Difference between revisions of "The Quest for the Perfect Notetaking Medium"
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==Note Taking== | ==Note Taking== | ||
| − | I take taking notes very serious. | + | I take taking notes very serious. I have found that writing the information helps me slow down and remember it better. It also forces me to process and review the information in order to shrink it down to concise form for the page. One of my teachers, Dr. Reilly, agrees that writing down the information helps students remember. I have even developed formats for taking notes, such as the [[Headline Notetaking Format]] I developed in [[American Studies]] which tries to shrink the information to one line of loose leaf formatted similar to a newspaper headline. These efforts have paid off. At Governor's School (described below), Professor Song, the UML/Systems professor at Drexel's Graduate School in Information Science said that I would "graduate ''suma cum laude'' from Harvard due to the quality of my notes. |
| − | I also | + | I also post my notes online at [http://theplaz.com ThePlaz.com], my website with about 4,000 pages of content, together viewed over half a million times. As I described in the site [[Mission Statement]], I try and share what I know with the world. I have also found that knowing that other will read my notes motivates and focuses me to do my best, even on days where I don't feel like it. |
| − | + | Notes are critical for me to succeed in school; however the process and overhead of taking them on paper dragged down my life. I set out to find a better way of taking notes that would give me more time to concentrate on classwork and my business and volunteer efforts. I purchased a Fujitsu T4220 Tablet PC several months ago and I decided to use it to take notes in school. | |
| − | + | ||
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| − | Notes are critical for me to succeed in school; however the process and overhead of taking them | + | |
==Computer== | ==Computer== | ||
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But the most useful part of having a laptop is the ability to collaborate. During a group project, I can write or type what we talk about and then in 4 clicks, email it to the group. For the [[Decades Project]], I set up a group discussion forums, where we could all post ideas. However, at this point in time, my other group members were not carrying around laptops. This slowed the discussion down, but it was still beneficial for me to have a laptop because I could integrate group member's work into our project when they sent it to me. This streamlines my day because I can take care of a simple task as it comes up, not save it for the end of the day, which I feel is less efficient. | But the most useful part of having a laptop is the ability to collaborate. During a group project, I can write or type what we talk about and then in 4 clicks, email it to the group. For the [[Decades Project]], I set up a group discussion forums, where we could all post ideas. However, at this point in time, my other group members were not carrying around laptops. This slowed the discussion down, but it was still beneficial for me to have a laptop because I could integrate group member's work into our project when they sent it to me. This streamlines my day because I can take care of a simple task as it comes up, not save it for the end of the day, which I feel is less efficient. | ||
| + | |||
| + | That last part I mentioned, efficiency, is key. For years, I have been trying to be more efficient and more effective. Carrying a laptop means I can take care of simple tasks immediately, not write them down on paper and then process them when I get home to my computer. For example, if I want to change something on this essay draft, I can make the change immediately. If I have a spare moment, I can open my laptop and start editing this very essay. I don't have to remember to print it out the day before, make changes on paper, and then type in those changes. These efficiency gains allow me to accomplish more in less time. | ||
===Taking Notes=== | ===Taking Notes=== | ||
| − | The greatest difference with taking notes on the computer rather than on paper is the ability to easily add information from the internet. For example, one of my teachers posts assignments on the internet. I can easily copy the | + | The greatest difference with taking notes on the computer rather than on paper is the ability to easily add information from the internet. For example, one of my teachers posts assignments on the internet. I can easily copy the assignment into my OneNote notebook and highlight key points. If a teacher gives out their notes on a PowerPoint, I can import the PowerPoint and write on top of it. (move stuff to here) If I need to research something, I can first of all go online instantly and I can import my research into my notebook and highlight important info. |
| − | In addition, electronic notes can be easily searched. With only a few clicks I can search everything I ever wrote in that class for a | + | In addition, electronic notes can be easily searched. With only a few clicks I can search everything I ever wrote in that class for a keyword. If someone missed a class, I can also easily provide them with a copy of my notes. If I had used paper, I would have to find a copy machine. |
| − | Electronic notes are also more flexible. I can move around every world, image, or diagram. With paper, I sometimes realized after the fact that what I had written should have been on a new page. However, with a computer, | + | Electronic notes are also more flexible. I can move around every world, image, or diagram. With paper, I sometimes realized after the fact that what I had written should have been on a new page. However, with a computer, I can select what I want to move, cut, and paste. In addition, when something needs to be erased, it erases clearly. |
| + | |||
| + | Pics in calculus | ||
==Types of Classes== | ==Types of Classes== | ||
| − | I have discovered that using a computer and electronic notes is more helpful in some classes than in others. In one class, the teacher taught mostly from PowerPoints | + | I have discovered that using a computer and electronic notes is more helpful in some classes than in others. In one class, the teacher taught mostly from PowerPoints and often would spontaneously turn to the internet to look something up or research a topic. This was partially because she was a new teacher and did not have the course locked down in a format she had been using for years. In addition, the other students in the class were using laptops provided by the school as part of the "Classrooms for the Future" program. This perhaps had the largest impact, because other students worked electronically as well. |
| − | In my other classes that semester, the teacher did not let students use the provided laptops most of the time | + | However, this experience is not the same in all of my classes. In most of my other classes that semester, the teacher did not let students use the provided laptops most of the time or were not part of the CFF program which provided laptops. These teachers also generally taught mostly from a textbook or from their own experiences. They did not make much use of PowerPoint or the internet. They also handed out many many worksheets. In most cases, these types of classes have also been taught almost exactly the same year after year. It is harder to work electronically in these type of classes. I must manually scan handouts into my notebook or keep them separate. In addition, they key benefit of being able to quickly import internet research or teacher-provided notes into my notebook is diminished. |
==Ink. Useful?== | ==Ink. Useful?== | ||
| − | The Fujitsu Tablet PC also had the ability to be written on using a pen. | + | The Fujitsu Tablet PC also had the ability to be written on using a pen. The writing is then converted to electronic ink which appears on the screen. (stock photo) Using the pen to write onto a OneNote notebook is like writing on a big pad of paper. |
| − | Using a Tablet PC's writing capabilities (called "ink") rather than typing is a mixed bag. It is much slower to actually write on my computer than it is to type. Even just surfing the web using the pen as a mouse feels slower than using a trackpad | + | Using a Tablet PC's writing capabilities (called "ink") rather than typing is a mixed bag. It is much slower to actually write on my computer than it is to type. Even just surfing the web using the pen as a mouse feels slower than using a trackpad. |
| − | However I find that ink is useful in 3 cases: for drawing diagrams, writing on top of other documents, and writing is less "intimidating" | + | However I find that ink is useful in 3 cases: for drawing diagrams, writing on top of other documents, and the general finding that writing is less "intimidating" than typing. Fortuently, the program I use, Microsoft Office OneNote, can combine typed text and written ink fairly seamlessly. |
| + | |||
| + | Drawing using a pen is much faster than creating diagrams using the drawing tools in Microsoft Office or even making something in Photoshop or InkScape. I need diagrams because, as a visual learner, I need to see things, and diagrams are the most efficient way to communicate. As the saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words. I can draw in 30 seconds (and have it digitally stored) what would take me 5 minutes using a mouse and drawing tools. As you can imagine, I can not spend 5 minutes replicating a diagram. | ||
In addition, when I get content either from a teacher or off the internet, it is very helpful to be able to draw on top of it. First of all, using existing notes lets me skip recording the basic information and write more advanced notes or personal anecdotes which help my memory. Plus, being able to write ''on top of'' lets me add stuff without disturbing the original and lets me see where my notes stop and the given ones start. | In addition, when I get content either from a teacher or off the internet, it is very helpful to be able to draw on top of it. First of all, using existing notes lets me skip recording the basic information and write more advanced notes or personal anecdotes which help my memory. Plus, being able to write ''on top of'' lets me add stuff without disturbing the original and lets me see where my notes stop and the given ones start. | ||
| − | In my [[AP Psychology]] class, the teacher handed out PowerPoints of each chapter in the beginning of the year. I did not have my tablet then, but I used this "write on top of" strategy on printer paper PowerPoints as I read the textbook. I found it very useful, because as a visual learner, I was able to connect my notes I created with the PowerPoint the teacher went over in class. As the teacher went over the slides, I added | + | In my [[AP Psychology]] class, the teacher handed out PowerPoints of each chapter in the beginning of the year. I did not have my tablet then, but I used this "write on top of" strategy on printer paper PowerPoints as I read the textbook. I found it very useful, because as a visual learner, I was able to connect my notes I created with the PowerPoint the teacher went over in class. As the teacher went over the slides, I added what he said around the margin of the slide he was talking about. Using this method, I had all of my notes in one place. I started with the basic information already printed, and added helpful explanations from the textbook, and finally I added the useful stories the teacher gave, all on one stack of paper. |
| − | Lastly, writing is less intimating | + | Lastly, writing is less intimating than typing. When you have a laptop open for typing, the screen cuts you off from other people. Typing is louder than writing on paper. Writing feels more natural than typing; my [[American Studies]] teacher thinks that writing helps one memorize and that typing does not provide the same benefit. In all, writing feels more open than typing. |
| − | + | ||
| − | + | ||
===Gov School=== | ===Gov School=== | ||
In the summer of 2008, I attended the Pennsylvania Governor's Schools of Excellence in Information, Society & Technology at Drexel University in Philadelphia. The Governor's Schools are free 5-week summer programs paid for by the Pennsylvania state government. They are open to rising high school seniors, and in some programs, rising high school juniors. There are 8 subject areas, each one held at a different university or college throughout the state. Tuition, as well as room and board, is paid for by the state. The entire program is free for the student. Admission is very competitive because, unlike most for-profit summer camps that tend to accept anyone willing to pay, there is no financial barrier to entry. | In the summer of 2008, I attended the Pennsylvania Governor's Schools of Excellence in Information, Society & Technology at Drexel University in Philadelphia. The Governor's Schools are free 5-week summer programs paid for by the Pennsylvania state government. They are open to rising high school seniors, and in some programs, rising high school juniors. There are 8 subject areas, each one held at a different university or college throughout the state. Tuition, as well as room and board, is paid for by the state. The entire program is free for the student. Admission is very competitive because, unlike most for-profit summer camps that tend to accept anyone willing to pay, there is no financial barrier to entry. | ||
| − | The reason I purchased the tablet was to try out how to streamline my note taking for college and I thought that Gov School as a college precursor, would be a | + | The reason I purchased the tablet was to try out how to streamline my note taking for college and I thought that Gov School as a college precursor, would be a perfect test. I decided to try and take all electronic notes. The key benefit of electronic notes existed: with computers, topics tend to have much information available online. So, in Linux System Admin class, I imported tutorials from the internet into OneNote and highlighted the important steps and added notes in the margin about what worked for me. This let me not have to write out every step and command - I only had to add clarification every so often. |
| − | + | ||
| − | + | ||
| − | + | ||
| − | + | ||
==Paper vs Computer== | ==Paper vs Computer== | ||
| − | There are a few places where paper is outshines a | + | There are a few places where paper is outshines a computer. I am very familiar with paper, and writing on a computer just feels different. In addition, being on a computer can be distracting if you are not disciplined. However the main disadvantage, which I mentioned earlier, is that paper handouts given out by teachers needs to be scanned in. In addition, items which have to be turned in that day must be printed, and a printer is not always easy to come by. In the future, more teachers may accept, or require, electronic submissions of work. Power and battery issues also do not exist on paper, but must always be in the back of one's mind as one uses a laptop. |
| − | Lastly, some teachers may have reservations about a student using a computer in a classroom since many students are unable to focus if they are in front of a computer. | + | Lastly, some teachers may have reservations about a student using a computer in a classroom since many students are unable to focus if they are in front of a computer. |
| − | So | + | So all in all, I look forward to giving computer note taking a try next year in [[12th Grade]]. I think my trial run at Gov School showed how much overhead of time and "mental cycles" I was able to save. Having all my notes on the computer will significantly reduce the weight and volume of stuff which I need to carry around. I'm also looking forward to the day when electronic note taking becomes easy and viable for everyone to enjoy the benefits I will find next year on my digital journey. |
{| border="1" | {| border="1" | ||
Revision as of 23:03, 17 September 2008
This essay was branched from Laptops for Students and E-Note Taking to restrict the focus to just note taking - in order to use it for a College Application
Contents |
Note Taking
I take taking notes very serious. I have found that writing the information helps me slow down and remember it better. It also forces me to process and review the information in order to shrink it down to concise form for the page. One of my teachers, Dr. Reilly, agrees that writing down the information helps students remember. I have even developed formats for taking notes, such as the Headline Notetaking Format I developed in American Studies which tries to shrink the information to one line of loose leaf formatted similar to a newspaper headline. These efforts have paid off. At Governor's School (described below), Professor Song, the UML/Systems professor at Drexel's Graduate School in Information Science said that I would "graduate suma cum laude from Harvard due to the quality of my notes.
I also post my notes online at ThePlaz.com, my website with about 4,000 pages of content, together viewed over half a million times. As I described in the site Mission Statement, I try and share what I know with the world. I have also found that knowing that other will read my notes motivates and focuses me to do my best, even on days where I don't feel like it.
Notes are critical for me to succeed in school; however the process and overhead of taking them on paper dragged down my life. I set out to find a better way of taking notes that would give me more time to concentrate on classwork and my business and volunteer efforts. I purchased a Fujitsu T4220 Tablet PC several months ago and I decided to use it to take notes in school.
Computer
Carrying a computer around is really useful in school. I am able to quickly look up words I don't know in an online dictionary. I can research more information about a topic by Google-ing or reading an encyclopedia. I remain connected to the outside world with email and the news. I can maintain my to-do list in one places as it is automatically synchronized between computers. I can get a quicker start writing papers, because I can start typing whenever I get inspiration, not when I get home.
But the most useful part of having a laptop is the ability to collaborate. During a group project, I can write or type what we talk about and then in 4 clicks, email it to the group. For the Decades Project, I set up a group discussion forums, where we could all post ideas. However, at this point in time, my other group members were not carrying around laptops. This slowed the discussion down, but it was still beneficial for me to have a laptop because I could integrate group member's work into our project when they sent it to me. This streamlines my day because I can take care of a simple task as it comes up, not save it for the end of the day, which I feel is less efficient.
That last part I mentioned, efficiency, is key. For years, I have been trying to be more efficient and more effective. Carrying a laptop means I can take care of simple tasks immediately, not write them down on paper and then process them when I get home to my computer. For example, if I want to change something on this essay draft, I can make the change immediately. If I have a spare moment, I can open my laptop and start editing this very essay. I don't have to remember to print it out the day before, make changes on paper, and then type in those changes. These efficiency gains allow me to accomplish more in less time.
Taking Notes
The greatest difference with taking notes on the computer rather than on paper is the ability to easily add information from the internet. For example, one of my teachers posts assignments on the internet. I can easily copy the assignment into my OneNote notebook and highlight key points. If a teacher gives out their notes on a PowerPoint, I can import the PowerPoint and write on top of it. (move stuff to here) If I need to research something, I can first of all go online instantly and I can import my research into my notebook and highlight important info.
In addition, electronic notes can be easily searched. With only a few clicks I can search everything I ever wrote in that class for a keyword. If someone missed a class, I can also easily provide them with a copy of my notes. If I had used paper, I would have to find a copy machine.
Electronic notes are also more flexible. I can move around every world, image, or diagram. With paper, I sometimes realized after the fact that what I had written should have been on a new page. However, with a computer, I can select what I want to move, cut, and paste. In addition, when something needs to be erased, it erases clearly.
Pics in calculus
Types of Classes
I have discovered that using a computer and electronic notes is more helpful in some classes than in others. In one class, the teacher taught mostly from PowerPoints and often would spontaneously turn to the internet to look something up or research a topic. This was partially because she was a new teacher and did not have the course locked down in a format she had been using for years. In addition, the other students in the class were using laptops provided by the school as part of the "Classrooms for the Future" program. This perhaps had the largest impact, because other students worked electronically as well.
However, this experience is not the same in all of my classes. In most of my other classes that semester, the teacher did not let students use the provided laptops most of the time or were not part of the CFF program which provided laptops. These teachers also generally taught mostly from a textbook or from their own experiences. They did not make much use of PowerPoint or the internet. They also handed out many many worksheets. In most cases, these types of classes have also been taught almost exactly the same year after year. It is harder to work electronically in these type of classes. I must manually scan handouts into my notebook or keep them separate. In addition, they key benefit of being able to quickly import internet research or teacher-provided notes into my notebook is diminished.
Ink. Useful?
The Fujitsu Tablet PC also had the ability to be written on using a pen. The writing is then converted to electronic ink which appears on the screen. (stock photo) Using the pen to write onto a OneNote notebook is like writing on a big pad of paper.
Using a Tablet PC's writing capabilities (called "ink") rather than typing is a mixed bag. It is much slower to actually write on my computer than it is to type. Even just surfing the web using the pen as a mouse feels slower than using a trackpad.
However I find that ink is useful in 3 cases: for drawing diagrams, writing on top of other documents, and the general finding that writing is less "intimidating" than typing. Fortuently, the program I use, Microsoft Office OneNote, can combine typed text and written ink fairly seamlessly.
Drawing using a pen is much faster than creating diagrams using the drawing tools in Microsoft Office or even making something in Photoshop or InkScape. I need diagrams because, as a visual learner, I need to see things, and diagrams are the most efficient way to communicate. As the saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words. I can draw in 30 seconds (and have it digitally stored) what would take me 5 minutes using a mouse and drawing tools. As you can imagine, I can not spend 5 minutes replicating a diagram.
In addition, when I get content either from a teacher or off the internet, it is very helpful to be able to draw on top of it. First of all, using existing notes lets me skip recording the basic information and write more advanced notes or personal anecdotes which help my memory. Plus, being able to write on top of lets me add stuff without disturbing the original and lets me see where my notes stop and the given ones start.
In my AP Psychology class, the teacher handed out PowerPoints of each chapter in the beginning of the year. I did not have my tablet then, but I used this "write on top of" strategy on printer paper PowerPoints as I read the textbook. I found it very useful, because as a visual learner, I was able to connect my notes I created with the PowerPoint the teacher went over in class. As the teacher went over the slides, I added what he said around the margin of the slide he was talking about. Using this method, I had all of my notes in one place. I started with the basic information already printed, and added helpful explanations from the textbook, and finally I added the useful stories the teacher gave, all on one stack of paper.
Lastly, writing is less intimating than typing. When you have a laptop open for typing, the screen cuts you off from other people. Typing is louder than writing on paper. Writing feels more natural than typing; my American Studies teacher thinks that writing helps one memorize and that typing does not provide the same benefit. In all, writing feels more open than typing.
Gov School
In the summer of 2008, I attended the Pennsylvania Governor's Schools of Excellence in Information, Society & Technology at Drexel University in Philadelphia. The Governor's Schools are free 5-week summer programs paid for by the Pennsylvania state government. They are open to rising high school seniors, and in some programs, rising high school juniors. There are 8 subject areas, each one held at a different university or college throughout the state. Tuition, as well as room and board, is paid for by the state. The entire program is free for the student. Admission is very competitive because, unlike most for-profit summer camps that tend to accept anyone willing to pay, there is no financial barrier to entry.
The reason I purchased the tablet was to try out how to streamline my note taking for college and I thought that Gov School as a college precursor, would be a perfect test. I decided to try and take all electronic notes. The key benefit of electronic notes existed: with computers, topics tend to have much information available online. So, in Linux System Admin class, I imported tutorials from the internet into OneNote and highlighted the important steps and added notes in the margin about what worked for me. This let me not have to write out every step and command - I only had to add clarification every so often.
Paper vs Computer
There are a few places where paper is outshines a computer. I am very familiar with paper, and writing on a computer just feels different. In addition, being on a computer can be distracting if you are not disciplined. However the main disadvantage, which I mentioned earlier, is that paper handouts given out by teachers needs to be scanned in. In addition, items which have to be turned in that day must be printed, and a printer is not always easy to come by. In the future, more teachers may accept, or require, electronic submissions of work. Power and battery issues also do not exist on paper, but must always be in the back of one's mind as one uses a laptop.
Lastly, some teachers may have reservations about a student using a computer in a classroom since many students are unable to focus if they are in front of a computer.
So all in all, I look forward to giving computer note taking a try next year in 12th Grade. I think my trial run at Gov School showed how much overhead of time and "mental cycles" I was able to save. Having all my notes on the computer will significantly reduce the weight and volume of stuff which I need to carry around. I'm also looking forward to the day when electronic note taking becomes easy and viable for everyone to enjoy the benefits I will find next year on my digital journey.
| Paper | Computer |
|---|---|
| Heavy | Not heavy, use once |
| Uses paper | Uses electricity |
| Not easily searched | Easily searched |
| Does not crash | May break down |
| Not easy to backup | Easy to backup |
| I am more neat with it | Bit of a distraction |
| Find a copy machine | Easy to share |
Stuff Not Talked about
Leaving binders home since don't want to carry - problem if I need it Easy to backup "I can also easily back up my notes to Amazon S3 using JungleDisk over the internet, so if something happens to my tablet, I will not miss any work." Laptop: lost or stolen risk
There is also much less organizational overhead. I can put things in their final organized place instantly. When I had used a paper notebook before, I had to spend time organizing the papers
Proposed Structure
- my note taking style (new section)
- Carrying around a computer
- Types of classes
- Ink
- real world
- Bio
- Gov School
- 12th grade
(don't have the prequil and don't mention tablet writes until the ink section and makes it notes->computer->ink; make ink more positive; more of 1st 3 weeks or 12th Grade)
Drop onenote and ?ink
Email Me
