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Taking notes on a macbook

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Just a few questions for you students out there who use your macbook in lectures or school.

Between classes do you put your mac to sleep or turn it off?
Do you carry a spare battery around with you?
Do you always run off the battery or AC?
What program do you use for taking class notes?
Do you find using a laptop better for note taking that paper?
How do you structure and save your notes? do you have a folder for each subject and make new documents for each class session?

The only problem i can see with taking notes is that in the lecture theaters at my uni there are no AC power sockets and if i have three lessons each an hour long my battery will die!
 
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The Macbook battery as I know runs for 5 hours straight. Of course, one cant put it to stress during that time. I think MS Word in its PPC code will use up some CPU cycles and drain the battery...

As for notes taking, I use this app Scrivener. Not sure if its the ideal one,but it suffices. Its mainly for authors of books and such, but it serves its purpose in my case. I don't go to school though, this is in somewhere else.

Laptop is much preferred in my case cause I can't understand my own handwriting and i can type pretty fast.

If you find your battery draining, keep the display brightness low during the lectures and use dockables to quickly turn the screen off during short pauses.
 
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I use MS Word, and I dont normally have a problem with battery. I have a folder for each subject and then one for each teacher and I give it a sutable name.

I do use a pen and paper most of the time, altough I cannot read my writing most of the time and usually refer to textbooks or internet for info.

Hope this helps!
 
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The only problem i can see with taking notes is that in the lecture theaters at my uni there are no AC power sockets and if i have three lessons each an hour long my battery will die!
Another disadvantage to taking notes on a computer.... it has been proven that you are more apt to learn information, retain information longer, and recall the information in your notes faster if you actually write them down with pen and paper. The simple act of writing the words in your own hand stimulates your brain and allows it to "soak up" the material faster and allows you to actually have a higher chance of remembering it.
Using a notebook computer offers far too many distractions and while some may feel it is "quicker" to type, you fail to retain the information you are feverishly typing much too soon.
My advice to any students, leave the computer for writing and researching your papers... use the trusty pen and paper for notetaking.
 
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Another disadvantage to taking notes on a computer.... it has been proven that you are more apt to learn information, retain information longer, and recall the information in your notes faster if you actually write them down with pen and paper. The simple act of writing the words in your own hand stimulates your brain and allows it to "soak up" the material faster and allows you to actually have a higher chance of remembering it.
Using a notebook computer offers far too many distractions and while some may feel it is "quicker" to type, you fail to retain the information you are feverishly typing much too soon.
My advice to any students, leave the computer for writing and researching your papers... use the trusty pen and paper for notetaking.

that varies greatly on the person
 
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Yeah right...proven. By whom I wonder. I find no difference in writing or typing. Its just as natural after a while.
 
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Between classes I just close the lid to put it to sleep and put it in its case. Then take it out, open the lid and ready to go. Virtually no battery life is used while it is in sleep mode.

I have never felt the need to carry a spare battery around. I am never too far away from an AC adaptor.

I rarely run the laptop off the battery. Usually I am working near an AC socket so I just plug in.

I don't take notes using my MacBook. I agree with Devilboy. I find it a lot easier writing notes by hand. Some lecturers give you slide handouts with lines for writing notes by the side of them anyway. The only thing I have to worry about with writing is whether my pen keeps working. With my laptop, it is distracting, I could forget to mute the volume or it could run out of battery...things I would rather not have to worry about and concentrate on the subject and not a computer.

I have a University folder, then Year 1, 2, 3. Then within each of them I have Semester 1 and 2 then within each of them I have a folder for each module and just have everything in there. I am sure there must be a better way, but I haven't found one yet.
 
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Microsoft Word is really the only Microsoft program that I have latched on too and will never let go. I use it for everything, including taking notes.
 
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i use my macbook in class everyday, i just can't stand writing by hand. it always just annoyed me. i close the lid and put it too sleep inbetween classes and normally don't have a problem with the battery.

as for actually taking the notes, i use neooffice. i open it up before i leave for school and don't quit it till my last class.
 
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Omni Outliner...it comes on your macbook already i believe and i use it...i love it...once you learn the keyboard short cuts its amazing
 
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Between classes do you put your mac to sleep or turn it off?
-I Turn it off
Do you carry a spare battery around with you?
-Yes, I do
Do you always run off the battery or AC?
-Always off battery
What program do you use for taking class notes?
-I use Microsoft Word
Do you find using a laptop better for note taking that paper?
-Without a doubt
How do you structure and save your notes? do you have a folder for each subject and make new documents for each class session?
-I have a folder for each subject, then a folder for notes, then a folder for each exam, and then I make a new document for each lecture.
 
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The best part of taking notes using the computer, is that you have easily share the notes with others. Plus your professor becomes partial to you cause he/she gets nicely typed notes instead of their old notes.
 
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Why would you turn the laptop off? I don't understand that. I would hate to be getting setup and waiting on my computer to startup and be missing valuable information. It really is better for the computer in the long run if it were put to sleep.

I find I usually retain it about the same, I can write pages and pages by hand and I can type them, I usually retain it about the same way. I prefer typing because I can actually read what has been written.
 
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macbook 2.16ghz,2 gigs ram, 120gigs--ipod nano red 4 gig--ipod vid 30 gig black-- rip macbook
doesnt turning off waste battery anyway? the nice thing about having vista, is that i have no distractions and office 2007
 
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What has Vista got to do with this?
 
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I just put mine to sleep. Cuz then when I get into my other classes I can just open it p and its already on..
No I dont carry a battery with me. I havent had a problem with my battery life.
When I get back home I plug it in.
I love using my mac for the notes. Its so much easyer then a pen and paper.
 
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Here is a little tip!

If you feel you're being distracted by other things either on the desktop or with the computer period. Download Doodim It dims your screen so you only see the application window you're working in.

I've used it many times and it really helps you focus on what you're trying to do.

I would also say try out desktopple[/u] It works pretty well. Desktopple hides your icons on the desktop and makes it all clean. So you're not tempted to click on that mp3 or video file ;)

You can hide your dock and use desktopple or use doodim. I prefer doodim myself.

Try it out :D
 
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macbook 2.16ghz,2 gigs ram, 120gigs--ipod nano red 4 gig--ipod vid 30 gig black-- rip macbook
What has Vista got to do with this?

i switch to vista for class because i have nothing on there. i got bootcamp, proboly should have mentioned that;D
 
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Your Mac's Specs
Macbook Core Duo, 2 GB RAM, 250 GB HDD, Samsung 19" Monitor, 250 GB WD My Book, 16 GB iPod Touch
Just a few questions for you students out there who use your macbook in lectures or school.

Between classes do you put your mac to sleep or turn it off?
Do you carry a spare battery around with you?
Do you always run off the battery or AC?
What program do you use for taking class notes?
Do you find using a laptop better for note taking that paper?
How do you structure and save your notes? do you have a folder for each subject and make new documents for each class session?

The only problem i can see with taking notes is that in the lecture theaters at my uni there are no AC power sockets and if i have three lessons each an hour long my battery will die!

Why would you turn the laptop off? I don't understand that. I would hate to be getting setup and waiting on my computer to startup and be missing valuable information. It really is better for the computer in the long run if it were put to sleep.

I find I usually retain it about the same, I can write pages and pages by hand and I can type them, I usually retain it about the same way. I prefer typing because I can actually read what has been written.

Is it alright to put it to sleep and put it in a case. I am just worried about it overheating because I have had 2 issues where I accidentally put it in the case while it was on and it got ridiculously hot to where it shut itself off and wouldn't restart until after 30 minutes of sitting in front of a fan.
 

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