DIGITAL GRAPHICS ENVIRONMENTS

COLLABORATIVE NOTES

Collaborative Notes are a tool useful to create your own Personal Learning
Environment (PLE). PLEs allow students to set their own goals, and manage their
own learning process according to their own interests and priorities, both in content
and in process, as well as emphasizing collective knowledge creation and learning.
PLE spaces are characterized by input from diverse sources, which is modified,
commented on and enriched by input from one or more students. Additionally,
PLEs are normally managed online and are open access.
CNs can be used to create a PLE through the posting in open platforms. The post
can be a self-created publication, or can be linked to another online or offline
resource. The subject of the post must be related to class content, but should
always be focused from the students own interests.

1. What are Collaborative Notes for?

! Follow-up class content (theory, debates, practical exercises, etc.)
! Identify personal learning preferences in content and in method
! Share information
! Enrich class content with other sources
! Think critically about class content
! Identify useful information for final projects
! For other purposes identified by the student Additionally, CNs are a way to
make visible and reinforce skills and learnt content. It can be used as a
beginning platform to future ideas and projects, even outside the frame of the
class.

2. What skills do I develop when doing Collaborative Notes?

! Manage your own learning
! Think critically and in a fundamented manner
! Create progressive work habits
! Strengthen group work abilities
! Create personal spaces of research and experimentation in content
creation
3. What type of contents should I include?
CNs can include all type of content related to class. In many cases, CNs are used to
create high quality theoretical notes to facilitate study hours. In our case, it is more
interesting to use CNs to further our understanding and critical thinking about
something seen or done in class. For example, the content of the CNs can focus on
the following:
o

Notes about the theory seen in class (preferably with questions and
comments about those notes)

Personal/group opinions/debates about a specific topic

Thoughts and suggestions about class methodology

Links to articles, blogs or any other online or offline content that reinforces
o contrasts class topics and debates

Description of a class and/or proposal for a class (topic, exercise, debate,

etc.)

Information to further class content or debate

4. What format should my posts be in?

Contents may be structured in any type of format. If contents are written directly by
the student, they can be written both in formal or informal language. The posts may
be or include attachments, such as useful links, photos, videos, press notes, etc.
This content may or may not be elaborated by the student, in which case the source

must always be cited. CNs can also be a group dialogue about a topic, such as a
forum debate or comments on a publication. In all cases, the date and author of the
publication must be clear, and all sources used must be cited.
5. How can I organize group work?
The group must organize itself. This means that each group must agree on how to
structure work load. All students in the group will receive the same grade.
6. How frequent must posts be?
There should be an update at least once a week starting week 3. So there should be
a minimum of 12 posts throughout the semester.
7. Can CNs be done individually?
Yes, although it is highly recommended to do it in groups of up to three students.
8. How will CNs be evaluated?

Number of Posts

Quality of Posts

Well

written,

displayed and/or
Less than 11= 0 presented,
sources
cited,
points
creative
11-12 = 1 points
+12 = 2 points

Frequency of

Relevance

Posts

Posts

of

Work has been

throughout
2 points max.

and/or

attractive,

Not published

hypertext

throughout

present = max

the course =

0.5 per post

Total

Management

Published
the course =

Group

done
Posts

are

people

by

all

in

the

relevant to class

group = max 3

content = max

points

/18

0.5 per post

Work has been
done by a single
person = 0