NOTES...how do you take yours?

johsonmichelle · Jun 3, 2015

It depends, you have to check if laptops are even allowed in your program. In my program , laptops users are asked to sit in the back in order to avoid distractions to other students. If you are caught using the laptop for something else, then you are no longer allowed to bring laptops to class. We are given power points and I mainly focus on that. Almost 90 percent of my exams comes from the power points and I write important information next to my powerpoint slides. I highly recommend you ask your professor for more tips in class, they can serve as great resource.

NICUmiiki, DNP, NP · Jun 5, 2015

It depends, you have to check if laptops are even allowed in your program. In my program , laptops users are asked to sit in the back in order to avoid distractions to other students. If you are caught using the laptop for something else, then you are no longer allowed to bring laptops to class. We are given power points and I mainly focus on that. Almost 90 percent of my exams comes from the power points and I write important information next to my powerpoint slides. I highly recommend you ask your professor for more tips in class, they can serve as great resource.

That's the complete opposite of our program. We were required to have laptops. And further, we used Google docs to collaborate with the in class assignments. You'd be amazed at how thorough class notes could get when 4 people are contributing at the same time. Most of the time it worked out really well.

jhoilman · Jun 5, 2015

Collaboration is a valuable skill in the workplace. It's great to see that you are learning the art of working together towarDS a common goal early on in your education. Kudos to you and your nursing faculty.

direw0lf, BSN · Jun 5, 2015

I usually like to print out the power points and take notes over them in class. Then at home I write them over in a notebook to clarify/organize it better. When that's done I make simplified flash cards with the most important points which is usually everything :laugh:

This really works good for me to retain the info.

direw0lf, BSN · Jun 5, 2015

It depends, you have to check if laptops are even allowed in your program. In my program , laptops users are asked to sit in the back in order to avoid distractions to other students. If you are caught using the laptop for something else, then you are no longer allowed to bring laptops to class. We are given power points and I mainly focus on that. Almost 90 percent of my exams comes from the power points and I write important information next to my powerpoint slides. I highly recommend you ask your professor for more tips in class, they can serve as great resource.

My program requires laptops in class .. which I don't have yet. I'm still sweating over book prices!

Quiller · Jun 8, 2015

Both. My tablet allows for handwriting but has an attachable keyboard for when I want to type. I predominantly write because, once written, I can remember it without reviewing versus typing where I have to check my notes.

pmabraham, BSN, RN · Jun 8, 2015

Good day:

In theory classes, if allowed I use my iPad and GoodNotes with a stylus. If they provide PowerPoints, I download them (or scan them), and them import them into GoodNotes to use with note taking. For clinicals, I use a scrub pocket size Moleskin soft cover notebooks where at home I can refresh (typically into Evernote) key points.

Thank you.

Mball925 · Jun 8, 2015

What is your preferred method of note taking? Do you use a laptop and type, the good ol fashion pencil and paper, or do you record and write later?

I print out ALL the slides for each chapter and organize them in a nice binder. As the prof teaches I keep a pen and high lighter handy and scribble away! This method helps me to NOT get lost in the lectures and gives me the opportunity to glance the material before heading to class.

johsonmichelle · Jun 8, 2015

My program requires laptops in class .. which I don't have yet. I'm still sweating over book prices!

Oh wow, my school encourages note taking through pen and paper but we still need access to computers to do homework and class projects. If we need to use a computer to for a class task, our instructor will reserve a computer room for the whole class. You could just buy cheap laptop or if you have decent credit , best buy and apple have free financing for their computers. I know books can be expensive which is why I'm renting some of my books, they cost me about $20 a semester.

direw0lf, BSN · Jun 8, 2015

Oh wow, my school encourages note taking through pen and paper but we still need access to computers to do homework and class projects. If we need to use a computer to for a class task, our instructor will reserve a computer room for the whole class. You could just buy cheap laptop or if you have decent credit , best buy and apple have free financing for their computers. I know books can be expensive which is why I'm renting some of my books, they cost me about $20 a semester.

Only $20?! That's amazing! I can't get a list of the books for intro to patient care yet, on line it only says "Book bundle $400" and when I went to the store a few weeks ago they told me no list yet - should find out in July.

I got my foundations class books for $80 altogether. But I shouldn't have gotten the newest editions though probably so that I'd have saved more.

They said they require the laptop in class because we look up info on databases.

AZBlueBell · Jun 8, 2015

I used to handwrite everything because I felt I learned it the best that way. But this last semester I typed my notes in class, just on the PowerPoint slide themselves on my laptop and I found it was much more efficient and I didn't have any trouble with my learning at all. I turn all my notes into flash cards regardless so not having to handwrite them was just a faster way of taking notes in class and I could be more in depth with my notes because I can type as fast as I think but I cannot write as fast as I think so when I was hand writing my notes they would be much shorter.

Aliareza, BSN · Jun 9, 2015

My program requires laptops in class .. which I don't have yet. I'm still sweating over book prices!

What I did was got myself an ASUS T100 Transformer Book. It's a 10" touchscreen tablet + a keyboard dock that you connect the tablet to. It's pretty barebones as far as laptops go, but it's got Windows 8.1 on it and it doubles as a tablet. I really came to appreciate it because it's small and portable and the battery life on it is wonderful as long as you don't have it constantly powering a USB mouse or something. It was only $200 on Amazon when I bought it and seems to regularly drop down to that price if you watch out for it.