Taking notes on a laptop?

chasingmydream · Aug 16, 2006

ok what is ADN ? i hate to ask...lol

In my human biology, phew my notes were all over the place, and when the prof draws all these diagrams...u have to have a pencil and paper..to draw it.. i would like to use my laptop, but in a class like that, i dont think it would work.

i think if you were in a lecture hall, it wouldnt be annoying to others really. if in a small classroom, im not sure how that would work. not well i think.

chasingmydream · Aug 16, 2006

That sounds oddly familar...and I'm very excited about the software.

wow i would love that, i can only dream to get that kinda package, software etc...you are soo lucky, i bet its what the future will look like ! books will be a thing of the past.

tddowney · Aug 16, 2006

The professors in our program actually reccommended us to get laptops for the start of this year. Our textbooks came in this package with this software program that contains every textbook we need this semester (and then some). We're supoused to download that to our laptops and bring them to class rather than having to lug around the 50lbs of books. This software is way cool. You can highlight text, and then later there's an option that it will create test questions from what you've highlighted..plus you can print out only what you've highlighted to make study sheets and study right from that...It outta be nice for the price we had to pay for this semesters textbook pakcage!

We have the same thing, probably Evolve from Mosby?

It is going to make life much easier. The license allows you to have the software on two pcs, as long as they're not in use at the same time. I'll take my laptop to class and use my desktop at home.

If it saves time, it's worth the extra money.

ChadleyNC · Aug 16, 2006

I got my laptop rior to the start of my first semester and I love it. My keyboard is a quiet one and I type a lot faster than I write. I also have a lot of difficulty writing abbreviations out to save time when I am writing and then forgetting what they mean later on.

Our program is set up so that our instructors place their notes in outline form on the web for printout. I download these and add to them during my reading and then moreso during the lecture. I rarely rewrite my notes, but I am a visual learner who doesn't have to write things a hundred times to remember them.

It's also helpful to have mass storage for things like clinical paperwork forms, Nurse Practice Acts and the course syllabus and handbooks etc. I utilize the disks from our textbooks for NCLEX style test questions as a study guide for my tests, and these are also available online.

So yeah, in my opinion it's helpful.

RebeccaJeanRN · Aug 16, 2006

Laptops never annoyed me to be around them, but personally, I felt self-conscious clickety clacking on mine so quickly opted not to. Maybe it was just my noisy machine, not the tiniest lightest model...funny how I never heard anyone else's clacking...But you also might have classes like ours, where we were often given handouts that we wrote all over- which may the laptop not as practical. My suggestion if you are used to using one and would like to: get there early and sit either way in the back (last seat over to the side) or way in the front (and also over to the side) . Also, you may find that they are just too much to lug around along with texts and the inevitable binder for handouts. Personally, I LOVED my little Palm PDA. Didn't put notes in it in class, but it had my Tabers (for quick looking up of terms that instructor used, and Meds) and calculator and calendar/pop-up reminders. Really couldn't imagine school without it! (Even had Documents-To-Go where I transferred and carried notes from home)

SA2BDOCTOR · Aug 18, 2006

I think you should just takes your hand notes and your revision will come as typing it back into your laptop.

Also get a good tape recorder that you can listen to via ear piece whenever and wherever.

gauge14iv, MSN, APRN, NP · Aug 18, 2006

I think you should just takes your hand notes and your revision will come as typing it back into your laptop.
Also get a good tape recorder that you can listen to via ear piece whenever and wherever.

Part a - I found I never had time to revise notes - I just needed to be able to study them.

Part b - definately!

SchiwartRN · Aug 18, 2006

Thanks for all of the suggestions and experiences, ya'll. I've decided to just do it the old fashioned way and take the notes by hand. My theory binder is set up by unit so I can put my objectives, handouts, and notes all together and it keeps me organized.

Re: taping the lectures...they don't allow us to tape the lectures in the nursing school...so that's not an option..I could however, read my own notes into a recorder and play that back....we'll see, I'm not a huge auditory learner.

After making the decision to not use the laptop, it started acting funny anyway, so I'm glad I made that decision...I'd hate to have lost all my notes.

Week 1 over today....I think I know more about "all them dead nurses" than I ever care to know. (that expression came from one of the sophomore class members when describing the first test)

ak127 · Aug 20, 2006

Re: taping the lectures...they don't allow us to tape the lectures in the nursing school...so that's not an option..

Wow, as a schoolwide policy? That's wierd, and unfortunate

RebeccaJeanRN · Aug 20, 2006

Thanks for all of the suggestions and experiences, ya'll. I've decided to just do it the old fashioned way and take the notes by hand. My theory binder is set up by unit so I can put my objectives, handouts, and notes all together and it keeps me organized.
Re: taping the lectures...they don't allow us to tape the lectures in the nursing school...so that's not an option..I could however, read my own notes into a recorder and play that back....we'll see, I'm not a huge auditory learner...

I also find it weird that you can't record lectures at your nursing school. Just curious, ever ask why? I never did find that helpful however, just because I barely had time to listen to them the first time, never mind hearing them over again. I think I tried it for a few lectures, then realized I'd never be listening to my taped lectures- no time!

Josh L.Ac. · Aug 20, 2006

I also find it weird that you can't record lectures at your nursing school. Just curious, ever ask why? I never did find that helpful however, just because I barely had time to listen to them the first time, never mind hearing them over again. I think I tried it for a few lectures, then realized I'd never be listening to my taped lectures- no time!

All it takes is for a student with a learning disability to suggest that they need the lectures recordered and VIOLA! That happened at my acupuncture school, and once lectures were being recorded for a disabled student, they had to allow all students to record lectures.

Or maybe that just worked there. If it means that much to you, I'd look into it.

It might seem like an end-run around the instructors, but they have to realize that you pay their salaries and it is in their best interest to facilate your learning.

ak127 · Aug 20, 2006

I would never have time to sit and listen to entire lectures, but I use Microsoft OneNote, which sychs the audio recording to the notes I am making on my laptop. I click the text, and the recording plays from that point so it allows you just to listen to the parts you need to clarify.