Note taking software for college?

[spice weasel]

I'd just write down the notes with pen and paper. Definitely would not pay for a program to take notes with- how frivolous. If you want them in electronic form you can copy your notes as a way of studying.

What he said. High-tech solutions can often be great, but don't overlook the tried and true. Pen and paper give you a lot more flexibility than any software application can (after all, most of them try to emulate what you can already do with pen and paper).

Before I became a full-time researcher, I taught undergraduate history courses. It always seemed that students with laptops were busy focussing on their computer screens rather than me and what I was trying to teach. The notepad students would jot down a few lines and then pay full attention again. That's the most effective way to learn, I believe. Laptops in the classroom are a distraction for students.

Also, as miles mentioned, re-typing, cleaning up, and consolidating your notes can be a very good way to review.

 

[gvegastiger]

I'm surprised nobody mentioned Evernote in this thread. I use it a lot, however I've never used it in a class setting.

 

[yojitani]

What he said. High-tech solutions can often be great, but don't overlook the tried and true. Pen and paper give you a lot more flexibility than any software application can (after all, most of them try to emulate what you can already do with pen and paper).

Also, as miles mentioned, re-typing, cleaning up, and consolidating your notes can be a very good way to review.

This is true. Note taking software shouldn't be usedin certain types of classes (discussion based classes in particular). However, it is an excellent way of organizing your notes, especially if you can get into the habit of typing up your notes soon after class. Note taking software, like Journler I mentioned earlier, offer different ways of organizing your notes such as tagging, smart folders, etc. This is extremely useful for research. It is probably also useful for studying for exams.

You need to experiment and find a) the software you like and b) a happy medium between computer and pen.

 

[yoyomaster]

Before I became a full-time researcher, I taught undergraduate history courses. It always seemed that students with laptops were busy focussing on their computer screens rather than me and what I was trying to teach. The notepad students would jot down a few lines and then pay full attention again. That's the most effective way to learn, I believe. Laptops in the classroom are a distraction for students.

Could it be that those students weren't paying attention in the first place? I know a lot of professors, especially in the low level courses that just teach out of the book, yet they require attendance, so I never wasted my time listening to them when I could easily read the book and still get A's on the tests. I feel that computers do have some use in note taking because I don't seem to get hand cramps and I can usually listen while typing instead of looking at where I'm writing to stay on the lines.

 

[chrono1081]

I used OneNote when I had a PC...I searched for a replacement and settled with Circus Ponies Notebook. I'm quite happy with it--in fact, I think that I actually prefer it in some aspects.

Hope this helps!

http://www.circusponies.com/store/index.php?main_page=notebook&sub=organize

+34809230984238094

I used to think Notebook was inferior to one note, then I watched the videos on circus ponies site and learned the shortcuts. Now its hard when I have to use oneNote because it just feels sloppy now. Notebook is waaaay better IMO.

Using it as we speak for organizing physics and C++ notes

 

[spice weasel]

Could it be that those students weren't paying attention in the first place? I know a lot of professors, especially in the low level courses that just teach out of the book, yet they require attendance, so I never wasted my time listening to them when I could easily read the book and still get A's on the tests. I feel that computers do have some use in note taking because I don't seem to get hand cramps and I can usually listen while typing instead of looking at where I'm writing to stay on the lines.

Undoubtedly some were not paying attention. But for the most part I taught small, upper-division courses with no textbooks. Students knew that if they didn't pay attention, there was little chance they had at doing well on exams. What would typically happen is that students taking notes on laptops would start to fall behind on what I was saying because they were either typing too slowly or were busy worrying about formatting their notes properly as they went along (at least that's what I am guessing happened. Maybe they were just playing Mine Sweeper or Solitaire ). Then they would ask me to repeat what I had just said. This seemed to happen a lot more often than with students who took their notes with a pen and paper.

If electronic note-taking works for an individual, then I don't have a problem with it. I just think that we have gotten so used to gadgets and technology that we automatically assume that there has to be a fantastic electronic solution to every issue. Sometimes it pays to keep in mind that our forebears already worked out some pretty simple and effective solutions.

Besides, a pen and paper are a lot lighter to lug around in a backpack all day.