Note taking in class....how do you do it.

[Valcorie34, BSN, MSN, RN]

Sounds like a dumn question on the surface BUT... Do you take notes by hand or type them in class? Do you you use a method like cornell or outlines?

So far I have taken notes by hand and I must say it is harder for me to pay attention while I am scrambling to write it all down. I am debating setting up evernote or one note and typing it all. On the surface it seems good, and then i would have a searchable data base of notes by keyword. Has anyone tried it? How did it work for you?

Do you learn better, and have better retention when you actually write it?

[MsCupcakes]

Personally, I find that I retain information better when I physically write it down. I used to hand-write my notes, then type them that evening. This year, I'm using the Livescribe, which is a pen that records your writing on an iPad or iPhone and can transcribe it into text which you can email or export to Evernote. I absolutely love it since I still get to hand-write, but can print copies, record pieces of lecture into my notes, and add tags and additional notes.

[cracklingkraken, ASN, RN]

I agree. I'll type if it's a plethora of information that is review. But I prefer hand writing lectures these days for better retainment.

[HisKonstantine]

I switch it up a little bit every semester depending on the instructor's teaching style and the content. This semester is Advanced Med-Surg so there's a lot of content. I'm typing my notes in class this time. We get our lecture notes ahead of time so I format that outline for my own personal liking prior to class. I then add to it during class. After class, I'll go home, print the notes, and then hand write my own notes as I read the chapters. It's a little bit of both but I do prefer to just hand-write. My retention is waaaaay higher if I write rather than type.

[springchick1, ADN, RN]

I hand wrote all my notes. I retained the info better that way.

[BuckyBadgerRN, ASN, RN]

I'm old school. I would write my notes in shorthand. Like ACTUAL shorthand. And then re-write them later. I'm another one who learns by writing it down.

For the young uns: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shorthand

[cracklingkraken, ASN, RN]

I'm old school. I would write my notes in shorthand. Like ACTUAL shorthand. And then re-write them later. I'm another one who learns by writing it down.

For the young uns: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shorthand

I can't find any place that teaches shorthand. I tried learning on my own but.. that didn't go so well.

[pixiestudent2]

I wrote my notes on the sides of printed power points .

[FL_Nurse92]

I typed my notes in class and recorded the lecture on my phone. That same night I would listen to my lecture and type up anything I missed in class. By that time I had seen the information 3 times. For me repetition is key, so although my method takes a while to do, it allowed me to study and stress less because the information was sticking better.

[MiHopeFull, MSN, RN, NP]

I'm in a direct entry masters program, and I started recording the lectures and only take notes when I re-listen. I'm amazed at how much I miss when I replay the lecture.

[lovesbunnies]

If/when we're allowed to record lectures, I'm planning to hand write my notes and listen to the lectures again afterward so I can fill in anything I missed. If there are times when we're not allowed to record, I was thinking of typing notes on my laptop and handwriting them afterward. Writing things down by hand helps me remember things better.

[blah_blah_blah]

I hand wrote my notes. I never attempted to type them, but I know I retain way more info when I wrote out my notes. Writing out notes is actually one of the study methods I used.

However, for my program we had to buy "packets" which is basically a stack of 3 hole punched unbound paper that had all the lecture material for that semester. These packets were thick enough to need AT LEAST a 3 inch binder to accommodate it. I always got a 3.5 inch in case I wanted to add extra looseleaf pages for notes.

The packets were basically just a collection of outlines created by the professors teaching that content. The students would fill in information as we saw fit. I used colored pens, post it notes, and highlighters to take my notes. The packets were really helpful because it cut down on the stress related to frantically writing down everything and risking missing information.

after every lecture I would condense the material as best I could and re-write it in my own words in a 3-5 subject notebook. then I'd use that to study from unless I needed to refer to the packet for more detailed information.