Using Class note book

The Class Notebook that you will see in Teams is a One Note file that you can edit within teams or within the One Note app.  It is automatically synced so it does not matter which app you or any student in your class is using, it will update automatically.

It is easiest to set up the Class Notebook through Teams.

However once you have done that it is easier to then edit using the One Note App, as the functionality is easier to use.

Setting up a Class notebook

Here is a video to show you how to set up a class note book for your chosen class:

Here is a video of how to access your class note book on the One Note app:

What is a class notebook and why is it useful?

The class notebook is a  digital version of a  binder to use  with your class,  if they have a device  they can take live notes in class (such as on top of a power point that you have shared), complete tasks such as homework which automatically updates so you can see how far they have got with a task and for students to collaborate in group work.

Content Library

This  is a section for you as the teacher that is not seen by the students.  Here you can set up the entire scheme of work with all your classroom and home work resources that you are intending to use in lessons.

You can then 'distribute' pages with your students when you are ready to do so.  It is vital that you 'distribute' to the correct folder that you have set up for your students, so for example is it homework or classwork.

Student Folders

This section has folders for each student in your class.  Each student folder is subdivided into the folders that you set up when creating your Class Note Book.

Collaboration Space

This section is a place for you to collaborate with your students and for them to collaborate with each other.

It is great for a brainstorming session or collecting ideas together from your students.  The best part is you are able to set up groups that can work on a task together.

You could use this for differentiation so that students can work on different tasks appropriate for their needs.

Here is an example of how to distribute a lesson to your students:

Setting up groups within Class Notebook

It is easier to do this within the One Note app.  

Firstly set up the tasks that you want each group to do within your content library.  Once the pages are ready, you can distribute to a group:

Here is an example:

Reading option

A great tool in One Note is the immersive reader option.  This will read aloud text to the student.

You will need to train the students with how to use this function.

To hear the whole document or paragraph, the student will need to press play.  

To listen from a certain point on the page, the student can select using the mouse.

It also has the ability to change the font, the background and use lines to aid focus.  All of which are great for students who have visual stress.

Here is an example

Training your students

This is a live example where students were shown how to use class notebook:

Student Outcomes in the Collaboration section

You can set up pages within the collaboration section for students to work on group tasks together

Here is the group work that the students have been working on in the last 2 days since I gave them the live lesson above on how to use their class note book: