A Solution to the Challenge Instructors Face
Goodnotes is a digital note app that supports handwriting, sketching, and PDF annotation with strong notebook organization, helping instructors and students keep “paper-style” thinking while moving workflows online.
Meet Goodnotes
Goodnotes centers on digital notebooks and documents (including PDFs), with features for organizing materials and, in education contexts, collaboration-oriented workflows. Goodnotes has also introduced Goodnotes Classroom to support teacher-student workflows and faster feedback loops.
In the Classroom
Math students complete problem sets by handwriting directly on a worksheet PDF in Goodnotes, then export and submit the annotated PDF for feedback. Instructors can mark up student work (highlighting steps, circling errors, adding comments) and return it quickly, preserving the “show your work” benefits of handwriting.
Why It’s Useful
- Handwriting-first learning: Supports ink-based thinking for math, diagrams, and quick sketching—without losing the ability to organize and archive work digitally.
- PDF-friendly workflows: Import, annotate, and export PDFs—useful for worksheets, readings, and feedback cycles.
- Teaching workflow support: Goodnotes Classroom is positioned to streamline classroom workflows and feedback/marking, including integration with existing classroom routines (e.g., assignment status updates via Google Classroom in the Classroom app listing).
What to Watch Out For
- Device + stylus dependency: The best experience typically assumes a compatible tablet and stylus, which can create equity/access issues across a class.
- Onboarding + legibility: Students may need a short orientation (file naming, folders, export conventions), and handwriting quality varies, rubrics should value reasoning/structure, not penmanship.
- Privacy and account considerations: Review Goodnotes’ privacy guidance, especially if students must create accounts or you’re troubleshooting issues (their privacy FAQ outlines what data may be collected, including diagnostics if users choose to share it).
Give It a Try
- Link: https://www.goodnotes.com/
- Cost: Free option available; paid plans offered (details vary by plan).
- Quick experiment: Share a structured note-taking template (e.g., Cornell notes or problem-solving layout), have students complete one set of notes/problem set in Goodnotes, and submit an exported PDF. Compare clarity of reasoning and feedback turnaround versus paper.