I am a huge supporter of using graphic organizers in my lessons. Nonlingual representatives are really important in history and social studies because it connects the name or place on a page to a concept in history without the students having to create and image in their head that may be incorrect. I would use PowerPoint and prezi for my lessons. For note taking however, I beleive that whatever works for them is what they should do. Haivng computers out in class probably would lead to some disipline problems, so a pencil and paper is probably going to be the best thing. If the students are looking for a new way to do notes, I will certainly help them, but at the level I am teaching they should be able to have a strategy of note taking that they are comfortable with.
So what will you do when a student asks to take notes with their laptop or iPad?
i like using concept maps too, it allows for our thoughts to be put on paper and make the connections