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A Learning Secret: Don't Take Notes with a Laptop (2014)

scientificamerican.com

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Re: A Learning Secret: Don't Take Notes with a Laptop (2014)

#11

Post by lstamour »

acconrad wrote: post #3

What if I want to take notes but not contribute to deforestation and issues with the environmental impact of using paper in 2019?

Study of one, here, but I find typing notes on my touch screen phone causes me to think a bit more about what I’m writing because I can’t go as fast. So I end up having to summarize to take notes. If I manage to flesh out the notes later, it’s not bad. The problem is when I try to take shortcuts by just taking photos or recording audio. You can do either of those things, but it won’t help the message sink in. Only thought and repeated usage/reference will cause it to eventually stick. Active research can help too, if timeboxed. I only learn passively when I can repeat something at least twice, like an audiobook.

Re: A Learning Secret: Don't Take Notes with a Laptop (2014)

#13

Post by grecht »

acconrad wrote: post #3

What if I want to take notes but not contribute to deforestation and issues with the environmental impact of using paper in 2019?

Nearly everything has an environmental impact. And do you really think a Laptop compares favorably to thousands of pages of paper?

But I guess you could get a used iPad with the Apple Pencil or something similar.

Re: A Learning Secret: Don't Take Notes with a Laptop (2014)

#14

Post by rhacker »

ergothus wrote: post #5

My issue with this has always been that my longhand is terrible, and writing under pressure makes it worse. Longhand notes (which I do frequently for the RPGs I run, so practice isnt the issue) are nigh unreadable. I literally have dozens of notebooks (not full, but at least 30 - 50 pages each is pretty common ) of notes I struggle to read and organize. Being able to write with speed and br able to read them is why a…

Don't know if this is just me, but just short hand the entire lecture - it keeps your brain in check that you are understanding each word. Even if it doesn't read back you'll retain a lot more than just passive listening.

Re: A Learning Secret: Don't Take Notes with a Laptop (2014)

#15

Post by scarecrowbob »

funwithjustin wrote: post #6
ergothus wrote: post #5

My issue with this has always been that my longhand is terrible, and writing under pressure makes it worse. Longhand notes (which I do frequently for the RPGs I run, so practice isnt the issue) are nigh unreadable. I literally have dozens of notebooks (not full, but at least 30 - 50 pages each is pretty common ) of notes I struggle to read and organize. Being able to write with speed and br able to read them is why a…

I wonder if adults can improve their handwriting.

Most skills are things that you can get better at.

I bought a nice fountain pen (well, a $14 pilot) and overhauled my cursive writing. It took about 6 weeks and I write pretty legibly in cursive. I'm more legible in various print scripts (that I have also worked on as an adult), but cursive is faster.

Admittedly, that is just an anecdote. But if you're curious, try and get better... you'll likely improve if you actively practice.

Re: A Learning Secret: Don't Take Notes with a Laptop (2014)

#16

Post by themodelplumber »

ergothus wrote: post #5

My issue with this has always been that my longhand is terrible, and writing under pressure makes it worse. Longhand notes (which I do frequently for the RPGs I run, so practice isnt the issue) are nigh unreadable. I literally have dozens of notebooks (not full, but at least 30 - 50 pages each is pretty common ) of notes I struggle to read and organize. Being able to write with speed and br able to read them is why a…

I got frustrated that I enjoyed writing on nice paper with nice pens, and yet I could type much faster than I could write. So about 4 years ago I started learning shorthand. I use shorthand plus icons as needed to pull out important concepts. It's really helpful. Most of the time very little transcription is needed.

Re: A Learning Secret: Don't Take Notes with a Laptop (2014)

#17

Post by mamon »

acconrad wrote: post #3

What if I want to take notes but not contribute to deforestation and issues with the environmental impact of using paper in 2019?

What deforestation? At least in my country there's more forrest planted each year than cut out for all the purposes, including paper production. And given that, the rest of paper production process is pretty environment-friendly compared to producing a laptop.

Re: A Learning Secret: Don't Take Notes with a Laptop (2014)

#18

Post by broth »

yial wrote: post #8

I frequently still use notepads for notes, I find it actually helps me retain information. Additionally, when reviewing shortly after a meeting, I find that I can better suss out the truly important action items. Especially if things need to be delegated. This isn’t to say I never take notes on my computer. (Notepad++ is wonderful for this), but I find the physical note taking to be incredibly beneficial for organiza…

Mind sharing how you use Notepad++ to take notes? Why is it wonderful?

Re: A Learning Secret: Don't Take Notes with a Laptop (2014)

#19

Post by vincentmarle »

I've never been fond of note taking in general, I found that I retain the most knowledge when actually trying to make an effort to listen, and actively trying to conceptualize everything mentally while the teacher is talking, instead of occupying myself with writing notes.

Re: A Learning Secret: Don't Take Notes with a Laptop (2014)

#20

Post by LocalPCGuy »

broth wrote: post #18
yial wrote: post #8

I frequently still use notepads for notes, I find it actually helps me retain information. Additionally, when reviewing shortly after a meeting, I find that I can better suss out the truly important action items. Especially if things need to be delegated. This isn’t to say I never take notes on my computer. (Notepad++ is wonderful for this), but I find the physical note taking to be incredibly beneficial for organiza…

Mind sharing how you use Notepad++ to take notes? Why is it wonderful?

I use Sublime Text for not taking when not doing it longhand, and I really like it. I think it's because it's an environment we're intimately familiar with, so there is nothing to get in the way of just capturing the information you want to capture.
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