The OneNote We Know, and the One We Don’t

The+OneNote+We+Know%2C+and+the+One+We+Dont

Do you feel overwhelmed with the need to know tons of material when taking the ACT exam? Imagine being able to take each section individually. Students taking the ACT next year, as of the September 2020 exam and beyond, will have the ability to retake individual sections of the ACT exam instead of retaking the entire test. This is beneficial to students applying to college because they will have a greater chance to submit a higher score and increase their chances of getting into the college of their dreams. 

Next year, students will not only be able to increase their scores but will put less pressure upon themselves as well. The ACT consists of an English section, a math section, a reading section, and a science section. Retaking all sections in one sitting can burden a test taker by overwhelming him/her with a ton of material. Brooke Lang, a senior, stated, “I wish they permitted ACT test takers to retake the ACT exam by individual section this year because I am not the best at math, but I am stronger in English. If I got to retake math by itself, my score would most likely be higher.” If you are content with the other composite scores, why should you have to take every section again just to increase one? 

With the implementation of this new practice, it will also be much easier to study. Studying for an individual section will allow test takers to maximize their attention on an area they need to improve skills on, rather than diverting attention on those they do not. Stress will be significantly decreased. As stated by senior Camden Hetrick, “I wish I was able to retake individual sections of my ACT because I believe that would have enabled me to receive a better score in the end. Only having to focus on one section takes a huge load off a student’s shoulders, and I believe it will improve their scores.” 

Students who are currently taking the exams will not benefit from the same advantage that test takers next year will get to experience. Currently, students are still only permitted to retake full exams, which can be costly. Retaking the whole test can cost up to $68, including the optional writing section. With the allowance of individual section tests, a new price will be set by the ACT board. The price is yet to be announced, but it will not be the same as the full exam because the section exams are only a quarter of the official test. This will benefit everyone retaking the ACT, especially those who struggle to find the money to pay for the exam to begin with. With the opportunity to spend less, test-takers who cannot afford to pay for another full exam can save money and just take the section exam instead. This appears to be more attractive to the public because the ACT is taking test takers into consideration and allowing them to possibly put money towards a practice book, an online tutoring subscription, or even a tutor instead. According to the U.S. News article entitled “ACT Allows a Students to Retake Individual Test Sections,” “From the last two years, the number of students taking the ACT has dropped- this, after more than a decade of consecutive climbs.” With more students taking the SAT than ever before, the ACT had to put some new policies into effect. According to junior Carly Tucker, “I would definitely plan on taking the ACT over the SAT next year due to the new testing policies. If the ACT offers the advantage of retaking individual sections, I would rather put effort into that test.” 

The ACT’s  new testing policies are set to go into effect in September 2020. The possibility of other new policies is on the rise as well. Choosing between digital and paper versions of the ACT, the ACT itself calculating a “super score,” and, obviously, the ability to take the test by individual section are all new ideas being put into action. 

At the start of this school year, each and every student was prompted with a question: Open with OneNote 2016 or 2019? Sadly, some made the wrong choice. Instead of choosing the safe and friendly OneNote 2016 that students have all come to know and hate, many chose the “updated” 2018 version, an app known only as, “OneNote.” This all seems well and good, except for all of the uncomfortable changes made to the program that awaited students.

After some research, some key differences between the two programs were highlighted that should be brought to light. First off, OneNote 2016 is a desktop software that was designed primarily as such, so that it could be used on a variety of different devices and be compatible with the online web version, OneNote Online. This version was also purchased by the school district as part of the Microsoft Office Suite, alongside other programs such as Microsoft Word and Microsoft Powerpoint. On the other hand, the app OneNote was an automatic download that came with the Windows 10 update and can only run on it. Now, this new software comes with a variety of new features, such as Cortana compatibility, annotations from Microsoft Edge, and even an assistive math program called “Ink Math Assistant.” But, being totally honest, most students are not going to use any of that! It is unclear if Cortana even works on the tablets. Many people are not really going to annotate or even use Microsoft Edge.

To get an expert opinion on the current state of OneNote in the school, the one to go to was Jane Paladino who offered some insight. When asked, she said that within the first few weeks of school, about one hundred students had come down to the library for the sole purpose of switching back to the original OneNote. “The teachers prefer that students use 2016, too, since it is more compatible with the program they use,” she continued. “Otherwise, some parts of the work will get lost between the two,” added Paladino.

To Paladino, the root of controversy is simple: familiarity. Students had become used to the original OneNote, and although the new version has its advantages, many do not want to spend the time learning the new version. For example, senior and known tablet hater Nick Paladino, also Jane’s son, stated, “I barely understand the old OneNote. There is no way I would try to learn a new one.”

Similarly, from a teacher’s standpoint, the issue seems to be portrayed the same way. Kevin Tranchina, biology and chemistry teacher, was not surprised that so many people were relying on the original 2016 program. “I think there is a solid learning curve with OneNote for many people, and if they are used to the older version, there is bound to be hesitation in switching to something new,” he said. “What designers see as upgrades are often pointless changes that just hide useful features inside of a submenu somewhere,” added Tranchina.

Overall, the familiarity with the OneNote program students are used to seems to be winning out over the new OneNote app. It is possible that the new version could be a better educational tool if given a proper amount of time and research in order to learn how it is used. But, seriously, what student has that kind of time? It seems that, in this case, it may be better to stick with the OneNote students know as opposed to the one they just do not.