USING YOUR NOODLE:

ORGANIZE YOURSELF & YOUR STUDENTS WITH NOODLE TOOLS

LTHS Institute DayMonday January 9th 2012Kelley GibsonSC Librarian

OBJECTIVES

Review research on the importance of organization skills.

Watch a demonstration of Noodle Tools, an online database.

Discover how Noodle Tools can help you and your students organize and keep track of source citations and note cards.

Set-up a Noodle Tools account and create a Projects page with shared Assignment Drop-Boxes for each of your class periods.

EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONS

“Executive functions are those actions we perform to ourselves and direct at ourselves so as to accomplish

self-control, goal-directed behavior, and the maximization of future

outcomes.”Dendy, Chris A. Zeigler.

EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONS ARE CRUCIAL TO SUCCESS!

Executive function deficits contribute to several problems:

disorganization; difficulty remembering, getting

started and finishing homework; difficulty memorizing facts, writing

essays or reports; difficulty completing long term

projects.Dendy, Chris A. Zeigler.

COMMON ORGANIZATIONAL PROBLEMS INCLUDE:

keeping track of long term assignments & projects;

finding and storing papers; keeping desks, lockers & backpacks

organized; prioritizing the order of completing tasks; remembering the sequence of steps in

order to complete a task. Sweeney, Judith P.

HOW CAN WE HELP OUR DISORGANIZED STUDENTS?

When we can identify the organizational problem(s) a student has, we have a starting point for finding specific tools that help remediate and/or compensate for the difficulty.

Concentrating on “fixing” one area can affect other areas.

Sweeney, Judith P.

ORGANIZATION PROBLEMS INVENTORY

Most people who have organizational problems have one category that is relatively high: Temporal Spatial Categorical Sequential Attentional & Prioritization

A “check list” organization problems inventory is included w/handouts –try it with your students!

Cash, Abigail.

TEMPORAL ORGANIZATIONAL PROBLEMS

Keeping track of time; Correctly estimating

the amount of time it will take to complete long-term, multiple step assignments.

Visual schedules, timetables and checklists for assignments.

Verbal reminders and “warnings” before transitions.

Difficulty Recommendations

SPATIAL ORGANIZATIONAL PROBLEMS

Organizing and keeping track of papers, note cards, books, etc.

Implement classroom guidelines or routines for organizing desk, notebooks, folders, books, etc.

Provide materials (filing systems, color-coding, online recorders, etc.) to assist with organization.

Difficulty Recommendations

CATEGORICAL ORGANIZATIONAL PROBLEMS

Knowing how to sort and categorize data.

Overwhelmed with “things.”

Unsure how to organize information into folders or “piles.”

Teach sorting techniques using multiple colors of highlighters and color-coding systems.

Teach computer-filing hierarchies and note-taking using templates for categorizing and color-coding.

Difficulty Recommendations

SEQUENTIAL ORGANIZATIONAL PROBLEMS

Remembering and carrying out the steps in a task or

process in the correct order.

Clearly describe the sequences of actions required for each activity (first, second, etc.)

Break down assignments into “mini-assignments.”

Difficulty Recommendations

NOODLE TOOLS CAN HELP!

An online, subscription based software tool; Promotes students’ critical thinking skills; Supports teachers throughout the entire

research process; Contains a comprehensive and accurate

bibliography composer that supports MLA & APA styles

Includes note-taking and outlining components; Enables students, alone or with others, to

extract, organize and synthesize information.

BIBLIOGRAPHYCash, Abigail. "Organizational Skills:

Recommendations for teachers of students with organizational problems." University of Delaware College of Education & Human Development. University of Delaware School of Education. Web. 17 Nov. 2011.

Dendy, Chris A. "Executive Function: What is this anyway?" Attention Feb. 2008: Teens with ADHD. Web. 17 Nov. 2011. <http://www.chrisdendy.com/

Sweeney, Judith P. "Technology and Organization." Onion Mountain Technology, Inc. Onion Mountain Technology, Inc., 2006. Web. 17 Nov. 2011.

LET’S GET STARTED!!

LTHS Library Databases

EXPECTATIONS FOR TODAY:

Create Noodle Tools accountCreate Projects Page Create Assignment Drop Boxes for

each class periodCreate one sample Note Card