Note Taking

This week's topic was note taking, a skill I personally struggle with. I always feels the need to write everything down that the teacher says, even when its irrelevant. Even after talking to my teachers during the Faculty Interview Project who said that there was no need for me to take down every word they said, I still feel that it is necessary. Not only that, but because I am a visual learner I also like to add a lot of diagrams as I take notes. I have tried many different note taking techniques and this week I finally found one that worked: Plug In Notes. This strategy is great because it incorporates something for every type of learner. You can type up organized notes, draw diagrams or graphs, record bits of lectures, and more. Everything a student needs is only a click away!I decided to try this strategy in two classes: PSY 205 and MAT 121. Plug In Notes was very successful in both classes but more so in PSY 205 because there were more notes.

What I did in PSY 205:

1. It is alwaysimportant to title your notes, and Plug In Notes has a "title" line ready on each note. I labeled my notes the title of the class, PSY 205, and added the date too so I can keep my notes organized
2. Since we rely on power points in this class, I began taking down the points on the projector, bolding the different topics covered, and then adding bullets to support or add to my points. As you can see I also took advantage of the clip are tool and added a graphic to my notes where it was necessary. This program really offers everything a note taker needs!
3. As class went on we were presented with a graph, where I used the scribble tool to recreate it in my notes. It took a little getting used to, but I eventually steadied my hand to draw straighter lines. This tool is really important to me because I am a visually learner so seeing how things interact and effecteach other really helps me better understand the material.

What I did in MAT 121:

1. Always title your notes first to help you stay organized. Formymath notes I titled it twice; first with the name of the class, and second with the topic for the day.
2. I next took down the notes as he wrote them on the overhead
3. I utilized the "scribble" tool again in an example of the factorial rule.

Plug In Notes worked great in both classes but better in PSY because it had more notes. I recommend using this strategy in classes that are note heavy, as in lectures or recitations. But because it offers so many note taking tools, it really is a strategy that will be successful in any class.

Why it worked for me:

I was also able to fulfill all my needs as a visual and kinesthetic learner by utilizing all parts of the program. These two learning styles are often linked together because they are very similar. Visual learners learn predominantly with their eyes. They prefer to see how to do things rather than just talk about them. Plug In Notes meets these needs by offering organized notes in a way that is easy to see and is also easily accessible, and non distracting (I found myself paying attention more in class because I wasn't tempted to doodle on my notes because it wasn't an option). Kinesthetic learners are people who enjoy lots of hands-on work tend to keep coming back to something so physical. This program is very hands on and keeps the note taker actively engaged and participating in whatever class they may be in. Plug In Notes successfully accomplishes both of these descriptions and thats why I know it worked for me. I definitely suggest this strategy to my fellow classmates.