Everything you need to know about Digital Notetaking.
“Technology makes our life easier.”
Digital note-taking is the process of taking notes on a computer instead of paper and it does tend to make our life easier but it does carry a fair share of difficulties with it as well.
Pros and cons of Digital Notetaking.
For starters, you are never going to lose your notes again. With the tremendous storage capacity of modern-day computers and the ability to store files in the cloud, you can take as many notes as you like without worrying about them because they will always be safe on your personal computer or in the cloud. Another good thing about taking notes digitally is that you would never run out of paper. It is also way more eco-friendly than paper notebooks.
Since these notes can also be saved as a PDF, it becomes effortless to share. Because nearly every note-taking app supports PDF annotation you can also receive notes and textbooks as a PDF and easily annotate them according to your preference.
While taking notes on paper, it can be very irritating if you misplace your highlighter or cannot find your colored pens. Well, that’s not the case with digital note-taking. All your tools and stationery are always there; this is one of the most remarkable features of digital notes.
Because modern computers have such great processors that can handle Machine Learning and AI without consuming a ton of power, the note-taking apps made sure to use this ability. The search function of these note-taking apps is so powerful that you would want to switch just because of this feature. You can search everything in your notes from handwriting to the text in embedded PDFs. Yes, you heard me right, the AI these apps have implemented is so powerful that it can recognize your handwriting and allows you to search based on it.
Another great thing about digital note-taking is that while taking notes you can access the additional information available on sources like Google, YouTube, and Wikipedia. Since most devices support multitasking and opening apps in a split-screen environment, it becomes super seamless to watch a YouTube video while taking notes.
While watching videos and taking notes side-by-side is good, you can also embed videos, articles, images, and even entire websites into your notes. This is really great when you have to save something related to your notes that you might require later.
One thing that you might be worried about is the battery going out and yes it is a great problem but with new innovations every day, this won’t be a problem for long.
A great thing to keep in mind while starting with digital notes is that there are some apps that seem to be super helpful but when you start using them you realize that they have a big learning curve. Now, don’t be demotivated by this because once you get the hang of it, note-taking and organization would be much better.
Pros and cons of using a Pen tablet/stylus.
The best thing about using a stylus is that you can have handwritten notes directly on your device. Now pair this with a pen tablet and the whole experience would feel as if you are working on paper instead of a smooth and slippery screen.
Styluses also have customizable buttons on them which could easily be mapped to change the tool to a highlighter or an eraser or just about anything. This also saves you the hassle of going to the menu bar again and again to change your tool.
A major disadvantage of using a pen tablet is a hand-eye disconnect. I faced this problem when I started working with a pen tablet and it was really hard for me to maintain proper handwriting. Writing while looking at the screen without looking at where you are writing is very difficult if you do not have practice.
Good pen tablets and styluses are also really expensive and some may feel as if the pricing is unnecessary but these devices really elevate the digital note-taking experience to another level. If you use these devices to their full extent, the ability to take digital handwritten notes balances with the cost factor.
Digital notes vs traditional paper notes.
As mentioned above it feels really weird when making the switch from paper to tech. You don’t get used to this new feeling and it could be quite frustrating when starting out. It takes patience to get used to this new feeling but once you get the hang of it you realize that there were these great features that you were missing out on.
Another thing to keep in mind is that when you start you will get distracted and you just have to maintain focus. This is one of the greatest setbacks I felt because I started taking digital notes after covid and kept switching between Netflix, YouTube, and my class. Some of the times the class ended and I was left with a blank screen. It took a lot of focus and hard-hitting realizations to get on track.
Let’s talk about revision, the most important practice to do before exams. We have to go through all the notes we made throughout the year as we don’t have time to revise from the book. And as much as I hate to say it, I don’t like revising from a device. I prefer taking a printout of my notes and just forgetting about my laptop until the exams are over. You may think that is a waste of paper but it is still better than having heaps of notebooks lying around with a lot of unused pages. Now keep in mind that this is totally based on personal preference and you can choose to do whatever you want. I think that I am not able to revise from a device maybe because I am aware that I would get distracted or because I am still being held back by paper.
Okay, this last one is totally based on the device you use and the quality of the stylus along with it. If you have an older device or a cheap stylus you would notice quite some lag while taking notes. The iPad Mini, Air, and Pro all have laminated displays which really help reduce this lag. While using a pen tablet and suitable software, the lag is quite near zero.
Apps for different operating systems.
For handwritten notes:
- Windows (with a pen-tablet or stylus) — OneNote
- Linux (with a pen-tablet or stylus) — Xournal++
- iPadOS (with a stylus) — GoodNotes
For typed notes (all devices):
- Notion — All in one
- Simplenote — Minimalistic
- Remnote — Flashcard support
Conclusion
As schools are getting modernized and new technology is being introduced everywhere, digital notebooks would soon replace paper notebooks and to not be troubled at that point we should start making the change right now. As discussed above there would be some problems when starting out and therefore it is best to start now. In fact, some schools have already started to accept digital submissions and it won’t be long before this new form is accepted everywhere.
Finally, I would suggest that all of you give it a try to digital notes and go along with it.