Does anyone have non-traditional way of taking notes?

[doc4kids93]

How do you take notes? My note taking has evolved over the years based on classes. My freshman year, I would use the traditional notebook and paper, but I found that I write too slow, so I started using a computer to type. My sophmore year, I would use a camera to record my physics lecture (with the permission of the professor) and then watch the videos later to study.

Does anyone take notes in a non-traditional way (video recording, Livescribe Smartpen, iPad apps, etc) that is different from the traditional notebook and paper?

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[KaBoom'd]

Since I'm an old nontraditional student, I use a stone slate and chisel for fancy notes, or homemade paper and charcoal for run of the mill practice and hw.

I also use a Surface Pro 3 and OneNote. I highly recommend for science coursework.

Sent from my SM-N910P using SDN mobile

 

[hurtem&healem]

I write in cursive. I have no idea how the kids keep up taking notes in print.

I also use a Surface Pro 3 and OneNote. I highly recommend for science coursework

+1. Total game changer.

 

[DrMikeP]

Print ppts and highlight or make notes in margins. Will try to do that on iPad for med school.

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk

 

[BluMist]

Is this considered "non-traditional"? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gregg_shorthand
I have no idea how people keep up in cursive

I write in cursive. I have no idea how the kids keep up taking notes in print.

 

[backside_attack]

Print ppts and highlight or make notes in margins. Will try to do that on iPad for med school.

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk

Yes, do this on One Note with a stylus and its great. Figured this out during my last semester in post-bacc.

 

[hurtem&healem]

Is this considered "non-traditional"? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gregg_shorthand
I have no idea how people keep up in cursive

Do you actually use shorthand? I've been considering trying to pick it up over the gap. How long did it take you to learn?

 

[etp123]

I actually just sit there and listen in class with very minimal note-taking. I do audio record all my lectures and I'll copy down any problems the professor solves/write down some really notable. But if I stop to take "thorough" notes I find it can be distracting and make me not think about what he/she said because I'm too preoccupied with writing. So in lecture I'll just listen and get a big picture understanding of the lesson, then later on I'll listen to the lectures again to re-solidify and fill in details I didn't get the first time. And on the second time around, since I've already understood where the lecture is going, I'm able to take more thorough notes.

 

[Sardinia]

When I used to be in college I was largely note dependent. When I worked in the outside world I became largely note independent. When I went back to school I began to write notes according to my learning needs. The cruel reality is that you aren't graded on the quality of your notes, but how well you are able to structure and learn the material you are taking notes on. Spaced repetition (Anki cards, Brainscape), steno pads, rewritten questions packets, potential writing prompts, and general ideas about what the entire midterm/final is probably going to look like are some of the things I begin to write my notes around rather than directly focusing on the broad spectrum of the material as a whole.

My personal stance is that if I don't value the notes I'm taking, then I need to restructure and condense them into a format where I find them efficient, valuable, and almost "cheating" as a resource because I don't have to open the textbook and it's geared to my learning pathways. Mnemonics or personal notes on items that I consistently forget are examples of key areas where I personally tend to consistently fail whale and need a good note so I don't have to agonize through the book when studying for a midterm or a final.

 

[BluMist]

haha, no, I actually don't. I was tempted to pick it up though after learning about them on podcast.

In term of note taking, I actually take minimal notes in most classes, especially if the lectures are powerpoint based. I only write down things that are not on the slide. I feel that by being selective with notes, I am actually consciously learning the material instead of blindly transcribing.

Do you actually use shorthand? I've been considering trying to pick it up over the gap. How long did it take you to learn?

 

[hurtem&healem]

I always have the PowerPoint pasted in OneNote and I've experimented with taking detailed notes vs minimal annotations. I've found that if I'm not consistently writing/highlighting something that I don't actually listen as well. Even if it's just doodling arrows and circling stuff, it keeps me engaged in the lecture rather than going down a mental rabbit hole on a minor point the professor mentioned 5 minutes before.

 

[Law2Doc]

Since I'm an old nontraditional student, I use a stone slate and chisel for fancy notes, or homemade paper and charcoal for run of the mill practice and hw...

Beat me to it -- I was going to suggest cave drawings in animal blood...

 

[Law2Doc]

I actually just sit there and listen in class with very minimal note-taking. I do audio record all my lectures and I'll copy down any problems the professor solves/write down some really notable. But if I stop to take "thorough" notes I find it can be distracting and make me not think about what he/she said because I'm too preoccupied with writing. So in lecture I'll just listen and get a big picture understanding of the lesson, then later on I'll listen to the lectures again to re-solidify and fill in details I didn't get the first time. And on the second time around, since I've already understood where the lecture is going, I'm able to take more thorough notes.

You don't have to take detailed notes, but most of the "science" suggests that "active" learning trumps "passive". So instead of just listening for the big picture you probably really would get more by jotting things down (even if it's minimal and you don't use it again, throw it out) or highlighting and annotating the lecture slides, etc.

 

[H2Oman]

For those of you recording lectures what device/app are you using?

 

[Nontradunderdog]

I record with my iPhone, fancy I know

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

I record with my iPhone, fancy I know

Do you have a specific app, or do you just use the recorder that comes standard on the phone?

 

[Nontradunderdog]

Do you have a specific app, or do you just use the recorder that comes standard on the phone?

I use the standard recorder, but I also make sure to put it in airplane mode to eliminate any interruptions from calls/texts/emails.

 

[wutwutwut]

I have used evernote throughout college and it has worked well for me!

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

I use the standard recorder, but I also make sure to put it in airplane mode to eliminate any interruptions from calls/texts/emails.

Nice. Also, I have your avatar on a shirt.

 

[esob]

I sit in the front and use a livescribe echo.

 

[etp123]

^ same. The fear of embarrassing myself by falling asleep in front of the prof keeps me wide awake and at attention lol