprimait pas. On attendait.
Mais aujourd’hui est jour de fête; on se permet de rire aux éclats, de danser, de chanter. L’enceinte de la ville n’est plus une barrière. Les champs extérieurs sont terrains de pique-nique et pistes de danse. Hier encore, ils étaient cimetières.
Depuis longtemps, on savait la reine malade; depuis longtemps, on attendait son trépas. Le peuple la savait sans héritier aucun. La garde se savait faible face au peuple. La ville se savait prête à se suffire à elle-même. Dans les années passées sous le joug du ferme gouvernement lui avait enseigné la patience. Mais toute patience a ses bornes… Et toute reine aussi.
Ce matin le soleil s’est levé sur la peau bleuie de la défunte. Et tous les yeux de la ville devinrent autant d’astres aussi brillants. On ouvrit les portes de la ville avec autant d’émotion que lorsqu’on ouvre son coeur. Sur chaque jour, au moins un larme, mais dans chaque gorge, un cri de joie, poussant, près à éclater.
La reine est morte! La liberté est reine!
-- 12 novembre 1989
11 ans, 3 mois, et 14 jours
Si j'inclue la version précédente de ce blogue sur LiveJournal, Le Pouding à l'arsenic existe depuis 11 ans, 3 mois, et 14 jours, ou 4 123 jours! Incluant les listes d'entrées de Twitter, les trop nombreux quiz stupides (du genre "quelles pâtes alimentaires êtes-vous?") et les trop nombreuses photos de chats, ce blogue compte 5056 entrées en tout sur les deux sites.
Il est intéressant de relire les entrées d'il y a quelques années. J'y vois comment j'ai vieilli et maturé. Les aléas de l'écriture et de la recherche. Tout notre périple d'adoption.
11 ans.
Wow.
It's not mine. I don't own this pic, though for the life of me, I don't remember where I found it. It's not mine.
From the archives: I went digital (2009)
An entry on diyplanner.com from 21 December 2009:
“2009 has been a difficult year for me and my family. Many changes have occurred, many heart breaking events, both on a personal and professional level. As a result, I had to make a lot of changes to my planning habits, in order to keep up with everything. Unfortunately, sadly, I ended up going digital. Kicking and screaming, mind you. I physically miss the feel of paper and pen. I miss planning my months on little index cards. I miss jotting notes on little index cards. I miss little index cards. *sigh*
When my mother-in-law’s cancer went for the worse and we moved to her town for two weeks to be at her side for the end, I brought my computer with me and my agenda, but since all my work was done by computer, all my meetings on my computer, all my messages by email, my agenda went forgotten in the hotel room most of the time.
When two of my colleagues tried to stop my promotion and started spreading libel and smearing my reputation, my computer, my on-line journal and my digital correspondance records became my primary tools. My day book never kept up with the daily changes to my meetings schedule with the union reps and the department head. I fought the trolls and won, I got my promotion. But my day book went by the way side again.
When my father suffered an infarction, I had to purchase a cell phone. I had been fighting the good fight against that one for years and years, but I had to buy one months earlier then I had planned. I wanted to wait for the Droid phone to make a final choice. Coronary disease made the choice for me. I knew that if I got a phone, ever, it would be a smart phone. I got an iPhone. And it took only a week to come to the conclusion that if I had a smart phone with me 24/7, there was no point in my carrying a day book around. Especially since I was already trying to keep up with my email planning in it already...
I have a confession to make: I’m now using iCal for planning. I am also using the notes feature in Mail and the Notes app to jot ideas. I have not used an index card in weeks. I feel ashamed. Really, I do. I miss paper.
The only paper survivors to my passage to digital are my notebook. My meeting notes, my article ideas, my presentation planning all still start in the bound notebook. My class discussion ideas also. It does mean I pull it out less often than before, but at least it means I still have some stationary with me. The circa notebook is still my friend when I go to a conference. I write down all my conference notes and then file by date and topic. Since I go to 4 or 5 conferences a year, I don’t carry that one often, but it’s still my go-to for conference related insights.
2010 will see me being a digital girl all the way. I will not be printing planner pages for 2010 for myself. I did print some for Mamou and I made a pingouin desk calendar for him, but not for me.
I miss paper.”
Moving Words, Hiding Nations: Dubbing Trek in French
Dubbing is hard. Dubbing in French is harder. Because politics. Enjoy.
Looking at Them But Listening to Us: Dubbed American Sci-Fi as Foreign Sci-Fi
Another study in my approach to dubbing and American sci-fi.
Diversity in Outerspace? The Uniformisation of Human Cultures in the Star Trek Universe
When I was poor, just out of grad school and jobless, I passed the time watching television and trying like hell to make it useful. The up-side was that I kept my brain working and that it was relatively cheap. So long as we had cable, I could do research.
Then I became a professor and the research never got written down as articles for lack of time. Which is sad. Enjoy the first of a few old presentations on Star Trek and sci-fi television: