Tsaap-Notes -- An Open Micro-blogging Tool for Collaborative Notetaking during Face-to-Face Lectures

Abstract

Social theories of learning demonstrated that collaborative note taking during face-to-face lecture provides important benefits: better learner engagement, collaborative learning, and knowledge building. In this paper we present Tsaap-Notes, an open micro-blogging platform dedicated to collaborative note taking that can be used as a standalone application, or fully integrated into existing virtual learning environments. Tsaap-Notes provides users with advanced features such as annotations, questions, or filtering that encourage learners to participate in the collaborative activity. Our tool has been experimented with a cohort of forty students during a short period of time, results show that learners are getting more and more familiar with Tsaap-Notes and that this application becomes useful when the time of preparing exams has come.