Taking Notes -- Laptop or Pen & Paper?

A

ATK

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Do you take notes using a laptop or the old fashioned way, Pen and Paper? Whether it be for high school, college, or work. What do you use to talk notes? What about for math/science classes that require bucket loads of diagrams? Tablet?

Personally, as being in high school still, I use the good ol' fashioned Pen and Paper.
 
Get a small audio recorder, tape the teacher...playback later...transcribe to a notebook if you want...

There are some great small recorders that'll digitally record to flash memory.
 
i think pen and paper is more efficient.

You can always "draw" different patterns and write your notes.
you know, like you have more "freedom" and you choose how to write, etc.

The laptop doesnt bring that freedom. you take word out and start typing and hope for the best.

i dont see myself taking notes on a a laptop. ever.
i would probably bring one and show off but that is about it.

Pen n Paper ftw.
 
Pen and paper.

Audio recorders are useless. Why would you want to listen to the same boring lecture twice? Besides if something important was said then you should have written it down the first time.
 
I used both. I would keep a small notebook out to draw the diagrams in and label them with a letter and have the letter be referenced in the notes on my laptop so I would know exactly what the diagram went to.
 
I used both but for different classes. Math/Physics/Geometry based classes I used Pen & Paper for diagrams, tables, etc. However, after my first 2 years in college I became a history major and then had to use a laptop to keep up with all the notes as the teachers sped along faster than I could shorthand the notes.
 
[quote name='LordVila']I used both. I would keep a small notebook out to draw the diagrams in and label them with a letter and have the letter be referenced in the notes on my laptop so I would know exactly what the diagram went to.[/QUOTE]


That sounds the most appealing. I can type really quickly and I am so OCD when I hand write notes they must be perfect or I'd stop paying attention.
 
I'm a pen and paper guy. Never got into lugging a laptop or netbook around to take notes, be it in classes before or meetings and other work related stuff now.

Too much hassle, and you end up often taking too many notes and type up most everything you hear rather than focusing on the important stuff.

Only way I'd go to electronic notes is once we get some tablet devices that you can write with a stylus really quickly and easily in, that felt a lot like writing on paper, had long battery life etc. As then it would a similar experience, but have the advantage of having them electronically to e-mail yourself, and keep in multiple locations etc.
 
[quote name='keithp']Get a small audio recorder, tape the teacher...playback later...transcribe to a notebook if you want...

There are some great small recorders that'll digitally record to flash memory.[/QUOTE]

agreed. tape recorders are the best also find people in each class you can borrow/ share notes with.
 
[quote name='gareman']I love me some pen and paper note taking

or typewriter
[/QUOTE]

damn that guy is just awesome... :roll:
 
pen and paper
i don't like being restricted to qwerty

also i hardly ever review my notes anyway, i just write it down 'cause it helps me remember things

never was a fan of the taping thing. i am also not a fan of powerpoint presentations in math/physics/engineering classes.
 
[quote name='DT778']
Audio recorders are useless. Why would you want to listen to the same boring lecture twice? Besides if something important was said then you should have written it down the first time.[/QUOTE]

Maybe so that the information you're supposed to be learning has a SECOND CHANCE TO SINK IN?

I'm an audio guy, so it's easier for me to remember stuff the professor says. If you're visual then, sure, go ahead and wear out your hand taking notes. (Of course, formulas and all that you pretty much have to write anyway though.)
 
[quote name='cRodz']damn that guy is just awesome... :roll:[/QUOTE]

I thought it was pretty funny especially if he was trying to make a point about how annoying computer key clicking is during class.

But yea pen and paper just because my notes end up looking like a goddamn treasure map with all the Xs arrows and circles.
 
[quote name='Liquid 2']Graph paper (the light green kind), exclusively.[/QUOTE]

do you really love lint green graph paper enough to go online and tell the world about how great it is when the nobody was even talking about types of paper? like seriously that's your thing, is lint green graph paper? i'm just trying to make sense of this comment, i'm just deciphering the meaning, help me out
 
It's graph paper, which is distinct from paper; this thread is asking what you take notes on. I don't know how that's not clear.
 
I use those cheap composition notebooks and a mech. pencil. No way I could sit there and keep up taking notes in a DiffEq class or in Thermodynamics with a laptop. way to many greek letters, diagrams and equations for a laptop imo. I wouldn't want to switch to a tablet or a pc tbh. I tend to use highlighters to mark up my text which makes studying easy.

Maybe in a history class...but definitely dont see it useful in Maths or Sciences.

http://lifehacker.com/5468473/handwritten-notes-arent-going-away-any-time-soon
http://lifehacker.com/5467668/do-you-prefer-hand+writing-or-typing-notes
lifehacker asked your same question a couple days ago.
 
[quote name='Liquid 2']It's graph paper, which is distinct from paper; this thread is asking what you take notes on. I don't know how that's not clear.[/QUOTE]

everything is distinct from anything, don't hide - you have relative anonymity, there's no need to be embarrassed of your bizarre obsessions here
 
[quote name='keithp']Maybe so that the information you're supposed to be learning has a SECOND CHANCE TO SINK IN?

I'm an audio guy, so it's easier for me to remember stuff the professor says. If you're visual then, sure, go ahead and wear out your hand taking notes. (Of course, formulas and all that you pretty much have to write anyway though.)[/QUOTE]That only happens to the people that write down everything the professor is saying instead of taking proper notes.

How do you go about listening to the recorded lecture? Do you go home and listen to it right away? Listen to all of them at the end of the week or before a test? I'm not trying to shit on you, just curious how people use this method.
 
[quote name='Liquid 2']Graph paper (the light green kind)[/QUOTE]

I use that for some classes. Mostly I just use regular lined paper though. And, I always write with pencil.
 
[quote name='DT778']That only happens to the people that write down everything the professor is saying instead of taking proper notes.

How do you go about listening to the recorded lecture? Do you go home and listen to it right away? Listen to all of them at the end of the week or before a test? I'm not trying to shit on you, just curious how people use this method.[/QUOTE]

As close to right away as possible, and then right before a test. I've heard if you imprint the information again within several hours of learning it the first time, it has a much higher rate of staying with you. I guess it's kind of like where they tell you as soon as you're introduced to someone to make sure that you repeat their name the first chance you get, and you'll have a much better chance of remembering it.
 
[quote name='Liquid 2']Are you drunk?[/QUOTE]
He's probably high. I remember him making a post a while ago and admitted to being high while typing it.

[quote name='gareman']I love me some pen and paper note taking

or typewriter

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vBh3eXpQdpg[/QUOTE]
I lol'd really hard. He's in a CS 1301.
 
I only take notes in history class, and that's on my Macbook. But lately, I've been kind of interested in one of those electronic notepads. I don't think I would use it much, but they're cool. :D
 
Just a plane notebook and a #2 pencil. I could not use a PC for notes, I tried it but I actually feel I learn better by notes hand written on a notebook then typed. Plus no worries about if I don't have my notes because they are not on my flash drive or whatever.
 
[quote name='keithp']Get a small audio recorder, tape the teacher...playback later...transcribe to a notebook if you want...

There are some great small recorders that'll digitally record to flash memory.[/QUOTE]

Good luck figuring out the 6 pages of formulas your professor writes each lecture from the sound he makes when he writes them... or maybe you're not an engineering major :D

And of course pen and paper for me. I think I've seen a total of one person out of the one or two hundred in my classes use a touch screen for notes. Nobody actually types anything out due to the noise and difficulty of typing out crazy equations.
 
[quote name='VipFREAK']I can do pen and paper on my Thinkpad x61t laptop.[/QUOTE]

This.

Just get a nice lenovo or other brand and use your laptop as your paper. It's freaking great if you can swing the price.
 
[quote name='DrFoo']Good luck figuring out the 6 pages of formulas your professor writes each lecture from the sound he makes when he writes them... or maybe you're not an engineering major :D
[/QUOTE]

Taping a lecture and taking notes aren't mutually exclusive. I've never been a taper, but the class mates (or my students currently) who tape lectures are also taking notes during class. Then they have notes and the tape for reviewing.
 
[quote name='Sir_Fragalot']Just a plane notebook and a #2 pencil. I could not use a PC for notes, I tried it but I actually feel I learn better by notes hand written on a notebook then typed. Plus no worries about if I don't have my notes because they are not on my flash drive or whatever.[/QUOTE]

Same here. I think if the OP wants to retain as much information as possible, physically writing it out seems to be the best way.
 
Pen and paper is the best way to take notes. Physically writing out the information you receive in class goes a long way in helping you retain it.
 
[quote name='Mr. Anderson']Pen and paper is the best way to take notes for some people. Physically writing out the information you receive in class goes a long way in helping some people retain it.[/QUOTE]

fixed

fuck notes, i'm 100% auditory learner, i show up to lecture & try to focus, the end. taking notes distracts me. it's all about the person's learning style, everyone is different, and anyone who thinks otherwise is wrong.
 
Pen and paper, mostly because I was a engineering major, and I'm used to taking notes with pen and paper. Also, laptops 7 years ago are not the smallest thing to be carrying around. The ones that are small and light enough costs a pretty penny.
 
[quote name='Koggit']fixed

fuck notes, i'm 100% auditory learner, i show up to lecture & try to focus, the end. taking notes distracts me. it's all about the person's learning style, everyone is different, and anyone who thinks otherwise is wrong.[/QUOTE]

Everyone is different, but kids in my classes that don't take notes usually drop the class or get crappy grades.
 
Laptop almost exclusively, even in math classes. I needed to be able to read my notes afterward, and hand writing them made that damn near impossible.
 
[quote name='dmaul1114']Taping a lecture and taking notes aren't mutually exclusive. I've never been a taper, but the class mates (or my students currently) who tape lectures are also taking notes during class. Then they have notes and the tape for reviewing.[/QUOTE]

This. As a senior in college, I've found this method very reliable. Taking good notes during class is invaluable. However, there are a lot of times when something you wrote down doesn't make sense or you might have missed the gist of something.

Often times, however, you'll want to go to a certain point in the lecture to review your notes but aren't sure where in the recording it is. My advice is to put a time stamp on the margin of your notes every 10-15 minutes or important topic so that you can easily find that point in your recording.
 
Even though i write down notes in a notebook, i rarely review them. Just the act of writing them down seems to be enough to basically memorize them. I mostly take notes so i don't have to ask about it later and look like i wasn't paying attention.
 
I was the ultimate in OCD.

I'd do my initial notes and graphs on pen and paper in class. When I got home, I would reorganize my notes on my PC and maybe scan the graph/illustration in. For me, I found that going through the notes a second time to type it up on a PC was an excellent way to study. I have never used a laptop in a class, and my laptop has never gone to school with me.

I also found people later who were willing to buy my nice neat notes with cash or other favors, and one professor liked my notes so much that he asked if he could use them for future lectures in return for an instant A.
 
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