Introduction

Lecturing remains the primary method for communicating course content to students and notetaking is considered essential to student academic success in the post-secondary environment and engages students in the learning process (Titsworth, 2001; Katayama & Crooks, 2003). That being said notetaking can be challenging not just for students with disabilities, but all students. According to Anderson & Armbruster (1991) students typically write down between 11-70% of the key information presented in lecture.

Sonocent Audio Notetaker visualizes audio by creating bars of colour that begin to grow when the instructor starts talking and end after each verbal pause while incorporating an instructor’s PowerPoint, PDF’s, and other visual content for a lecture, and allow students to annotate the audio & visual during a lecture or after class (Ritter, 2008). Audio Notetaker creates an active personal learning experience and fosters independence. Use of this software provides the student with a complete record of the class. This tool is most effective for lectures that are delivered on-line/pre-recorded for asynchronous learning, but it is still helpful for lectures viewed in real-time. Steps for both are available below.

Resources

• Sonocent Audio Notetaker for Windows or MAC
• Companion Sonocent App for iOs or Android
• Learning management system
• Laptop/desktop computer with internet access

Steps for Implementation

For live in-person lectures

Step 1. Download  & open

• Download Sonocent from https://sonocent.com/download/
• Open Sonocent Audio Notetaker

Step 2. Import slides

• Click Import and then import slides from the dropdown menu, then find the file on your computer.

 Step 3. Export files

• Select the Export button and choose an option in the dropdown menu.
• Follow the prompts to save the file on your computer.
• Upload file to Learning Management System.

Step 4. Take Notes

• Students are encouraged to download the files for and use the Text section of the screen to take notes on important information.

For lectures viewed asynchronously

Step 1. Download  & open

• Download Sonocent from https://sonocent.com/download/
• Open Sonocent Audio Notetaker

Step 2. Import slides

• Click Import and then import slides from the dropdown menu, then find the file on your computer.

Step 3. Connect the Audio

• Record Audio
• Click Record to create a new topic section. As you move to the next slide, press Enter to create a new note section.

• Import Audio from another file
• select Import Audio which will then prompt you to find the location of the file on your computer.

Step 4. Organize Audio

• Use the mouse to categorize, chunk or section the audio for later review (i.e., important, review, summary)

Step 5. Export files

• Select the Export button and choose an option in the dropdown menu.
• Follow the prompts to save the file on your computer.
• Upload file to Learning Management System.

Step 6. Student’s Take Notes

• Students are encouraged to download the files for and use the Text section of the screen to take notes on important information.

What Can Go Wrong?- Tech Issues

• Audio from a video being played is not captured – From the drop-down menu on the record button select ‘Speakers Only.’ When you are ready to play the video press the record button.

• Slide deck and audio files are not synchronized – Click near the top of a slide, that slide, and all the slides below it, will be shaded. This indicates it can be relocated to match the audio or move audio around by dragging and dropping chunks by moving the cursor over an area to highlight it and then drag and drop it to the desired location.

• There is no audio in the file – Sonocent may be recording silence. This may indicate a microphone connection issue. Right-click the speaker icon then click ‘Open the Sound Settings’ and then click ‘Sound Control Panel.’ Follow the prompts to ensure the right device is selected, and the sound levels move.

Further Reading

Anderson, T. H., & Armbruster, B. B. (1991). The value of taking notes during lecture. In R. F. Flippo & D. C. Caverly (Eds.), Teaching reading and study strategies at the college level (pp. 166-194). Newark, DE: International Reading Association.

Cornock, M. (2015). ‘Justifying lecture capture: the importance of student experiences in understanding the value of learning technologies.’ Extended paper, #867, ALT-C 2015 –Shaping the future of learning together. Annual Conference of the Association for Learning Technology, 8-10 September 2015, University of Manchester, UK. Slides retrieved from: http://www.slideshare.net/mattcornock/strategies-for-supporting-effective-student-engagement-with-lecture-recordings/

Hadwin, A. F., Kirby, J. R., & Woodhouse, R. A. (1999). Individual differences in notetaking, summarization, and learning from lectures. The Alberta Journal of Educational Research, XLV, 1-17.

Katayama, A. D., & Crooks, S. M. (2003). Online notes, Differential effects of studying complete or partially graphically organized notes. Journal of Experimental Education, 71, 293-312.

Owston, R., Lupshenyuk, D. and Wideman, H. (2011). ‘Lecture capture in large undergraduate classes: Student perceptions and academic performance’,  Internet and Higher Education, 14(4), 262-268. Version referenced retrieved from http://www.yorku.ca/rowston/AERA2011final.pdf

Titsworth, B.S. (2001). The effects of teacher immediacy, use of organizational lecture cues and students’ note-taking on cognitive learning. Communication Education, 50, 283-297.

Digital resources

• Video – Sonocent 101 How to Video: Our proven Formula to Fantastic Notes
  
• Video – Using Sonocent Audio Notetaker available

Author

Heather Leckey, MS, MA, RRP

Learning Strategies Counsellor, Student Accessibility Services, Ontario Tech University

Heather joined Ontario Tech in 2013. Her primary role is to support students with disabilities’ continued participation and access to education. This includes not only 1:1 work, but various campaigns and projects that promote accessibility issues on campus and provide opportunities for discussion and knowledge sharing about accommodations and inclusive education. Heather works tirelessly at refining processes, policies and programs that support an inclusive academic environment.

Heather’s research interest parallels her work in Disability Services and include the effects of neurodevelopmental disabilities on language acquisition and promoting dignity and inclusion in the post-secondary environment. Heather believes that variations in learning contribute to the rich diversity of our students and that this diversity is essential to our continued excellence.