A Third Way - Mixed Methods Approaches to the Assessment of Learning

Lately there have been a lot of posts and tweets about how the abolition of grades (marks) could improve student learning. These arguments normally focus on the difficulty of using quantitative measures to assess student learning. The upshot being that qualitative measures are the only valid approach to the assessment of student learning. This argument is very reminiscent of the arguments in social science around the validity of quantitative versus qualitative research methods. As in the case of those heated debates we need to tone down the rhetoric and recognise the value in different approaches to assessment. 

Part of the reason for the vociferous attacks being made on measuring student achievement using grades is the focus, to the exclusion of all other methods, of the accountability movement on quantitative measures of student achievement. To over emphasis on grades as the sole measure of student achievement have led some to conclude that grades (numbers) are not a valid measure of student learning. This is unfortunate. There are many circumstances - measuring a specific knowledge attainment or skill development - in which a number grade, percentage mark etc could be a valid indication a specific learning. Of course, if this is all you relied upon as an indication of student learning you would be doing your students a injustice. The mark will not provide a whole picture of the student's learning. 

However, what needs to be remembered is that qualitative methods cannot tell the whole story either. Each method is suited to different learning and teaching situations. And therein lies the rub, the arguments of the no grades and the accountability movements are actually about different approaches to teaching and learning. With both sides claiming their approach is the panacea that will save our students and public education. 

The problem is that neither approach has proven to be the panacea it claims to be. Perhaps there is a third way that honours both approaches. In research, the blending of quantitative and qualitative research methods is known as mixed methods. When done by experience practitioners, mix method research carefully balances the use of quantitative and qualitative approaches to accurately tell more of the story than using a single approach can. Educators can use the same mixed method approaches in their assessment practice. 

An example of how this approach can be used effectively is the Ontario Elementary report card. When properly completed this report card provides both quantitative and qualitative information on the student's achievement. The connection between grades and comments in the report card needs to be explicit. The grades and comments need to be based on a philosophy of providing a foundation for further learning NOT a final judgement. The report card should seek to describe both process and product. of course this should mean that teachers are observing, providing feedback on, and reporting on process throughout the school year, not just on reports. While the Ontario Elementary report card may not be perfect, it at least attempts to strike a balance between quantitative and qualitative assessment. 

Work certainly needs to continue on educating parents, students, and teachers about how it is "not all about grades", but abandoning quantitative  measures in favour of qualitative measures is a mistake. It is time for educators to come together and think deeply about how we can use mixed methods approaches to assessment to improve student learning. 

Reflective Questions

As I wrote this article some questions, as always, sprung to mind.

If one accepts that there is parental and student attachment to grades is there some intrinsic human need for external recognition by the "community" through some means or is this something imposed and made intrinsic by the system?

Is there a correlation between one's teaching practice/philosophy and their support for either quantitative or qualitative approaches?

Mindomo Now Has Live Outline View

Mindomo, a mind mapping app that works in GAFE, now has a live outline view. This is a really exciting development. Now you can view mind maps in either in outline view or in mind map view. How does it work?

Create a mind map as you normally would. If you want to see an outline view, just click the menu item and select the "View as outline" option. This will change your view to outline view. You can add new items to your outline and these are automatically added to your mind map.  If you want to switch back to mind map view, just click the menu item and select "View as mind map."

As always in GAFE you can share and collaborate if you wish. You can do this in both mind map and outline view. When collaborating in outline view the look is much like it is in Google Docs. 

For more information Outline View click here. 

New to Mindomo? You can find out more about Mindomo here.

Augmented Reality with Aurasma

Augmented reality (AR) is the next step beyond QR Codes. With AR you create "targets" or "triggers" in the real world. When someone scans the real world with their device and hits a trigger, the live view is augmented by stored digital content called an overlay. This content could be a video, image, or sound file. AR is being used in museums, tourist attractions, and, of course, advertising. In the case of a museum, a patron can scan a statue and a video will open on the phone describing the history and importance of the statue. While the video is playing the patron can still see the statue. 

The application of AR for teaching an learning is in its early days. As it progresses more and more ideas of how to use AR will come out. Beyond simple identification and information pieces, AR could be used throughout the assessment, learning, and discovery processes. As always, I would like to see students using AR to create their own triggers and auras. How about having the students research a field trip site prior to going their and making the establishment of triggers and linking of auras to the actual location one of the goals of the field trip? 

One of the apps that can be used to create AR is Aurasma. Aurasma has two "parts", if you will. There is an app that is free and has iOS and Android versions. The app is for use on a smart phone and allows you to "scan" for triggers using the devices camera. In the non-commercial version of the app you are limited to creating triggers and overlays that you can view. However, on your chromebook, PC, or MAC you can use the free online Aurasma Studio to create and share your triggers with others. One important note is that in the non-commercial version other people's triggers will only work if you are following them. You can follow people through the Aurasma Studio interface. You do need to sign up for an account to make all this work, but accounts are free for non-commercial users. 

Aurasma Studio

The possibilities provided by AR are mind-boggling. Aurasma has some great examples on their site. This really is a technology you need to play with and discover ways to reach those learning objectives. What I really like about it is the way it links technology directly to the environment.

Using QR Codes in the Classroom

In my last post I wrote about how to create and read QR Codes. In this post I will suggest a few ways to use QR Codes in your class. As always with technology we focus on the learning first not the tool. 

Example 1: Scavenger Hunt en Francais.

A french teacher is using QR codes in her class. The learning objective is around students reading for understanding. The teacher creates a series of QR codes and links them to instructions written in french. The QR codes and instructions create a series of "paths" the students follow to complete the scavenger hunt. There are different "paths" depending which QR code is scanned first so no all students are following the same path. Once the students have tried a few of the scavenger hunts, they are asked to create their own scavenger hunts in groups using QR codes. These are then shared with other students.

Example 2: Science Bridge Building Fair. 

Students in a science class use QR codes as part of their Bridge Building Fair. Students are learning about forces acting on structures. Before the Bridge Building Fair, students work in groups to build and test bridges to learn about the forces acting on them. As they go through the process of building the bridges; videos, audio recordings, and notes are posted to a blog that captures each groups' learning. Students then create QR codes linked to their blogs. During Bridge Building Fair week, students put their bridges in the library with their QR codes attached. Other students, teachers, and parents visiting the fair can simply scan the QR code to get an in depth look at how the product was created and what was learned in during the process. 

Example 3: A New Technology is Delivered to the Classroom

The learning objective, in this case, is how to connect or used the device with existing devices in the classroom. A QR code is attached to the device. When it is scanned, a link to a web page is provided that gives step-by-step instructions, videos, documentation, and links to the help desk. 

Just three examples and I am sure you can think of many more. 

QR Code Creation with Chrome Extensions

QR Codes are those little boxes with tiny shapes inside them that you seen in many places today. QR Codes are used to provide links from the code to a page, image, text, or other information on the web. The QR Code next to this text was created using a chrome extension and links to this blog. 

QR Codes are made using a QR Code generator. Once a QR Code is created, you need a QR Code Reader to get the information it is linked to. QR Code generators come in various flavours. In this post, I want to focus on a Chrome Extension that will quickly create a QR Code for a web page you are viewing or present text that you have entered.

QR Code Icon

PixelOwner's QR Code Creator is an extension that you add to your chrome browser in the normal way.   Once you have added the QR Code Creator extension you simply navigate to the page you would like to share and click on the QR Code Creator icon. This will open a small dialogue box that shows the QR Code generated for the page you are viewing or you can type text in the text filed to add text. This is a very simply QR Code generator. You can snip or screenshot the QR Code and copy and paste it to a page or print it out. Then anyone with a QR Code reader can access that page or text. The QR Code on this page is a link to this blog. 
Download one of the many free QR Code Readers to your phone and try it out. Then try one of the many QR Code Creator extensions in Chrome

There are many inventive and engaging ways to use QR Codes in the classroom and that will be the topic of my next post. 

Post to Padlet From Chrome

Padlet is a poplar online space where people can post thoughts to virtual walls. Chrome has an extension that allows you to post links and pages directly to your padlet. To add the extension click to your chrome menu in the top right corner of your browser and then select More Tools > extensions. The search the store for padlet. Once you install the padlet extension you will be able to post directly from your browser to padlet. 

In the above screenshot I have just clicked on the padlet icon and these are the prompts you see. Of course, before you can use this extension you need to have a padlet account. To register for padlet, it's free, go here http://www.padlet.com

Explore in Google Sheets - Help Students to Visualize Data Management

Explore is a feature in Google Sheets that allows you to explore data visually at the click on button. If you are a data person you will love this feature. Students will appreciate how it handles their data. Think of the rich discussion you can have around how Google Explore handles data compared to they way a human would.

This link is to the official Google video explaining the features of Explore. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=24&v=9TiXR5wwqPs

Voice Typing in Google Docs

Voice Typing in Google Docs has arrived! No more need for third party extensions or add-ons. Voice Typing can be found in the Tools menu. The accuracy of voice typing is quite good. Like any speech to text engine accuracy can be affected by background noise. 

For more information on Voice Typing watch this video: 

https://drive.google.com/a/smcdsb.on.ca/file/d/0B3IAijVPFOJNX2o1YXE1OUJvcE0/view?usp=sharing

Share to Classroom

 Share to Classroom is a great extension that has been added to the classroom environment. This extension works with the chrome browser and allows you to share a webpage link without having to open classroom to do it. You just share the link right from your browser.

I have created a video to explain how you use Share to Classroom. You can view the video at this link: https://drive.google.com/a/smcdsb.on.ca/file/d/0B3IAijVPFOJNR1pwNEdsdWFzNjQ/view?usp=sharing

Calendar Integration with Classroom

You are now able to integrate a calendar with your Google Classroom(s). Teachers have been asking for this feature and Google has responded. 

A calendar that is created for the classroom will include assignment due dates. Apparently google is still working on having events on the calendar as well. Hopefully this will follow in short order. Full details of how to add a calendar can be found at the Google Classroom support site at 
                                       https://support.google.com/edu/classroom/answer/6272985?hl=en

                                           Note: If you do not have an assignment in your classroom yet, your calendar will be blank. 

A Busy Summer and Fall for Google Chrome Updates over the Summer and Fall

It has been a very busy time for updates to Google Chrome this year. Voice typing, Calendar integration and Share with Classroom at three items I will highlight in the next few posts. What is great about Google is they keep responding to teachers requests to add features we need to Google Apps for Education.

Google Earth Tools - Tour Builder

Saw a suggestion in the latest Google Education newsletter about using Google Earth tools to make a tour based on the settings in a novel or historical events. Very cool idea. If you are not familiar with Tour Builder you need to know that is doesn't just map and save a route for you, it also allows you to add videos, images, and text to the route. Of course the tour you make can be published and shared with others. For information on using Tour Builder go to this link Google Earth Tools - Tour Builder .

Creating Choose Your Own Adventure (CYOA) Activities with Google Apps

Google Education's newsletter had an interesting article on how to create CYOA activities using Google apps. There are many ways students could be the ones creating CYOA to demonstrate their knowledge. Here is the link: GAFE CYOA

Flubaroo - Now You Can Grade Long Answers By Hand

Flubaroo has just announced that you can now grade long answers by hand in flubaroo. This is not the old "go into the spreadsheet and add a mark method". 

Check this link for details http://www.flubaroo.com/hc/grading-by-hand

How to Change Read & Write to French in Google Docs

This video shows you how to change your Read & Write settings so French can be used as the input language for Read & Write and speech to text. 

Casting Google Slides and Controlling them with a Tablet or Phone

Sorry I am late getting this one out. Google has announced that Tablets and Phones can now cast and control slides with speaker notes to Apple TVs and Chromecast devices. This not simple mirroring. Instead the user can see their speaker notes, timer, etc. 

More details on how it works on various devices can be found at the Google Help Centre. 

Here is the link: https://support.google.com/docs/answer/2763168#present

SALT - A Framework for Integrating Learning with Technology

The SALT framework was developed and conceived solely by Chris Ashford-Smith and is the intellectual property of Chris Ashford-Smith.

Introduction

Many discussions around integrating technology and learning focus on larger systems (e.g. TPAC) or on the characterisation of how technologies are adopted in and by  learning systems (e.g. SAMR). While this focus on the larger system and characterisations can inform many choices around the insertion of technologies into learning systems, I want to shift the focus to planning.  I think a planning framework that shifts the focus away from systems and characterisations and onto students and learning is needed.  

If a learning system has adopted technology as a tool, what kind of planning framework could inform teaching and learning to help students achieve their goals? Clearly this is a huge question. After some thought, I have developed a model that is still in its early stages of development. However, I think it provides a more practical model for schools, teachers, and students to use when considering how to use technology as part of their learning.

The framework I have developed is called the SALT framework. As you will see its focus is clearly on how students and learning objectives should inform the choice and use of technology in the classroom. Technology is the last item considered in the framework. This is deliberate. It is hoped that this framework makes learning about learning NOT about devices and tools.

The SALT framework can be outlined as follows:

S - Student(s)

A - Achievement Goal

L - Learning Objective or Activities to Achieve Goal

T - Technology that will support Attainment of Achievement Goal (Consider - Access, Availability, Activity, Appropriateness)


Basic Components of the SALT Framework

S - knowledge of students is crucial. This includes the school community, atmosphere, location of school, etc. A whole child and children view. 

A - What do your students want and/or need to learn? What do you want and/or need them to learn?

L - What are the specific learning goals and activities that can be used to achieve the achievement goal(s)?

T - What technology will assist in the attainment of the learning goal or completion of learning activities? What access is available? Is the use of technology appropriate? 

SALT attempts to be paradigm neutral, but of course there is in built bias based on my own teaching, learning and life experience. SALT can be used to frame a variety learning models. Table 1 demonstrates how SALT can be used in teacher centric, student centric, and collaboration centric models of learning. It is important to note that models are just that. The underlying spirit of SALT is that of the guide. The SALT process guides and informs, but, as always, the final decision on teaching practise and uses of technology rests with the professional teacher. 


TABLE 1 - SALT and Some Learning Models 

	Teacher/Curriculum Centric	Student/Curriculum Centric	Collaboration Centric
S	Students - a good teacher knows her/his students.	Students - in a student centered SALT “S” becomes self. Do you know yourself?	Students - All are students learning together and from each other.
A	Achievement Goal - How can you use this to build engagement in learning?	Achievement Goals - students reflect on their personal learning and establish learning goals based on their interests that are cross indexed with curriculum learning goals	Achievement Goals are developed by the learning community and based on immediate or long term goals of the learning community.
L	Learning Goal and Activities - What are the specific learning goals or learning you are trying to achieve? What kinds of activities and groupings are conducive to successful learning in this instance of learning?	Learning Goal and Activities - students still need to have a goal in mind. In the self or group generated process they arrive at a goal that meets a want or need. Some of these wants and needs could be imposed by the curriculum or teacher. The learning goal could be assigned but the students have a choice of ways to accomplish the learning.	The learning community co-develops the learning goals based on what the community and its members perceive as the want or need. Different members within the community might achieve the goal in different ways, but the focus remains on the individual within the community.
T (Access, Availability, Activity, Appropriateness)	Technology is selected for use by the teacher, but based on knowledge of students. Technology used to support and assist in the attainment of the learning goal. Technology use is informed by access and appropriateness of the technology. Technology may have an affect on groupings.	Technology is selected by the student(s).  Students base choices on what activity they need to accomplish. Learning occurs both in the actual task and in the thoughtful consideration of what tools to use to achieve the task. Learning occurs as “mistakes” or "inappropriate" technology selections are made.	Technology is selected by the learning community based on the learning goal. The importance of compatibility and cross platform collaboration are stressed. Learning occurs beyond the learning task as the community adapts and uses tools to achieve the goal. Groupings may arise around or through devices.

Example of SALT in Action

Student(s) - The students are 7 to 8 years old. Many have shown an interest in the forest beside the school. The students come from a mixed urban and rural neighbourhood. 

Areas of Need -  Questions are asked in class about what lives in the forest, how living things in the forest survive, what kinds of trees there are, etc. Some students want to catalogue what lives in the forest, others want to answer deeper questions. 

Learning Goals and Activities - investigate the ways in which a variety of animals adapt to their environment and/or to changes in their environment, using various methods (Ontario Science Curriculum, 2007).  Go to the forest several times to observe animals over time.

Technology  - Access can be a challenge. In this context the students do not have access to the school WIFI or other network. Availability can also be a challenge. We only have 5 devices to use so this will inform our groupings. Activity - So we can make small groups to share devices. We can use our tablets to take pictures, videos and notes on and of the animals we see. We can then use the pictures and notes to create a journal using BookCreator. We can then share these books with parents or the world via the class google site. The teacher may need to remind students not to just be taking pictures and videos but also quietly observing and making notes on their observations. A further step is to have some students just use speech to text and notes to record their observations while others use pictures and videos. Review these later in groups. And ask what are the differences between what the video recorded and what the student observed?

Of course, in the real world teachers do not consider these questions in isolation. As the teacher is thinking about their students; they are also thinking about their students area of need, the learning goal(s) and the technologies available. The purpose of SALT is to framework to ensure all these factors are being considered and students and learning are put before technology. There should times when the use of the SALT framework causes a teacher to question whether the use of technology is appropriate or meaningful. If the use of the technology is only an add-on and not adding, in someway, to the learning technology should probably not be used in the lesson. 

As stated above, this is just the beginning of thinking about the framework. I plan to put more work into and refine it over the coming months. 

Limitations of the Chrome Browser and Google Docs on iPads or Android Tablets

I often receive questions about what chrome extensions will work with the chrome browser on an iPad. First, I need to clarify what extensions I am talking about here as there is confusion over what is meant by extensions. Here I am not talking about iOS apps that can be linked with the chrome browser on your device. I am speaking specifically about extensions like the ones in my blog (Readability, TabResize, Hangouts, Lightshot, ScreenCastify, etc.). 

Chrome extensions do not function within the Chrome browser on the iPad or Android tablets. Of course, there are options within the iPad that fulfill many of the options and features the various Chrome extensions address. Some of these come in the form of built in features, while others, require the download of an app or apps from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store . 

The same can be said of Add-Ons in Google Docs on the iPad or Android tablets. You will notice that when you open the Google Docs app on the iPad the Add-Ons menu item is not available. Some of the features like speech recognition that you would normal use an Add-On for are available in the iPad iOS or Android OS, but many functions and features of Adds-On are not available on iPads or Android tablets. 

There are work arounds for these limitations, but you lose the seamless nature, of the Google Apps for Education  that you experience on other devices like Chromebooks, Windows, or MACBooks. 

Give Wikipedia a New Look with WikiWand

Wikiwand is an extension that works with your chrome browser to change the look of Wikipedia. I guess this one is down to personal taste, but I like the new look Wikiwand provides. Check out these "before" and "after" search results.

Old or Normal Wikipedia - Search for Glass - Results

Wikiwand Extension Added - Search for Glass - Results

Wikiwand is added like any other extension. If you like images and bandwidth is no issue, this could be a way to refresh your view in wikipedia. 

Add Additional Accessibility Features to Your Browser

There are many accessibility features available to chrome browser. While you maybe aware of many of the extensions and adds-on that provide accessibility, I want to show you a place to find other accessibility features you may not know about. 

To access additional accessibility features open the chrome browser and click on the menu item. Then select Settings. This will take you to the Settings page. 

Now scroll down the page until you find the "Show advance settings" link.

Click the link and then 

Then find the Accessibility section and the click the "Add additional accessibility features" link. 

This will open the Extensions Accessibility section of the chrome webstore. You can select accessibility extensions from there.

Grabbing Links, Snippets, and Images for Use in Mindomo

If you are a user of Mindomo, you might be interested in this extension. Mindomo have created a Mindomo Bookmarks extension that enables you to capture and send links, text snippets, and images right from your chrome browser as you are browsing. Of course, you will need to have a Mindomo account setup in order for this extension to function. 

Once the extension is installed, the Mindomo icon will show up in extensions area of your browser indicating that Mindomo Bookmarks is installed and working. 

To send a link to Mindomo you just click the Mindomo icon and you will be notified the link has been sent to Mindomo. The next time you open Minodomo and click the Bookmarks item, the new link will appear in your Mindomo bookmarks list. 

You can then insert the Bookmark by clicking the small arrow to the right of the link and selecting how you would like the link inserted. 

Links remain active within your Mindomo map and provide access to the page you are linking.

The extension allow provides access to the Right-Click or Ctrl-Click "Send to Mindomo" feature. To use this just highlight any text that appears on a web page and Right-Click/Ctrl-Click or Right-Click/Ctrl-Click any image and select "Send to Mindomo." Whatever text or image you have sent will appear in the Mindomo Bookmarks menu and you can then insert it in your map the same way you insert links from Mindomo Bookmarks. 

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Tweets

The Twitterverse is abuzz with news this week that Google has added the ability to add images and photos from your phone or tablet (iOS and Android). You will need to update to the latest version of Slides and Docs before you can access this new functionality. 

Adding and image is straightforward. Once you are in Slides, just hit the "+" sign and select Image and then choose either From Photos or From Camera. 

You can also add pictures directly to the classroom stream using the Pick Photo or Take Photo options. 

As the old saying goes, "A picture is worth a thousand words."

Movenote - Convert Google Docs, Slides, Images and Video to Online Feedback or Flipping the Classroom

Movenote is app that can be added to Google Chrome that allows you to create screencasting videos of content from your Google Drive or Local Device. It converts each page or slide into a slide that can be used in Movenote. Movenote then provides an interface where you appear as a small talking head in the corner of the published Movenote. You draw your students attention to parts of a document, slide, or video by using your mouse. 

For students who need a friendly face or more than just voice or text comments to improve their work in a document this could be an option. You could also use Movenote to present some information to students prior to them attending class in a flipped classroom model. If you really want to flipped things, why not have the students use Movenote to create their own presentations on topics of their choice or record reflections on their learning which are then shared with the class to spark further discussion. 

See this link for a video overview of Movenote:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0Bz_vfr5xMn_XYnR5SXdFamVVYlk/view?usp=sharing

I am sure you will find many more uses for it. The premium version is $2.99, but the free version seems to do what most people need. 

Hangouts Now An Extension for Your Browser

Tired of having to go into mail to access and use Hangouts? There is now an extension that allows you to access Hangouts from your Chrome browser. This allows you to send, receive, and initiate Google Hangouts directly from the Chrome browser window. Hangouts are voice and video calls.Hangouts also allows you to share your screen with others and allow them to access your screen. There are tons of different learning and teaching opportunities with Hangouts. 

To get the Hangouts extension click to the menu item in the top right corner of your browser window. Then select More Tools>Extensions>Get More Extensions (scroll down to see this). In the search field type Hangouts and click the search button. Then click the Free or Add to Chrome button. 

Hangouts has now been added to your browser. You will notice the Hangouts icon (a small green speech bubble) in the extensions area of your browser. 

To activate Hangouts just click the Hangouts icon. Do a search for the person you want to talk to and then click the phone icon for a voice call or the video camera icon for a video call. Teachers in our domain should be able to call anyone who has a gmail account. Students are restricted to only be able to send and receive calls to and from people who have an account within our domain. 

Hangouts is also now available as an extension for your Chromebook. 

Blocking Ads on YouTube

Sometimes the ads that appear before your YouTube video plays can be inappropriate for classroom use. If you wish to stop seeing the ads that appear at the start of a YouTube video, you need look no further than Adblocker. 

Adblocker is an extension that works with your chrome browser. To get it just go to the menu item in the top right corner of your chrome browser. Click on it and then choose "More Tools" and then Extensions. Once you are on the extensions page, scroll down to the bottom and select the "Get More Extensions" link. Then type Adblocker in the search field. Click the "Free" or "Add to Chrome" button. Adblocker is now ready to use. 

You may need to close and open chrome before Adblocker starts working. As always you should make sure you browser is up to date before adding the extension. This will ensure it will work. Adblocker works automatically so there is no need to do anything else. Just go to YouTube and enjoy ad free videos. 

If you need to disable Adblocker, just use the Menu > More Tools > Extensions procedure and click the enable/disable box or the garbage can to delete. 

Note: There may be some legal issues around this extension, but Google owns YouTube and are providing the extension in their extensions area.

Google Web Designer - HTML5 and CSS3 Development Tool

Google Web Designer is a WYSIWYG (What you see is what you get) HTML5 and CSS3 web development environment. Currently, it is only in BETA, but looks like a powerful web development tool. It currently runs on Windows, MAC, and Linux. No chrome OS support yet, but hopefully soon. It has a small footprint, is quick to download, and has some powerful features. You can download it here. http://www.google.ca/webdesigner/

Splitting Your View

Do you or your students find it distracting or confusing to have to switch from tab to tab while working in GAFE? Tab Resize is an extension that allows students to split their chrome browser window in two so that students can read an assignment or article in one window in make notes in a doc in the other window.

As it is an extension, Tab Resize can be installed through Settings>Extensions>Get More Extensions in your Chrome browser. When it is enabled a small Tab Resize icon appears to the right of your address bar. 

Clicking on the icon opens the split window dialogue. Simply click on the arrangement you would like split horizontal, split vertical, or single view. 

Split view opens another instant of the browser.

Clicking on a window makes it active. A simple way to work in one a doc while viewing something else in another with no need to flip between tabs. When you are finished working, you can click on the Tab Resize icon and select the single view option to switch back to a single browser view.

A simple solution for those who don't like changing between tabs.