I have always taken notes using a notebook, but I now have an AlphaSmart (basically a keyboard with a small attached screen). I'm wondering how and if learning is affected by taking notes by typing rather than writing. Some "how to study" books I've read in the past discouraged typing your notes. Can anybody here share their experiences with switching to typing notes rather than writing? Thanks, Tracy
If you were sitting next to me in class, clicking away, chances are that I would have to kill you, or break both your thumbs so you couldn't hit the space bar..... First year of law school we had one student who brought a battery operated pencil sharpener with her to every class. In any given 50 minute class, she would grind away at least twice. The third week of class another student "accidently" knocked it to the floor, where another student "accidently" kicked it and a third student "accidently" stepped on it, four or five times. She got the message....... Wes
My personal preference was to take handwritten notes during class and then construct a structured outline from the notes, as well as other materials, on my computer. I found that the process of transcribing the notes, alone, reinforced learning and my understanding of the material. On the other hand, I suppose I could have taken notes via a laptop and gone through a similar process. However, I firmly believe I would have been summarily beheaded by my classmates had I done so. As an aside, there was a paralegal in my class who knew shorthand and took down **every** word uttered. That approach didn't appear to work too well for her because, from what I heard, she wound up somewhere in the bottom half of our graduating class.
That isn't all that unusual. People who are obsessed with taking notes often don't really listen to the lecture. They have beautiful notes, but the first time they read them is the first time they hear the material. I have always tried to listen and then to synthesize the material into a sentence or two. Wes
That, in my opinion, the best approach. This person clearly didn't "get it". In fact, she thought she had a huge advantage over other students in the class because she wasn't missing any words. Apparently, though, as you stated, she wasn't really hearing any of them.
depends on t he class I too am driven nuts by clicking next to me. It depends on the class the type of notes needed. I don't type fast enough to type in class. But I don't see why it would be less involving than handwriting notes. I think though, like taking handwritten notes, it is a skill that has to be learned. All the best1
I was told (don't remember where or who told me) that writing smaller than usual helps. I think the theory is that the smaller your writing, the more you have to concentrate on the material. I have tried this method and it seems to work (I am a lousy note taker any which way I write so its hard to tell a difference ). Typing notes (computer/typewriter/whatever) is easier than writing them, however, I think would you wouldn't learn from them as much. I guess it would depend on how well you type. If you type fast then you would not be conentrating as much on WHAT you are typing. For example, me typing this post. Odds are I will not remember much of what I typed in these few paragraphs. however, if I were to write this on paper, I think I would be able to recite a little bit more of its context. This is what I did for a class. I would jot down notes at class, and when I got home I would take the written notes and type them into an outline. I would print it out and high light key phrases and whatnot. Minutes later I would get distracted and do something else, goto class the next morning and still HAVE NO CLUE WHAT WAS GOING ON! JK I am currently studying for the College Algebra and Trig CLEP. What I do for this "course". Is take notes and practice questions on paper (its hard to do math questions on the computer). Best Regards, Bill
Since what I'm doing right now is only DL, I'm not in class to disturb anybody. I do type fast - 120+ last time I was clocked - so it's much easier than writing for me. Tracy
Walter Pauk's Exam Passer system... I forget the name originally used by Walter Pauk--"How To study in College"--the "Cornell Notetaking System" or "The Exam-Passer System," perhaps--But I swear by it! (Lucid examples are give by him in his books!) I ALWAYS buy 3.5 or 4 inch wide margined "legal pads" (but standard 8.5 X 11 inch sized). They are pricey. Pauk coaches students to jot down the jist of what they hear, whether it's in recognizable outline form or not! Then re-read after class, or at least within 12 hours! BEWARE of memory degradation: recall fades rapidly with time. When you do, you can add or amend as needed. When exam time comes, you can use ALL the wide margins you've been saving to re-organize or re-structure or summarize your notes for comprehension recall, oriented towards whatever instructions (e.g., exam questions or topics) you need to meet. NOW I always approach exam time with confidence--something I lacked as a teenage freshman in college and high schooler! --Orson
Will you all please slow down--I'm trying to take notes! Really, though, I find that since I can type without looking, taking notes is easier, persue than writing them; however, I have my own "shorthand", and that's helped tremendously through the years. Starkman
I still use a legal pad and a pen – it has worked for me in through seven programs. As far as the modern devices, it isn’t the keypads that bother me as much as the cords. Evening classes are four hours long and it seems laptop batteries last for about half of that. The classrooms I am in only have wall plugs – so it is an obstacle course as you try to negotiate all the cords running to the tables.
on-line classes The most recent classes I have taken have been on-line. The lectures could be printed out. I find that the best way to go. I don't waste any time with commuting to the class. The last class-room course I took I used a the classic 8 1/2 by 11 pad, hole punched to go in a notebook. All the best!
Given that I'm taking my courses from Athabasca University, which happens to be 972.3 km (614.8 mi) away from me, I can use my laptop or desktop to take notes from my course manuals and books that come with each course. When I begin a unit of a course, I do a quick scan of the materials and formulate questions that I want to do more work on when I read the material in depth. After I've completed the assigned readings, I make quick notes on the material that I've completed. During this process, I try and make sure that I've made notes of the areas that I am having problems understanding. After I've done the notes based on the material that I read, I then do notes that answer the "Learning Objectives" for each unit. Often, I'm able to do the "cut and paste" thing within Word or Wordperfect that would help me accomplish this task. If I can't find enough information in my notes to answer a particular learning objective, I review the material until I've assembled enough to satisfactorily cover the Learning Objectives. After I've covered all of these bases, so to speak, I can move on to the next Unit or assignment. Darren.
