9 January 2009
Tech Tips: Taking Notes #1 – Word
Ok, so I was originally going to start the ‘Taking Notes’ series off by going with the straight up pen and paper. But then, how much is there to say about taking notes with a pen and paper? It’s not really a topic for technological wilfdire, so I’ll skip it for the moment.
If you’re not taking notes by hand, then, what are the options? Well you should first up take a look at an excellent article over at Lifehacker, Adam’s Best Note Taking Tools. I think in time I will give each of his suggestions a go and see what I think of them, but for the moment I want to focus on the one (most obvious, in my opinion) option that he doesn’t mention. the basic text editor.
Choose Your Editor
There is no need to really focus on any one of the available options, because they all pretty much do the same thing. Wordpad, Word 2003/07, Open Office’s Writer or Mac’s Pages – they’re all the same. Notepad is probably a bit of a stretch, but otherwise all you need is a program that will input the information you type into it and will let you play with that information in some very basic ways.
Also, I will give a big thumbs up to Open Office. Some of the options I mention above are pricey and there isn’t really any need for them. Open Office is free and does what you need. Dont fall into the trap of saying because you’re a poor university student you can pirate some software and it’s ok. If you cant afford to pay for one of the above options at least give Open Office a try first because on the internet Freeware is actually pretty cool, unlike in real life where getting things for free makes you ‘alternative’ (ie. a smelly hippy).
Method One – Insert Text Here Method
This is the method I see used most often in class, although I have never gone for it myself. Student’s take in the handout the lecturer has provided to them ahead of schedule and insert the lectuer’s comments into the relevant spots, usually in another colour.
The advantages of this method is that you have more time to sit and think about what is actually being said, and if you’re not good at typing you have time to take down the little snippets of information your lecturer says that aren’t included in the handout. It also means that you’re able to follow along with the lecturer quite easily, as the handout is in front of you the entire time and later when you’re reading it, what the lecturer was waffling has been inserted into the correct spot.
The disadvantage though, is that sometimes the information doesn’t flow. This will depend on your university, but I find that these handouts can really be a bit of a pain in the bum. Lecturer’s dont follow them to the letter, they jump all over the shop. And if you dont really understand what is being said at the time, or how it fits in with the rest of the lecture, when you come back to your notes in ten weeks time you have no hope.
It’s probably the best way to take notes overall, though, and I imagine that’s why everyone does it. It’s certainly the most popular as I look around the classroom (well to be honest, the ‘Spider Solitaire Method’ is probably the most popular). It’s definitely a solid option if you’re just starting out.
Method Two – Verbatim Method
This is the method that I use, and I would only recommend it to people who are able to type reasonably quickly. I tend to take down whatever the lecturer says verbatim, and insert my own thoughts as I go along. It takes some getting used to, because generally I cant keep up with absolutely everything that is said. But after a while, you develop your own way of shortening what is being said into a quick, much shorter sentance structure. If at the end of the day your notes look like one really big SMS, that’s fine.
The advantage to this is that you get *all* (or at least 90%) of the information that is said. It is a lot like taking in a tape recorder, except that you’re able to include your own thoughts and interpretations at the exact relevant spots. So for example, generally I dont understand things in the same way that everyone else does. When I finally get that lightbulb moment and start to catch on to what is being said by the lecturer, I can immediately scribble down how I understood it (eg. ‘anticipatory breach is like when someone says ‘I just dont know who I’m going to vote with’ on Survivor’)
Also, because you’re always typing its hard to fall away into daydream land, which is probably the main reason I dont go with Method One. Eventually you will find yourself able to type what is being said verbatim while also thinking about something completely far away, but provided you’re putting in enough of your own comments and thoughts to bring you back to the moment, you’ll be fine.
The disavantage is pretty clear – it’s a lot of work. I mean, come on, buy a tape recorder. As well as this, often you will have a hard time referring to the handout while also typing out the notes verbatim. You also have to watch out for a lecturer that just isn’t helpful. You will know these when you get them, but dont assume that just because you’re taking down everything that is being said, you’re doing something that will be helpful. In those situations generally I just stop attending the lecturers and hit the books instead.
Method Three – Inner Monologue Method
This isn’t really a method, this is just here to catch yourself from falling into a trap. Occasionally I see people who open up a blank word document, and just write down the occasional thought that they might have as the lecture continues. If you’re going to do this, go with Method One and write those thoughts down in the relevant places in your handout.
The problem with this method is that about 40 minutes into the lecture you will find your inner thoughts just stop. Unless you are super disciplined, you will probably be off in a far away land. Ten weeks later you’ll realise that all of your notes suddenly stop at about two or three pages, what’s up with that?
If you’re just relying on your thoughts to give you the cue to write something down, you’re going to struggle because we all drift off ocassionally. It is fine to just type down the thoughts that you have while in the lectuer, but if you’re going to do that then put those thoughts into the handout that is given to you. You will find that the handout acts as a prompt for you and stops you from drifting off.
Of course if you’re not given a handout and you always begin each lecture with a blank document – then you just have to do the best job you can, or give Method Two a try. Fortunately this seems to be less and less common as time goes on.
Pretty Simple, Really
I really didn’t think this would end up being nearly 1300 words but there you go. There are many other ways to take notes during class, these are just some suggestions to get you started.
If anyone else has found a good method for taking notes during class using the basic text editors then feel free to comment here or on the forums.
Related posts:
- Tech Tips: Google Goodies #3 – Google Docs
- Tech Tips: Google Goodies #1 – GMail
- Tech Tips: Google Goodies #2 – Google Reader
- Tech Tips: Booko
- Tech Tips: Google Profile
You missed the number one reason to bring a laptop into a lecture: Super Mario.