iPad vs Macbook for note taking

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What is the best way to take notes?

  • iPad

    Votes: 17 15.2%

  • Macbook

    Votes: 34 30.4%

  • Paper/pencil

    Votes: 61 54.5%
  • Total voters
    112
sieg5

sieg5

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Inb4 pen and paper

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MedPR said:
Inb4 pen and paper

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Click to expand...

Lol

OP, I don't have an ipad but it seems hard to type fast on them because it isn't a keyboard with buttons. A macbook will be heavier and more burdensome to carry around (unless you have the air macbook) but its easier to type fast with because there are physical buttons.

On the other hand though, I think you can buy key boards to use with the ipad, however I don't know if ipad's have Microsoft word or an actual app that you can type pages and pages of notes without it being annoying.
 
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Lollygag said:
Lol

OP, I don't have an ipad but it seems hard to type fast on them because it isn't a keyboard with buttons. A macbook will be heavier and more burdensome to carry around (unless you have the air macbook) but its easier to type fast with because there are physical buttons.

On the other hand though, I think you can buy key boards to use with the ipad, however I don't know if ipad's have Microsoft word or an actual app that you can type pages and pages of notes without it being annoying.
Click to expand...

I can type on my phone (with SwiftKey) almost as fast as I can with a regular keyboard (100wpm+) but I do prefer a real keyboard.

If I could have only one (tab or laptop) I would choose laptop.

Sent from my SGH-T999 using SDN Mobile
 
I use my iPad with the goodnotes app and a stylus. I really like it!

I prefer it over lugging around multiple notebooks.
 
It's easier for me to memorize/absorb info when writing it on paper (and flipping through pages of a textbook). I see the appeal in an iPad though, as my shoulders are near the point of giving out when I'm carrying 2-3 textbooks with a few notebooks and other materials all day.
 
joshb003 said:
I use my iPad with the goodnotes app and a stylus. I really like it!

I prefer it over lugging around multiple notebooks.
Click to expand...

This is what I was thinking about doing, it can be really difficult to organize notes with paper/pencil, erasers make it difficult to differ between what's what b/c of the mess.
 
sieg5 said:
This is what I was thinking about doing, it can be really difficult to organize notes with paper/pencil, erasers make it difficult to differ between what's what b/c of the mess.
Click to expand...

Right, but that isn't a reason to go tab over laptop.

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Started school using a macbook then switched to old school paper and pen. Made my life so much easier (though a lot heavier...). It's easier to flip through notes and be able to spread things out with paper notes than to flip through pages on the computer. I also didn't fall asleep in class as easily when I had a pen in my hand. But that's just me. Maybe I just don't know how to use technology properly 😛
 
Lady Netter said:
Started school using a macbook then switched to old school paper and pen. Made my life so much easier (though a lot heavier...). It's easier to flip through notes and be able to spread things out with paper notes than to flip through pages on the computer. But that's just me. Maybe I just don't know how to use technology properly 😛
Click to expand...

I'm likely going to type and print notes and annotate with pen/pencil in books.

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Stumpyman said:
It's easier for me to memorize/absorb info when writing it on paper (and flipping through pages of a textbook). I see the appeal in an iPad though, as my shoulders are near the point of giving out when I'm carrying 2-3 textbooks with a few notebooks and other materials all day.
Click to expand...

Hmmm that's true.

Can I change my vote on the poll? lol
 
Stumpyman said:
It's easier for me to memorize/absorb info when writing it on paper (and flipping through pages of a textbook). I see the appeal in an iPad though, as my shoulders are near the point of giving out when I'm carrying 2-3 textbooks with a few notebooks and other materials all day.
Click to expand...

Same

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I've always liked the idea of going completely electronic, either tablet or laptop. But there's always dynamic ideas and diagrams that are very difficult to get into my notes without the freedom of pen/paper.

Also when possible I like pictures and more often than not, they need to be drawn.
 
MedPR said:
I can type on my phone (with SwiftKey) almost as fast as I can with a regular keyboard (100wpm+) but I do prefer a real keyboard.

If I could have only one (tab or laptop) I would choose laptop.

Sent from my SGH-T999 using SDN Mobile
Click to expand...

Would you take notes on your phone for class though? I think I can type just as fast on my phone as I can on keyboard but for class it may a) kill my battery and b) make the prof think I'm on my phone the whole time lol unless I'm sitting in the back

Lady Netter said:
Started school using a macbook then switched to old school paper and pen. Made my life so much easier (though a lot heavier...). It's easier to flip through notes and be able to spread things out with paper notes than to flip through pages on the computer. I also didn't fall asleep in class as easily when I had a pen in my hand. But that's just me. Maybe I just don't know how to use technology properly 😛
Click to expand...

I like being able to flip through notes too, have you considered printing them out instead? I started doing this and then would write over them, highlight and jot down more notes on top of it.

I also like being able to differentiate between the notes that I took in class straight from the mouth of the professor and what are notes I added later on. I don't know why I'm just weird like that.
 
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I got an iPad to take notes with the last semester. An iPad with a bluetooth keyboard is super good combination for class. I would also use a stylus to highlight powerpoints and stuff, but it's hard to make your handwriting look good, so I use a keyboard for actual notes, and stylus to highlight the important stuff on slides. It's Light weight, small, easy to use. I got the logitech ultra-slim keyboard cover for mine and it works great. If you don't wanna do the iPad I would go with a Macbook air, cuz a MBP is just too heavy and big, IMO, to be carrying around all the time.
 
Lollygag said:
Would you take notes on your phone for class though? I think I can type just as fast on my phone as I can on keyboard but for class it may a) kill my battery and b) make the prof think I'm on my phone the whole time lol unless I'm sitting in the back



I like being able to flip through notes too, have you considered printing them out instead? I started doing this and then would write over them, highlight and jot down more notes on top of it.

I also like being able to differentiate between the notes that I took in class straight from the mouth of the professor and what are notes I added later on. I don't know why I'm just weird like that.
Click to expand...

No but if I can type as fast on my phone as I can on a laptop I'm sure I can do the same on a tablet. Wasn't your original point that it's harder to type on a tab than a laptop?

Sent from my SGH-T999 using SDN Mobile
 
Depends on the class I guess. Paper/pen for ochem because there's the need to draw out mechanisms and such. But for any bio class that has no diagrams whatsoever than definitely the laptop.
 
No no no you have it all wrong.

Pen and paper is the best. Pencils are for noobs.
 
MedPR said:
No but if I can type as fast on my phone as I can on a laptop I'm sure I can do the same on a tablet. Wasn't your original point that it's harder to type on a tab than a laptop?

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Click to expand...

But wouldn't it be harder to type on a tablet than it would be for a phone? Like with a phone I can hold it in the palm of my hand and type with my thumb easily because the letters are close together, but with a tablet the letters are farther apart and I can't type and hold a tablet the same way I would hold a phone, I wouldn't be able to reach all the letters with my thumb. Even with my pointer finger the letters still seem farther apart. But I have small hands so idk if that's why.

I may just be thinking too much into it 😳 I've never really used an ipad, so I could be underestimating how fast you can type with it.
 
The iPad coupled with a few very capable apps, a good stylus and keyboard is pretty superior right now, I think.
 
Lollygag said:
But wouldn't it be harder to type on a tablet than it would be for a phone? Like with a phone I can hold it in the palm of my hand and type with my thumb easily because the letters are close together, but with a tablet the letters are farther apart and I can't type and hold a tablet the same way I would hold a phone, I wouldn't be able to reach all the letters with my thumb. Even with my pointer finger the letters still seem farther apart. But I have small hands so idk if that's why.

I may just be thinking too much into it 😳 I've never really used an ipad, so I could be underestimating how fast you can type with it.
Click to expand...

Possibly. I've never typed in a tab so I'm purely speculating too 🙂

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ShenanigansMD said:
No no no you have it all wrong.

Pen and paper is the best. Pencils are for noobs.
Click to expand...

I had this weird psychological thing with pencils when I was a kid. I just couldn't stand to hear the noise of a pencil writing on paper (same thing with chalk on blackboard). Better now, but I still avoid pencils as much as I can 😳
 
Agent B said:
I don't like Apple products.
Click to expand...

Apples are delicious.

I'd go ipad over MBP though. Cheaper and if you decide you want a lappy there are tons of good ones for way less than MBP.

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It depends on the class for me. For any science classes, always pen/paper because I can't really draw out graphs/diagrams/pictures on a laptop.

For classes that are much more... lecturey (Yeah, I just made up that word) like history, always laptop. I type much faster than I write, and my notes are much neater that way.
 
Lollygag said:
I like being able to flip through notes too, have you considered printing them out instead? I started doing this and then would write over them, highlight and jot down more notes on top of it.

I also like being able to differentiate between the notes that I took in class straight from the mouth of the professor and what are notes I added later on. I don't know why I'm just weird like that.
Click to expand...

We get powerpoints and a handout that explains the lecture for most of our classes, so I print out the powerpoints and annotate in class. It's much easier to do this with a pen instead of trying to do it on a computer because I can draw and circle and do everything I want to without needing to click buttons and change things and stuff (maybe the ipad would function that way? I wouldn't know...I don't own one).

I'm flashcarding my way through med school so far (although physiology is proving less flashcard-able than other classes). If anyone likes to flashcard stuff, Anki is a great program! It's what I've been using.

OP, I would make sure you LIKE electronic notes before investing in an ipad. I switched from computer to paper about halfway through the semester, so give the computer a chance and see if you really are able to use it and it works well because you might find that you hate it and it would be a waste of an ipad! I mean, I guess there are other uses, but if that was the reason for buying it, maybe it would be wiser to invest in a laser printer instead 😛
 
I would add that it is important to learn the programs/apps that you will be using well before classes start. Learning how to take notes and utilize these programs as soon as you begin school isn't a great start.
 
For a class like undergrad classes like Organic Chem and Physics, definitely pen and paper; the same goes with med classes like Physiology and Histology.

Humanities and 'soft' science classes like Pharm and path I tend to use my macbook air. It really varies with the class and the style of the professor.
 
Sorry for the thread hijack, but I was debating getting a tablet for annotating (heard great things about iAnnotate + Evernote) but my current method of taking notes on my macbook on slides has worked very well, but I'm afraid the significant increase in material may call for a more organized approach (i.e. evernote + annotating on pdf versions of textbooks).

This is probably better suited for the med student forums, but should I just forego the tablet idea and buy a new desktop with a big monitor (which isn't really too much more than a tablet anyway)?

Thanks.
 
Does anyone use shorthand?
 
coyotelime said:
Sorry for the thread hijack, but I was debating getting a tablet for annotating (heard great things about iAnnotate + Evernote) but my current method of taking notes on my macbook on slides has worked very well, but I'm afraid the significant increase in material may call for a more organized approach (i.e. evernote + annotating on pdf versions of textbooks).

This is probably better suited for the med student forums, but should I just forego the tablet idea and buy a new desktop with a big monitor (which isn't really too much more than a tablet anyway)?

Thanks.
Click to expand...

Unless you're wanting to run high-end games on it, a desktop has no uses over a laptop other than being less expensive. And even if you want to play high-end games, a laptop will suffice even if most of the people on 4chan and what not think otherwise (they're stupid). Personally, I'm leaning towards getting a tablet because it looks like something you can get used to using and get really good at taking notes effectively.
 
I'm testing out the IPAD note taking this semester.

Most professors gives out powerpoint slides, it the ipad makes it a lot easier to take notes. No more printing and writing on the slides.


Usage:
Ipads: Anything that requires drawing
-Math
-Chemistry

Laptop:Anyting that DOESN'T require drawing.
-Biology
-English
-History
 
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sieg5 said:
Does anyone use shorthand?
Click to expand...

You mean like...abbreviations and symbols and stuff? Yes? I haven't written "change" since probably high school sophomore year - I use a triangle. Doesn't/can't/is not equal to...any sort of negative thing, I use an equal sign with a slash. Fx=function, strx=structure, afx=affects. I read about doing this one method of basically not writing vowels, but that doesn't actually work well in med school with a bunch of terms I don't know well. "therefore" = three circles in a triangular pattern (someone randomly taught me that...I don't know the logic behind that one). I use a lot of different ones. If I come up with a new one, I make sure to define it in my notes before I forget.

An ipad with a stylus can solve the problem of not being able to write on slides in the places you want to write, but you still need tod ecide whether you want to study those notes on the computer or print them out, etc. So keep that in mind.
 
sieg5 said:
Unless you're wanting to run high-end games on it, a desktop has no uses over a laptop other than being less expensive. And even if you want to play high-end games, a laptop will suffice even if most of the people on 4chan and what not think otherwise (they're stupid). Personally, I'm leaning towards getting a tablet because it looks like something you can get used to using and get really good at taking notes effectively.
Click to expand...

I'll say the same thing I told everyone else when i helped them buy a new computer.

If you don't plan on doing any sort of gaming, just go get a macbook air. Tablets are good only to a certain extent.
 
AestheticGod said:
I'll say the same thing I told everyone else when i helped them buy a new computer.

If you don't plan on doing any sort of gaming, just go get a macbook air. Tablets are good only to a certain extent.
Click to expand...

A desktop has its uses, it might last longer but in terms of specs, my Asus G53SX has yet to disappoint me. It runs everything on high settings, perfectly, it was 1200 including shipping. The only thing is, I don't foresee it running for more than 4 years, it's like a sports car.
 
I hate taking notes during lecture because I am not a naturally fast writer, and I find myself missing half of what the lecturer says. So every semester, I have a "scratch" notebook that I use for all of my classes, and I record all of my lectures and then convert them to mp3s and keep them on my laptop. I can then take notes at my own speed after class, while also listening to the material a second time. I use the scratch notebook to just jot down little things I want to look up or other extraneous facts. And since I'm paying attention much more to the lecture (rather than note-taking), I find that I retain the information much more. The only exception is o-chem, for which I resorted to the old pencil-paper method.
 
One of my fraternity brothers is an MS2 and invited me to come and sit in on 2 lectures with him. I brought my trusty 5-star college ruled notebook to take random notes in, and was the only one without a tablet computer out 🙁
 
JoshuaGuit said:
One of my fraternity brothers is an MS2 and invited me to come and sit in on 2 lectures with him. I brought my trusty 5-star college ruled notebook to take random notes in, and was the only one there besides the lecturer 🙁
Click to expand...

ftfy
 
Nevermind.
 
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JoshuaGuit said:
One of my fraternity brothers is an MS2 and invited me to come and sit in on 2 lectures with him. I brought my trusty 5-star college ruled notebook to take random notes in, and was the only one without a tablet computer out 🙁
Click to expand...

Lol. Why would you take notes for a class you're not in?

Sent from mobile
 
I've never taken notes in class on an iPad or a laptop. I definitely prefer the pen and paper. I like to be able to draw a diagram or graph quickly (with the iPad I think there is a lot of lag with the stylus 😕)

I don't really see the advantages of using a laptop for notes, I would just get to distracted.
 
Josh7 said:
I've never taken notes in class on an iPad or a laptop. I definitely prefer the pen and paper. I like to be able to draw a diagram or graph quickly (with the iPad I think there is a lot of lag with the stylus 😕)

I don't really see the advantages of using a laptop for notes, I would just get to distracted.
Click to expand...

There is a slight lag, but it all depends on the program you're using. If you're using the PDF program to take notes, it's not going to work very well for you. Luckily there's a lot of programs out there that can import pdf files AND record lectures(voice) for you.
 
sieg5 said:
A desktop has its uses, it might last longer but in terms of specs, my Asus G53SX has yet to disappoint me. It runs everything on high settings, perfectly, it was 1200 including shipping. The only thing is, I don't foresee it running for more than 4 years, it's like a sports car.
Click to expand...

Real nerds build their own computer.
 
AestheticGod said:
There is a slight lag, but it all depends on the program you're using. If you're using the PDF program to take notes, it's not going to work very well for you. Luckily there's a lot of programs out there that can import pdf files AND record lectures(voice) for you.
Click to expand...

I found this on youtube and thought it was really cool. The delay seems to be like .5 seconds if that.

AestheticGod said:
Real nerds build their own computer.
Click to expand...

I was going to do that instead of just getting the default model but I thought it would take too long to research all of the parts and I needed a laptop for the semester really quickly.
 
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