Laptop or paper/pen notes in class?

Nursing Students General Students

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Just wondering who brings (or plans to) their laptop to class for note-taking? Or, who just uses paper and pen?

Thanks!

I think I'm going to keep it old school. With a laptop, you can't make yourself little side notes or little stars/asterisks/etc to remind you that 'HEY this is on the exam' or 'HEY you might wanna know this'. Plus, with pen and paper, you can use highlighters, different colored pens, markers, sticky notes, and basically anything and everything to help you retain information. I usually wrote all over the page and it looks like a rainbow by the time class is over. I don't know if I'm the only one but it is super helpful!

Best wishes to all!

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I retain more information by typing the notes. It is all going to depend on how YOU learn. Try both for a week, maybe you will find your typing can't keep up with a fast professor. Good luck!

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Whichever you end up doing, absolutely record the lecture because you will miss something and when you listen to it again you can fill in what you missed and hear what they are emphasizing for the test.

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Writing notes with pen and paper works best for me!

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I ended up really liking a Live scribe pulse pen. You have to buy their notebooks, but they have special paper in them, so the pen is recording the lecture while you take notes & the pen syncs your notes w/the lecture. Then you can sync with your computer & have it as a pdf file. Anyway, they're a little pricy but 1 pen got me through nursing school! Might look into it :-)

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depends on the class, if it is boring as heck and I can barely stay awake then laptop-also assuming an outlet is nearby. Everything else is pen and paper. Also many of our profs are very anal about recording lectures so that option is out the window

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Our instructors post all the powerpoints, so I printed them 3 to a page, and took notes on the print outs. Or I'd follow along on the powerpoints on my laptop and add notes to the slides, so that when I printed I had my own notes there. Then at home I go thru the book and hand write my notes from there and combine with my lecture notes.

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Specializes in Emergency Department.
Our instructors post all the powerpoints, so I printed them 3 to a page, and took notes on the print outs. Or I'd follow along on the powerpoints on my laptop and add notes to the slides, so that when I printed I had my own notes there. Then at home I go thru the book and hand write my notes from there and combine with my lecture notes.

This is pretty close to how I have done it over the past few semesters. It's worked pretty well for me. I can't say it will work well for everyone, but this is what worked for me...

I do the reading and do take notes from it using MS Word and Dragon NaturallySpeaking. I simply found that dictating to the computer helps me more because it engages my brain a bit more as I have to read the info, synthesize it, then speak it so that it makes sense, and hear what I just spoke. It does confuse the heck out of my wife at times because sometimes she thinks I'm talking to her... ;)

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Specializes in Psych ICU, addictions.

Paper and pen. Otherwise you are distracted by the sounds of typing or--and this is more likely--the giggles, snorts and whispers as the laptop owner sneaks on Facebook or YouTube.

I'll type up the notes later on at home.

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Specializes in LTC/SNF.

I write notes directly in my textbooks, highlight/star sections that the instructor emphasizes, that way all of the info I need to study is in one place. I have a 3.8 GPA in my nursing classes, and I haven't had a problem selling my books to newer students in the program. In fact, many people like having a book with "hints" like that. Taking notes in this way keeps me organized and saves time and money. If I brought my laptop I'd probably get distracted and go on allnurses :p

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Laptop only. I cut and paste the content from powerpoints slides into a word document and add in notes from the lecture and the book in different colors. I'm usually too busy taking notes to be distracted with facebook etc. I find it nice that all my notes are in one location. I think you'll find that everyone's learning style is different, you need to find what works best for you.

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