Do you take notes on your laptop or notebook?
I would say taking notes on your laptop is better for those science courses or a class that involves lectures, and notebooks would be good for the math courses.
I use notebooks regardless of the class. The thought of taking notes on a laptop does not appeal to me even a little bit. To each their own though. Some people love it.
Notebooks regardless of the class, as well. Recall information much better when I handwrite than type it.
Additionally, considering all of my classes are engineering lectures, it’s a waste of time for me to type my notes on a laptop and go back in to create the necessary diagrams and pictures. Draw and write it in one place and time.
Same as above, notebook. Call me old-fashioned, but nothing beats writing down the information and drawing helpful diagrams of your own in the margins. Or just doodling when you’re bored.
However, the only time I might need a computer is if I were to take a Computer Science class. You need to be able to mess around on your own while following the lecture.
And for whatever it’s worth, I’m completing dual degrees in physics and mathematics. If anything, I think using a laptop for notes would be more feasible in a social science type of class or humanities class. For a science or math class…not at all.
I hand write all notes, regardless of the course. Then when I get out of class, I rewrite my notes in a more legible fashion into a separate notebook which I study from.
It has been proven that writing notes leads to a better academic performance than that of typing them.
[The Pen Is Mightier Than the Keyboard](http://pss.sagepub.com/content/early/2014/04/22/0956797614524581.abstract)
Notebooks definitely help me focus better and not get distracted by the internet (which inevitably happens if the professor goes on a tangent). However if the professor talks really fast or if the course can be complemented with other applications such as an online powerpoint, then I will use my laptop
I don’t study from my notes (the textbooks are always better), so I really only take them because it helps me stay focused in class. My laptop has the opposite effect.
Generally, I take notes on loose leaf paper. The only exception I’ve had so far was a CS class where our lectures were done in class using a program called DyKnow, so I just took notes straight on the “powerpoint” and exported it to pdf. Most professors at my university don’t allow students to use laptops or other electronic devices in class (other than relevant ones like calculators, of course) .
Pen and paper. I feel like I would just get distracted if I used a computer and end up surfing the internet like 90% of students seem to do.
Curious, who here actually uses a laptop? I’ve rarely even seen it in class…
If you have a microsoft surface you can use the included stylus to act like paper and pen. It is basically 2 for 1 and a lot more organized.
I use notebooks for all my classes. For math, I ended up rewriting my notes into a separate notebook so it’d make more sense
The benefit IMO opinion of laptops is you can find and organize things easily. For instance, if you are looking through your notes for something about eutrophication, you could be flipping through pages and pages of notes. In contrast, with a laptop you can find it easily. I find handwritten notes to be better for remembering what I have written, but typed notes to be more convenient for looking back upon or if I am writing an essay
Notebooks. I remember things I write better than things I type, and I had to write lots of symbols and formulas during classes.
When I was in college, I took notes on a laptop all of the time. When I got an iPad, I would mostly type notes, but I would sometimes write on it with a stylus if I wanted to write something complicated or draw something. Having my notes electronically was just so much more convenient and efficient.
I’ve also never noticed a difference in my ability to remember something if I wrote it electronically or if I wrote it by hand, so there was really no point in bothering with paper.
I normally write my notes. Occasionally in the evening, I type up the notes I written earlier during class to refresh my mind.
Most people remember things better when they write it down versus typing. You can always type your notes into your laptop later for better organization - it also helps reinforce the information since you’re reading your notes again. The written notes also serve as a backup in case of computer problems.
I’ve really only ever seen a few people in my classes using laptops to take notes. There’s a contingency that prefers this method, but I think they’re still very much in the minority.