Help with productivity

I just got an iPad and love it but I would really like some assistance in making the iPad as productive as possible for college. I've been looking the forums for a while and hav done searches but I figured it would be easiest just to ask everything in one thread.

First off, what are the best most recommended apps for,

Making notecards
Taking handwritten notes
Making typed notes (besides evernote)
Recording lectures
Syncing lecturer notes with audio

What is the best way to get textbooks onto the iPad (I was thinking torrent and using a PDF reader) - I use good reader

Also is there an app for making PDFs from scans or pictures?

If there aree any other apps that have helped you I would really appreciate it

 

Thanks for the list, and I would liked to reads your post but nothing comes up when I click the link

Also, slot of my professors use PowerPoint- and I usually take notes right under the slides. Would I be able to accomplish this in keynote?