Taking notes is a crucial element of the educational process. It helps improve information processing and retention and gives students enough materials for studying at home and completing their assignments. So one way or another, you must take notes during every class if you want to score high grades.
Although there is evidence that taking notes by hand is more effective than digitally, this method is too outdated for the 21st century. Today, when nearly every student has a laptop or tablet in the classroom, it makes pretty good sense to use these gadgets for taking notes. This approach is much faster and can save you plenty of energy. Besides, digital notes are much less likely to get lost than paper-based ones. So they are definitely not worse. You just need to learn how to take them efficiently.
If you want to level up your digital note-taking, you’ve come to the right place. In this article, an expert essay writer from a trusted paper writing service for students will share with you the main secrets to effectively taking notes on a laptop or computer.
- Prepare Beforehand
The first tip might not be very obvious. But the truth is that effective note-taking begins far before you actually start taking notes. It begins with pre-class preparation.
Here are a few tips to stick to:
- Take a few minutes before class to review chapters, reading tasks, and other assignments that will be covered during the lecture.
- Keep track of your syllabus for every course.
- Quickly go over your notes from previous lectures.
These three simple tips will help you come prepared for a class. You will know what topics will be covered during the class, what main ideas and concepts you will have to focus on in order to handle assignments, and what you already have in your notes. As a result, you will be able to take effective notes and avoid repeating what you already have written down.
- Study Examples of Effective Notes
The best way to get better at something is to learn from others. This is an undeniable fact that you can apply to any area of your life and get excellent results. For example, when you aren’t sure how to handle your book review, look for a good book review example, and it will give you ideas and inspiration for handling your own task.
You can use the same trick for note-taking purposes. If you don’t know how to start, look up examples of effective digital notes on the web and analyze them. Study what techniques other students use to keep their notes organized and clear. And apply the same tricks in practice.
- Pick the Right Tools
Proper organization is one of the most crucial parts of note-taking. While in handwritten notes, the whole organization depends on you, this is not true for digital ones. When you take notes on a laptop or tablet, you need a tool with a suitable set of features and proper organization that will help you do it effectively.
Some of the best tools to consider include:
- Evernote
- Hive Notes
- Hugo
- Notion
- Bear Note-Taking App
- Simplenote
- Google Keep
These apps are time-tested and proven to have all the features you need to take notes like a pro. They offer a variety of handy tools and features to organize your files properly, ensure accessibility, and gain plenty of other benefits.
- Learn the Key Shortcuts
When you start taking notes on a laptop or tablet, at first, you can feel rather rookie. You might even spend more time on digital note-taking than you did on handwritten ones. And this is mainly because there are many additional activities you have to do along with writing. Luckily, there are plenty of shortcuts to help.
Shortcuts are there to help you automate a variety of manual tasks and, thus, save a lot of time. We strongly recommend you learn the key shortcuts by heart and start using them. This will really help you save time and boost productivity.
- Hone Your Speed of Typing
Finally, if you want to take effective digital notes, you must learn how to take them faster. Even if you are writing fast by hand, you might first see a significant decrease in speed when typing. This is natural, especially if you didn’t have to deal with a lot of typing before. But there are ways to change this.
To start typing faster, first, learn the basics. Study the correct hand positioning and fast typing best practices. And then have a lot of practice. Try apps like Keybr, Type Racer, Keyblaze, and similar to hone your skills.
The Bottom Line
Taking effective notes is the key to retaining information and boosting your academic performance. Despite a common belief, notes taken on a computer or tablet are no less effective than handwritten ones, as long as you take them effectively.
Luckily, after reading this guide, you have everything needed to take your skills to the next level. Use the tips from the expert from one of the best paper writing services to your benefit and start taking digital notes like a pro!