Google Notebook
From LIS 460 Summer 2007
Google Notebook is a new tool from Google. It is not available through their dropdown menu of features, and can only be accessed through Google Labs. There is a link to the Notebook site on the right hand side of the page in a box labeled Graduates of Labs. It works as a social bookmarking tool, but it allows users to clip part of a page, including a text or image and links to the entire page. All you need to use Google Notebook is a Google account and to download the software which works with your web browser.
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How it works
Google Notebook allows users to clip text and images off of webpages and keep them in a notebook easily accessed through their Google account. Once the software is downloaded, everytime a user has a webpage open there is a small blue notebook located on the bottom right corner of the browser. The user can then select to open the notebook, highlight any information that is on the webpage (text, images, links, etc.) and clip the information into a notebook entry. The notebook can be sorted and organized however the user wants to arrange it, and the entries or the entire notebook can be shared. The notebook can be collaborative, and have more than one user adding entries into the notebook. The notebook also can be exported into Google Docs.
Google Notebook in Schools
Google Notebook would be an excellent tool for student's to use while doing online research. Often times, students come across an important bit of information on a webpage and have to bookmark the entire webpage, only to have to later come back and try to re-find the information they had originally needed. Google Notebook allows students to clip the text they need, and it bookmarks the page automatically in the notebook for further reference or citation purposes. Also, students can copy images into the notebook and can keep notes of images that are helpful or relevant to the research.
Google Notebook would also be a great tool for groups doing research together. Since the notebook can be collaborative, each person can do research seperately and add information to the notebook as needed. This eliminates the need for students to get together and meet to do research together. The research can still be done as a group, however the need for being in the same place at the same time to do the work together has been eliminated.
The feature that allows the notebook to be exported into a Google document will help with writing and citing examples in a research paper. Students will be able to quote directly from the clips that they have selected and link directly to the website where the information was found.
Questions
1. Can copyrighted material be clipped?
Answer (found by experimenting in Notebook) Yes, copyright material can be clipped, and it is treated as if the user just cut and paste the material from the website. The user is expected to gain appropriate rights for usage if using for a purpose outside of the notebook.
2. So, what's the difference between cutting and pasting then? Wouldn't that work the same? And I could cut and paste directly into a document and skip the notebook step!
Google Notebook keeps the information that is clipped organized with all the links to the original websites, which cutting and pasting into a document does not unless you cut and paste the link as well. Also, it allows you to organize the information before exporting it into a document, which with cutting and pasting, you run the risk of accidently losing a "cut" before it is repasted back into the document. Google Notebook also allows other people to see the information that is clipped before it's put into the document, so if a group wants to take out a piece of information, it can be deleted or rearranged, without disrupting the document.
3. What's the difference between using Google Notebook and Google Docs?
Google Notebook and Google Docs have a lot of similarities in their collaboration features and how they work. In my mind, I think of Google Notebooks as a record of gathering information before you import it to write a report. A notebook is simply a place to keep notes, you can clip information on the internet, store information before you put it into your own words in the word document. I don't think one tool is meant to be used instead of another, but rather the two tools used together to enhance researching, writing, and collaborating on the internet.
