I usually take notes line-by-line since teachers talk fast and there usually isn’t enough time to intuitively rearrange what was said before they continue lecturing. As much as I want to say that this form of note-taking works, I personally won’t look at my notes again after writing them down. It doesn’t feel intuitive to develop an understanding of material through a linear, chronological display of content.
Instead of taking notes during lecture now, I just sit, absorb, and direct my efforts toward developing an intuitive sense of how the content strings together. Afterwards, I’ll write down everything but with a better sense of how to organize my thoughts.
The only exception to this was my organic chemistry sequence. The professor was well versed in the art of lecturing and would talk through chemical structures and reactions like it were a story. Although he had a rough sketch of the lecture in mind, his extensive knowledge allowed him to think of examples on the spot to be flexible with ongoing class discussions. The notes he presented were more open in its layout, inferring relationships among material that would’ve otherwise been lost in a more linear, scripted setting.
Organic chemistry does inherently require more pictures and diagrams, but this open, non-linear presentation of notes helped in many ways for me to organize and package this information. It allowed me to think about the larger topic and its subtopics at one glance, rather than looking through sequences of topics one after another.
Treenote develops this idea by visualizing notes to help represent material based on its relationships and capture the overall essence of the topic.
Before Starting
I’ve barely made a website before this year and only programmed bits and pieces of C before college, so starting this adventure of web development has been exciting and a little overwhelming.
Earlier in the year, I learned the basics of React and made my personal website using GatsbyJS, a static-site generator. It was meaningful to make something that represented me, and I think this goes for creating in general.
Although it seems like a simpler project now, it has helped me think more about how to lay out and plan a project.
Prototype
I decided to use Vue.js, D3.js, Flask, and SQLite to create Treenote.
Right now, I have a simple prototype that is able to manipulate an SQLite database and use D3.js libraries to generate interactive visual layouts, like the one above, based on structure of the notes and its content.
I plan to mess with the design a lot to figure out the best way to model notes based on their content and relationships (maybe incorporate some machine learning).
I also want to make note-taking as free and versatile as possible, so dynamic editing and saving, drawing tools, image importing, and other features are on the horizon.
Building with tools I’ve never used before has been challenging. Perhaps I’m running before I can walk, but seeing my progress in a such a short span of time has given me much to look forward (and stumble) to.
Thoughts on creating so far…
Starting is the toughest part. It’s like stepping on a frozen lake, not knowing how much thickness lies between you and the cold depths. There’s nobody around to tell you how to proceed nor any guides to tell you how to build your ideas.
There are of course many external resources and experiences to help compose different pieces of a project, but the overall puzzle is unique for each creation, each individual.
Creating is incredible and personal. It is in essence the act of transforming imaginations into reality. My journey so far of making something of my own has given me great experience and joy.
About Me
I’m an incoming junior at the University of Michigan pursuing a BSE in computer science and a music minor.
Besides Shift, I sing in the University of Michigan’s Men’s Glee Club, one of the oldest and finest collegiate male choruses.
