If you have not heard of sketch notes, they are a fascinating multi-modal way to take notes, combining the verbal or written with the visual. I have explored this a little bit with the awesome Doodle Notes from Math Giraffe, but never in video form. So when given the chance to explore making a sketch note video, I eagerly approached the challenge!

Ignoring the fact that my ability to draw is extremely limited, I set out to make a visual note video. I used a brainstorming exercise as my subject, which meant I needed visualize thinking.  I was organizing and finding themes in some questions of practice, regarding my high school math classroom. My questions were written on note cards, so I was able to record myself moving them around, and pondering them. My first challenge was that I do not have a proper camera, or a tripod, so I repurposed some household items. When my questions were too far away to read, I added some shoe boxes underneath my whiteboard.

I hit record on my tablet, ducked under the ironing board and began my brainstorming session. 12 minutes later, I had my video. Of course, 12 minutes was entirely too long, so I began the Google search for a way to speed up the video. I ended up using Windows Movie Maker, which has been discontinued, but exists on one of the computers I have at home. After increasing the speed of the video, I moved the file back to my Windows Surface tablet and added a couple illustrations through the photo editor. Then I used the voice recorder to add my narration. It took me several tries, but I’m pretty proud of my final product, even if I did cut off my last word.