Using a Laptop

[SnowyRox]

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Okay, this is not another thread about whether or not to use a laptop to take notes in vet school or what type of laptop to use!

I have already decided to use a Tablet PC in vet school and use Microsoft OneNote for note-taking. My question is: how do you keep your documents safe and how do you access them from other computers?

I took notes on my tablet the first semester of undergrad... and then lost everything when I dropped my computer and smashed the hard drive. So I've been very cautious about taking notes on my computer and converting OneNote files to pdf and then e-mailing them to myself. But this is definitely not the fastest or most convenient way to have a back-up of my notes.

I've heard of Cloud. What is this and how will it help? I *think* it's the answer but I get so confused googling everything.

I will be mainly using my tablet, but I would love to be able to access everything on my Droid, on other home computers, and on school computers. I know it's possible... just not quite sure where to start.

Huge thanks to anyone who can help us computer-challenged people! 😍👍

p.s. Oh, and I can never figure out how to print my OneNote files so they look normal. My handwriting is a normal size on my screen, but becomes huge when I print it. Anyone have a solution for that too?

 

[bbeventer]

I get confused when people talk about this "cloud" too. I have been thinking of getting a "passport" one of those external hard drives. I don't know if they are compatible with phones but they are relatively small and easy to use and back up on.

 

[SocialStigma]

I back up my files both on an external HD as well as an online site (Dropbox, Mozy etc).

 

[bandierose]

Hey all,

my mom works for HP and therefore has some computer knowledge 🙂. I aksed her what the cloud was a year ago. Here is the stunning answer.
YOU HAVE ALL BEEN USING "THE CLOUD" FOR AGES IF YOU HAVE USED HOTMAIL, GMAIL, DROPBOX, etc...

The cloud is just a storage site like those other things. So, in answer to your question I would use dropbox or an email account. It is not soemthing new or great. If any of your schools have had server access then this is also a version of "The Cloud"

 

[sooprnova]

Dropbox!! Love Dropbox!!

 

[heylodeb]

Back up once a week on an external HD - if my internet connection was better, I would probably also use dropbox

 

[primatevetjess]

I second what everyone else has said. I back my files up on an external hard drive from time to time (should probably do it more often) and have a Dropbox account that I use for anything I want to access from another location. 🙂

 

[SnowyRox]

Hey all,

my mom works for HP and therefore has some computer knowledge 🙂. I aksed her what the cloud was a year ago. Here is the stunning answer.
YOU HAVE ALL BEEN USING "THE CLOUD" FOR AGES IF YOU HAVE USED HOTMAIL, GMAIL, DROPBOX, etc...

The cloud is just a storage site like those other things. So, in answer to your question I would use dropbox or an email account. It is not soemthing new or great. If any of your schools have had server access then this is also a version of "The Cloud"

Hmm... that's not the name of what I'm looking for then.

My issue with the online google docs and dropbox is that I couldn't get the onenote format to work in that. So, I would have to convert the files, which would then not be able to be edited. Do you guys just suffer through doing that or am I using the wrong file format?

 

[primatevetjess]

Hmm... that's not the name of what I'm looking for then.

My issue with the online google docs and dropbox is that I couldn't get the onenote format to work in that. So, I would have to convert the files, which would then not be able to be edited. Do you guys just suffer through doing that or am I using the wrong file format?

Hmm, I use a tablet and OneNote, and I usually upload my lectures to Dropbox as OneNote sections, that can then be opened again in OneNote and edited.

 

[cowgirla]

My tablet syncs to my big laptop which syncs to an external hard drive. Backup every night to the laptop, biweekly to the external. Plus auto sync my "school file" to Dropbox everytime a change is made- I'm paranoid lol

Plus my laptop is insured for accidental damage and all that

 

[SnowyRox]

My tablet syncs to my big laptop which syncs to an external hard drive. Backup every night to the laptop, biweekly to the external. Plus auto sync my "school file" to Dropbox everytime a change is made- I'm paranoid lol

Plus my laptop is insured for accidental damage and all that

Do you remember how you set up an auto-sync?

 

[hopefulinva]

I dunno what version of OneNote you've been using, but OneNote 2010 has an automatic cloud sync. You have to have a Microsoft Skydrive account - they're free. Hit the "Sync" option at the bottom of your notebook and login using your Skydrive account. You only need to do it once; then OneNote will sync automatically every 30 minutes or so, and before it closes, etc.

This allows you to access your OneNote notebooks on any computer with OneNote, or any Apple or Android product with the OneNote App (free on Andriod; I dunno if it is on Apple market or not).

It's REALLY handy; I use it on my Toshiba Thrive. =) The only problem is the Android OneNote app is brand new (it was just released a couple of months ago) and it doesn't show "Draw" figures - so all of my handwritten scribbles don't show up.

 

[Coquette22]

I use the SkyDrive and auto sync too. I have OneNote on both my netbook and my desktop, and this way I just open the program and all the changes I made on the other computer are already there.

 

[pumpkinsmom]

Dropbox is awesome!!! But you have to download the software onto any computer you want to use.

Google docs is second-best for simple word docs. But it does not work very well for complex PowerPoints that you need to be formatted correctly.

 

[SnowyRox]

I dunno what version of OneNote you've been using, but OneNote 2010 has an automatic cloud sync. You have to have a Microsoft Skydrive account - they're free. Hit the "Sync" option at the bottom of your notebook and login using your Skydrive account. You only need to do it once; then OneNote will sync automatically every 30 minutes or so, and before it closes, etc.

This allows you to access your OneNote notebooks on any computer with OneNote, or any Apple or Android product with the OneNote App (free on Andriod; I dunno if it is on Apple market or not).

It's REALLY handy; I use it on my Toshiba Thrive. =) The only problem is the Android OneNote app is brand new (it was just released a couple of months ago) and it doesn't show "Draw" figures - so all of my handwritten scribbles don't show up.

You guys are awesome! I will look for this when I upgrade my Microsoft products this summer.

 

[LetItSnow]

I dunno what version of OneNote you've been using, but OneNote 2010 has an automatic cloud sync. You have to have a Microsoft Skydrive account - they're free.

Isn't there some pretty low size limit on how much you can sync? It seems to me I looked into doing this (I use OneNote for all my classes) and decided there's not a chance in hell that the free Skydrive account would hold one semester's worth of data, much less all four years. I'd love to be told I'm wrong!

 

[Katie8]

i don't know if this falls into this category or not, but along the lines of the tablet PCs (aka writing on screens)....can you use an iPad to take notes?! i.e. is anything compatible or capable? I am pretty technology illiterate and really don't understand the capability of certain devices, but it would be AWESOME if I could only take my iPad to class and not lug a computer around all day, take notes on it (powerpoints, PDFs, etc) and then be able to upload when I get home or something or other.

Is this even possible? Or are iPads not compatible? any insight would be greatly appreciated 🙂

 

[PetPony]

I'd like to know more about taking notes on iPads too! I have I've and am trying to see if an iPad and MacBook would work well for vet school. I just haven't found a good note taking app yet..

 

[SnowyRox]

i don't know if this falls into this category or not, but along the lines of the tablet PCs (aka writing on screens)....can you use an iPad to take notes?! i.e. is anything compatible or capable? I am pretty technology illiterate and really don't understand the capability of certain devices, but it would be AWESOME if I could only take my iPad to class and not lug a computer around all day, take notes on it (powerpoints, PDFs, etc) and then be able to upload when I get home or something or other.

Is this even possible? Or are iPads not compatible? any insight would be greatly appreciated 🙂

It definitely doesn't have the same features as a tablet PC, but you could certainly draw on ppt slides on an iPad. Probably using evernote or even just adobe. Microsoft is supposed to make a better onenote for iPads soon, but not sure how soon.

 

[jmo1012]

I'd like to know more about taking notes on iPads too! I have I've and am trying to see if an iPad and MacBook would work well for vet school. I just haven't found a good note taking app yet..

i bet when you start vet school they'll have mind reading tablets and you wont even have to lift a finger! 😉

hmm on second thought, my notes would probably consist of "hmm what should i have for lunch? do i want a nap today? do i have time to call my mother. zzzzzz. oh, cleidomastoideus m. this guy is so boring, i can't understand a thing he says! is it friday yet?"