Anyone using the tablet pc to take notes

[willti1]

Any students using the tablet pc's in class to take notes-- they seem so cool but wondering if I'll really use it or if it will be a technical disaster in class

[sandman1914]

A couple of my classmates use tablet notebooks. They seem to like them. They come in handy if you recieve electronic copies of your notes because that allows you to add to them. The other added benefit is that you always have you notes with you and easily accessible.

[UMichSCN07]

Not a CRNA student, but I use my tablet constantly in class. My instructors post their lecture powerpoints the night before, which I download and then "print" to Windows Journal, which allows me to hand write notes right on the PPT "slides." The other option, assuming the tablet comes pre-loaded with Windows One Note (and most are, to my knowledge) is to use the Send To One Note program, which does essentially the same thing as printing to Journal, but you can more easily organize your notes in One Note, sort of like a digital Trapper Keeper.

My biggest recommendation is to carefully consider whether you want a slate-form or a convertible. I went with the Toshiba Satellite convertible, because it has a DVD SuperDrive (most slate-form tablets don't have an optical drive) and all of the benefits of a traditional laptop: movie viewing, keyboard for typing papers, etc. Also, since the convertible closes like a traditional laptop when you put it away, the screen is protected.

2 pitfalls: #1-Don't plan on using the tablet function to write assignments on. Yes, the software learns your writing style over time to better translate your handwriting to typed text, but the proofreading is cumbersome. #2-Don't plan on using your tablet in place of a PDA. Even the slate-form is too large to carry constantly and the boot-up process is far too long if you want to just quickly jot down a phone number or do a quick drug lookup.

I recommend at least going to Best Buy/CompUSA/etc. and trying out the tablet function, or if you know someone who has one, ask to play with it for a while. There are definite advantages and pitfalls, but if you're someone who writes faster than types (like me) and hates carrying multiple notebooks for multiple classes (like me), the tablet is a definite asset.

Feel free to PM me if you have any more questions.

Mike in Michigan