Using iWork 09 for University note taking

Why not just use TextEdit? It's not glitzy, but it's free.

 

if i were in college again, id definitly pick this sucker up

http://www.livescribe.com/smartpen/index.html

a cool video of what it does
http://www.livescribe.com/smartpen/videos.html

 

Meh, just use a pencil and paper.

Nobody types notes up in class. The only reason they bring laptops is to play on the internet (or WoW, as people do in my lectures).

iWork 09 won't help you; nothing will help you.

 

I type up all my lecture notes in University, it's faster for me and actually legible. I use Microsoft Word 2008, they have a notebook layout that's handy.

 

What sort of notes will you be taking -- will there be any mathematical expressions?

 

I always take notes on my macbook, it's much faster and I always end up losing my paper notes somewhere.

Personally I take my notes using openoffice 3.0

 

Agree completely. If you really want to be productive, and use a computer, turn off AirPort. In fact, just take out the damn card entirely. Guaranteed productivity. Nothing else will save you.

 

My problem is, I can't read my damn handwriting.

 

I've generally found what works best is taking the notes on paper (especially if there's going to be any math or funky diagrams involved, which is almost always the case for many classes), then scanning them. That gets you the best of both worlds - efficient, distraction free note-taking in class, and a digital copy in case you lose them.

 

As you hinted at here, Pages is not good for situations such as note taking due to the simple fact that it does not have AutoSave. Therefore one glitch and your notes for that class are gone.

 

I personally run OneNote 2007 in CrossOver. That way, you get the best notetaking software on the best platform. You can't go wrong.

 

Circus Ponies: Notebook 3.0

This is the best note taking application that I have found. I have used this for a semester and i would never go back to paper and pencil. If you do need to type in math expressions you can "doodle" on your trackpad (though i still find P&P easier for math notes). Cool lecture features with live recording and note syncing. I really love this program. Sure its not free, but i was able to get a discount, if you are a student.

http://www.circusponies.com/notebook30.html

 

Journler is the best for this sort of thing

Journler (correct spelling) is probably the best notetaking application out there. It does a whole lot more besides, like capture websites, multimedia, etc. But mostly it's great for text. You can use it for gathering stuff to write papers too. I think it's probably the best program I can think of. It's currently still by donation. Do a search and download it. Running Onenote in emulation? There's better Mac software for free or cheaper. There's also Together. Very slick too. I don't think Pages is the most obvious choice, but of course you can make it do. I doubt very very much it's better than Word, but this depends on whether you know how to use its features, such as styles, etc. Pages is probably great if you don't know anything about word processing. Anyhow, I personally think Journler is the best thing going.