Note Taking Series Part 3

This note taking series gives students ideas for bringing new vigor to their note-taking game. Article 1 talks about the importance of handwritten notes. Article 2 details notetaking methods—the Cornell Method and Mind Mapping—for more effective note taking. In part three, Tricia expands the notetaking process in the digital realm with suggestions for the best notetaking apps.

By Patricia Roy — September 6, 2022

Tags: college life, freshman, general info, high school, notes, notetaking

Even though I am a proponent of handwritten notes, there are some capabilities with digital note-taking apps that deserve notice.

Here are three apps I use that might help you in your academic escapades.

APPLE NOTES

The greatest thing about the Notes app — aside from being free with the iPhone — is that it is stored in iCloud and synchronizes well across other Apple devices, so you always have your notes. You can type, write, or draw. It’s great for jotting down lists or brilliant insights for that paper you need to write. You can add tables, scan documents, and add or take pictures and videos.

In Notes, you can create folders for each course or project. The simplicity of the interface makes it easy to find your folders and notes, unlike more sophisticated file systems with lots of menus and subcategories (I'm looking at you, MSWord, and Google Docs). It's also easy to share notes with others and to restrict their usage to view only, edit, or share.

Additionally, Notes uses tags to help you create Smart Folders, which are additional folders that automatically include any notes that include the tags for that Smart Folder. Tagging can come in handy for interdisciplinary studies or for research projects, which might have many subtopics. Smart Folders allow you to track every note in which the tag appears, so you could easily find, let's say, every mention of "Alexander the Great," "neuroplasticity," or "Hayao Miyazaki."

This app is only available on Apple devices, but Android users can experiment with Notepad, which offers similar functions. The only downside I can think of for either is that these apps might be too simple for some purposes.

EVERNOTE

This was the first digital note-taking app I ever used, and it's grown up a lot over the years. It organizes your notes into notebooks, which work like folders in Notes.

Like Apple Notes, Evernote lets you create notes with images and sketches; however, Evernote also allows you to capture audio notes, task lists, attachments, web clips, and emails.

I used the document attachment feature in Evernote extensively when working on a scholarly project to keep track of research articles. When I read the article, I would mark it up with the Apple Pencil and then save it to Evernote. It saved space in my other files and preserved my mark-up. And if you are collaborating on a project or creating a portfolio of your work, Evernote allows you to share notebooks for this purpose. Sharing notebooks is a great tool for writers who want to share clips of their publications, and I like the interface's aesthetics.

The only downside to Evernote is the price, as the free version limits the number of devices you can sync with and the number of uploads and note size you are allowed. It can be hard to gauge how much space you will need, so you might find yourself upgrading to the Personal or Professional plans, which charge as much as $10 per month.

GOOD NOTES

This app is excellent for students with touchscreens who like to write or draw with a stylus — but even without the stylus, this app has some beneficial functions. You can create multiple notebooks and choose from myriad templates for your needs. The app also adjusts to your hand position when using a stylus.

I use GoodNotes to save and share pdfs. The great thing about GoodNotes is that I can save the pdf and upload it to whatever course management system (CMS) my school uses. This uploading function came in handy during the early part of the pandemic when we tried to keep our distance (so, no sharing of photocopies) and reduce student costs. I could create pdfs of book pages, highlight and mark them up, and then share them with students. I could also create a note to function like a whiteboard on which I could write, draw, and embed images or links as I was teaching. Then, I could share the pdf of the note with students.

I bought an early version of GoodNotes for a one-time fee of 7.99, which makes it not as expensive as Evernote but more functional than Apple Notes. GoodNotes now has a free version that restricts you to three notebooks, which might be all you need.

A possible downside: Left-handed students, beware. Maybe the hand position adjustments work well for right-handed people, but as a lefty, I am a little disappointed. No matter what setting I use, my hand is always bumping into some unwanted function and slowing me down.

I should also point out that my iPad screen is not as easy to write on as a piece of paper. The screen is slippery, and I don't have the time or patience to learn how to make my handwriting look as slick as I'd like it to be. Of course, this is a problem across all apps, not just with GoodNotes. And if you're left-handed, the struggle is real and magnified.

After Reviewing My Notes…

No matter what app or style of note-taking you end up using, here are a few general guidelines to end this series on taking good notes:

Take handwritten notes over typed whenever convenient and possible. Because science.
Prepare beforehand by setting up your notebook page or screen. If the lecture is based upon a reading or previous lesson, make sure you've already completed that activity to the best of your ability. Even better if you have taken notes on the reading.
Get to know some common abbreviations that you will instantly recognize.
Review your notes afterward to check for completion, organization, and application to your continuing goals in the course. For example, while reviewing your notes, you might come up with questions for the teacher the following day.

Happy note-taking!

Patricia Roy

Patricia Roy is a writer and professor who has helped students succeed for over 25 years. She started her career as a high school English teacher and then moved into higher education at Tuition Rewards member school, Lasell University in Newton, Massachusetts. Her practical guidance and enthusiasm motivate and inspire students to fearlessly explore their own passions. Professor Roy is also a freelance writer and published poet.

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