Tablet for note taking?

psu_213, BSN, RN · May 15, 2013

I used a "tablet" of paper and a pen.

Shucks, you beat me to it...

dt70 · May 15, 2013

Shucks, you beat me to it...

Quail pen?

murberry · May 16, 2013

I recently got an ipad not necessarily for taking notes but to go trough my professors power points easier. Now there's no need to print them and have all those papers carried everywhere and lying around the house. I have downloaded apps to record my future lectures though. The iPad's battery also lasts forever and I don't have the hassle of having to carry a laptop and charger make sure there's an outlet close by etc.[/quote']
I also have an iPad! Do you mind telling me how I can record my lectures on the iPad?

WoundedBird · May 16, 2013

I'm still playing around with apps, but moxtra is a free app on the iPad that might be able to handle power points and there is a record button on the top of the screen that records audio into that 'binder'. Not sure how / if it syncs as you go from slide to slide because I haven't played around with it that much. I'm planning on playing around with it more once I begin in three weeks, but I did use it to edit my SIL's term paper without killing a million trees, so I'm keeping it for now.

goingtothedogs · May 16, 2013

I also have an iPad! Do you mind telling me how I can record my lectures on the iPad?

I have an iPad as well-- I've been a huge Evernote enthusiast since I started back to school last fall-- by installing Evernote, skitch, penultimate, and peek (all Evernote- and I believe they are all free or cheap) I have been able to have my notes, lab photos, and lecture recordings all in one place. It's great.

In Evernote, you can record your lecture by tapping the record button at the top of your note- when lecture is over, hit done, and it attaches the recording to your notes for the day. Just be sure to hit done or it will continue to record as you sing along to the radio alllll the way home.

I used skitch to take photos of all of the lab models, and then was able to label them and add them to my notes. I used penultimate sometimes, when there was material that she jumped around a lot in... That way I could cut and paste everything and rearrange my notes easily. I also put an x in there wherever I wanted to add a picture or a figure from the book- after class I went back through my notes and added what I needed.

By also having Evernote on my iPhone, I could study wherever I wanted. I could listen to lectures in the car, at the airport, and could study at the doctor, in line at the grocery store, at the hairdresser, anywhere. Even if I didn't have my iPad with me.

There is a storage limit with the free Evernote membership-- I pay $4.99 a month during school to have the premium membership, that way I have no issues trying to save everything.

Evernote makes it easy to share your notes with classmates who might have missed class for illness, or even whole notebooks if you have a study group. You can also have notebooks you use for collaboration-- really handy for group projects and study groups.

Peek is like flash cards. You make a notebook in Evernote, I did one for each chapter, and have the subject line of the note be the question, and the body be the answer. You choose which notebook or notebooks you want to work on, and flip up the lower panel of your Smart Cover to see the question, and then open it a little more to see the answer. You can mark it wrong and it will keep quizzing you until you get it right.

Penultimate still needs some work. I have an adjonit jot stylus and it works best for writing in that portion of my Evernote suite. You can mail these notes as well, and open them in Evernote also.

So, as you can tell, I recommend Evernote. You can do pretty much everything you could want in it, and if you have suggestions, they have a great customer service dept you can chat with-- sometimes it's to make a suggestion, other times they tell you how to do what you are suggesting. Really awesome .

SweetCorn · May 16, 2013

it's worth noting that some profs pass out their own handouts and expect you to take notes on them. That is how my A&P and micro has been.

I write my notes on the handouts (with my hand OMG!) and type them and fill in the drawings that evening at home. I find that transcribing them from class written notes to my typed version within 24 hours (preferably within 6) is a good way to start studying the notes for our weekly quiz.

It might seem like it's not a big deal but some people find almost any noise, including typing a distraction and wouldn't appreciate hearing it during lecture. I don't think my prof would accept typing as she expects basically silence from the students, aside from asking questions, during lecture. YMMV however.

murberry · May 17, 2013

I have an iPad as well-- I've been a huge Evernote enthusiast since I started back to school last fall-- by installing Evernote, skitch, penultimate, and peek (all Evernote- and I believe they are all free or cheap) I have been able to have my notes, lab photos, and lecture recordings all in one place. It's great.
In Evernote, you can record your lecture by tapping the record button at the top of your note- when lecture is over, hit done, and it attaches the recording to your notes for the day. Just be sure to hit done or it will continue to record as you sing along to the radio alllll the way home.
I used skitch to take photos of all of the lab models, and then was able to label them and add them to my notes. I used penultimate sometimes, when there was material that she jumped around a lot in... That way I could cut and paste everything and rearrange my notes easily. I also put an x in there wherever I wanted to add a picture or a figure from the book- after class I went back through my notes and added what I needed.
By also having Evernote on my iPhone, I could study wherever I wanted. I could listen to lectures in the car, at the airport, and could study at the doctor, in line at the grocery store, at the hairdresser, anywhere. Even if I didn't have my iPad with me.
There is a storage limit with the free Evernote membership-- I pay $4.99 a month during school to have the premium membership, that way I have no issues trying to save everything.
Evernote makes it easy to share your notes with classmates who might have missed class for illness, or even whole notebooks if you have a study group. You can also have notebooks you use for collaboration-- really handy for group projects and study groups.
Peek is like flash cards. You make a notebook in Evernote, I did one for each chapter, and have the subject line of the note be the question, and the body be the answer. You choose which notebook or notebooks you want to work on, and flip up the lower panel of your Smart Cover to see the question, and then open it a little more to see the answer. You can mark it wrong and it will keep quizzing you until you get it right.
Penultimate still needs some work. I have an adjonit jot stylus and it works best for writing in that portion of my Evernote suite. You can mail these notes as well, and open them in Evernote also.
So, as you can tell, I recommend Evernote. You can do pretty much everything you could want in it, and if you have suggestions, they have a great customer service dept you can chat with-- sometimes it's to make a suggestion, other times they tell you how to do what you are suggesting. Really awesome .

Thank you so much for all your helpful information! I'm definitely going to download Evernote. I also have an iPhone and studying on your phone is such a good and convenient idea! I've never really thought about that. I truly appreciate your help! :) Have a bless day. :))

DaisyRenee · May 17, 2013

What about the kindle fire hd?

SamanthaElizabeth · May 17, 2013

I love my ipad! My boyfriend (who is premed) uses his for all of his classes as well. As do many of our classmates. Goodreader is also a good ap for note taking! I do not see anything wrong with using an ipad when needed..they are not loud (nor are the keyboards you can attach to it) and none of my professors have ever had an issue. Of course I hand write when necessary as well.

hughes317 · May 17, 2013

What about iPad vs iPad mini? I've heard the mini is just too small for note taking, pulling up textbooks ect. Any opinions?

i♥words · May 17, 2013

I have a Kindle Fire HD and I love it. I think it would be fine for taking notes if you have a keyboard for it. There are several note apps that are free like Evernote and Colorpad Notes. I know there are also office apps that you can buy. I've opened several documents on it, but I haven't tried opening powerpoints yet.

Graduation2016 · May 18, 2013

I have an iPhone and when I was planning on getting the ipad I did not even consider the iPad mini it is just a bit bigger than the iPhone. I love my iPad!