Note-taking ... do we really need a tablet?

[stormiwebster]

In undergrad I just uploaded all my slides to OneNote and it was more than enough for the purpose of taking notes, recording lectures, and writing over slides. But is that too primitive for the large volumes of content in med? Do we really need a tablet + stylus pen for effective note-taking in med school?

[FailureToThrive]

No, a laptop is just fine.

[ToxicMegacolon]

I say old school pen and paper. You'll retain more and get better grades

[OwnerOfTheTARDIS]

On 5/25/2018 at 7:54 PM, stormiwebster said:

In undergrad I just uploaded all my slides to OneNote and it was more than enough for the purpose of taking notes, recording lectures, and writing over slides. But is that too primitive for the large volumes of content in med? Do we really need a tablet + stylus pen for effective note-taking in med school?

A laptop and OneNote worked perfectly for my first year. 

On 5/26/2018 at 3:37 PM, ToxicMegacolon said:

I say old school pen and paper. You'll retain more and get better grades

I personally feel that there is way too much info and way too many slides to effectively take notes by hand, at least at UBC which has a large lecture component. But it probably depends on the person and school. 

[End Poverty]

On 5/26/2018 at 1:37 PM, ToxicMegacolon said:

I say old school pen and paper. You'll retain more and get better grades

I study best when I write down my own notes as well, but I'll have to print out so many slides when I like to be environmentally conscious :/

[ToxicMegacolon]

3 hours ago, OwnerOfTheTARDIS said:

A laptop and OneNote worked perfectly for my first year. 

I personally feel that there is way too much info and way too many slides to effectively take notes by hand, at least at UBC which has a large lecture component. But it probably depends on the person and school. 

I also go to UBC. While it was difficult at first, I found that trying to keep up added an extra depth to lectures. I had to integrate concepts during lecture just to keep up instead of passively listening (which I used to do). Also, to be fair, to really make it work I had to preview lectures (15 min per lecture) so that I had an idea of how to organize my notes ahead of time. Of course, everyone has their preferences and some of classmates were very effective with their laptops/tablets.

41 minutes ago, Dr. End Poverty said:

I study best when I write down my own notes as well, but I'll have to print out so many slides when I like to be environmentally conscious :/

I've always wondered what the actual difference is. Considering the ecological footprint of manufacturing a tablet/laptop, which includes everything from rare earth metals to shipping to actual operation, compared to using paper (can even go partly recycled). Also, considering that most people upgrade there tablets within five years (and the associated burden of recycling etc.), paper might actually be the more 'environmentally friendly' option. I don't print slides and only went through two or 3 packs of printer paper (600 sheets)

[End Poverty]

1 hour ago, ToxicMegacolon said:

 

I've always wondered what the actual difference is. Considering the ecological footprint of manufacturing a tablet/laptop, which includes everything from rare earth metals to shipping to actual operation, compared to using paper (can even go partly recycled). Also, considering that most people upgrade there tablets within five years (and the associated burden of recycling etc.), paper might actually be the more 'environmentally friendly' option. I don't print slides and only went through two or 3 packs of printer paper (600 sheets)

These are really good points that I've not thought of before.

[MountainAmoeba]

I would NOT recommend printing off slides. Studying would be a nightmare. Use your preferred device to manage your slides. 

 

Pro tip: I make notes on Microsoft word (seperate from my slide deck) with headings and subheadings. Each system has its own document that’s easily searchable with figures and other reference material transferred from the slides included in my notes. Why? because in clerkship I can bring an iPad mini that easily fits in my pocket with my own notes, in my own words organized by system. On me at all times. 

 

If you print out the slides and write on them, then later in clerkship you will have a hard time finding the information you want to access easily. 

[End Poverty]

12 minutes ago, MountainAmoeba said:

I would NOT recommend printing off slides. Studying would be a nightmare. Use your preferred device to manage your slides. 

 

Pro tip: I make notes on Microsoft word (seperate from my slide deck) with headings and subheadings. Each system has its own document that’s easily searchable with figures and other reference material transferred from the slides included in my notes. Why? because in clerkship I can bring an iPad mini that easily fits in my pocket with my own notes, in my own words organized by system. On me at all times. 

 

If you print out the slides and write on them, then later in clerkship you will have a hard time finding the information you want to access easily. 

I know most people use macs/ iPads, but what device do you use  in lectures, MountainAmoeba?

[MountainAmoeba]

13 hours ago, Dr. End Poverty said:

I know most people use macs/ iPads, but what device do you use  in lectures, MountainAmoeba?

My preference is an I-pad pro. It makes it easy to manage my notes in notability, and then split screen. I can cut out figures and tables from the notes and import them into my notes super easily. A lot of people prefer the surface pro, or laptop computer. If you really like writing the I-pad pro with the apple pencil does the best job of recreating the writing experience compaired to other interfaces (just at a price premium). Other wise the surface pro is an awesome device that people seem to enjoy using. 

[End Poverty]

3 hours ago, MountainAmoeba said:

My preference is an I-pad pro. It makes it easy to manage my notes in notability, and then split screen. I can cut out figures and tables from the notes and import them into my notes super easily. A lot of people prefer the surface pro, or laptop computer. If you really like writing the I-pad pro with the apple pencil does the best job of recreating the writing experience compaired to other interfaces (just at a price premium). Other wise the surface pro is an awesome device that people seem to enjoy using. 

Thank you for your response, MoutainAmoeba I am hoping that I'll will see you in July  

[dingliu]

Regarding note taking software. OneNote is the standard note taking software. It's quite senseless to use if you can't write with the pen.

OneNote works fine with my XP-Pen Deco MIni4 digital drawing tablet .  I usually put it on top of or lean against the keyboard when I use it.

This is what I always have with me. This is quick for jotting notes, drawings, sketches, mind maps... 

[RepresentativeSalad]

I typed my notes into OneNote until about half way through second year when I bought an iPad.  I did find my note taking to be a lot more efficient and easy with the tablet than typing.  I like to type my notes into one big Word doc, then study from that, but it was bulky to carry around a binder of paper, so I transitioned to using my Apple Pencil to write on my electronic notes and it was a lot easier for bringing with me on the go! And I could access my notes from my phone if I ever had downtime in a clinic during clerkship, which was nice too.