My Take
The review process is difficult for a tool like this because students certainly don't get excited about things like this (engagement). If they understood how hard doing bibliographies USED to be, they would probably be jumping for joy. Similarly, learning is difficult to 'measure' for a tool like this. It SUPPORTS learning because it supports the organization of key information and ideas, building deeper understanding of a topic.
It's a great support for learning via research for projects, essays, or debates.
How I Use It
Noodle Tools (and EasyBib) are two of the tools that we have students use at our school for doing research (as well as, to some extent, the google drive add-on for research and bibliographies). All students sign up for accounts, and I then model a research and citation. It's essentially a mini-lesson, with me choosing a topic at random, doing a quick few minutes of research (screencasted and live on the board) that students see. I choose a source, identify main ideas, and then go to Noodle Tools.
Once on Noodle Tools, I go through the citation process to model for students. I then also make a digital note card on noodle tools, demonstrating how students will summarise information that they will later use in their own projects. Depending on circumstances, I will ALSO encourage them to copy/paste the information that they are attempting to summarise.
When we conference during the creation of their projects (or essays, or debate prep), we look at these note cards together. It helps us both - students with thinking through where they are going, and me with seeing if they have enough information (and how to organise it).
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