Digital Note-taking

Good note-taking is a critical skill that helps you understand, retain, and recall information. Whether you’re summarising a teacher’s presentation, annotating class materials, or preparing for exams, well-organised notes make studying faster and more effective. Using tools like Microsoft OneNote and Word can elevate your note-taking, allowing you to integrate class materials, structure your thoughts, and access your notes from anywhere.

1. Strategies for Effective Note-Taking

Active Listening and Condensing Information

  • Focus on understanding key points during lessons instead of writing down everything verbatim.
  • Use abbreviations and symbols to save time (e.g., “>” for “leads to,” “vs” for “versus”).
  • Identify the teacher’s emphasis by listening for repeated ideas or key phrases like “this is important.”

Structuring Notes Logically

  • Use a clear structure to organise thoughts:
    • Heading: State the main topic.
    • Subheadings: Break the topic into key points or questions.
    • Details: Add supporting information, examples, or definitions.
    • Summary: Write a one-sentence takeaway or key insight.

Revisiting Notes

  • After class, review and edit your notes to fill in gaps or clarify ideas while the content is fresh.
  • Use a different colour to highlight areas you don’t understand or need to revisit.

2. Becoming a Power-User in Microsoft OneNote

OneNote is a versatile tool for organising detailed, multimedia-rich notes. Mastering its features can significantly improve your workflow.

Creating a Powerful Note Template

  1. Open OneNote and create a new page.
  2. Add key sections to the page:
    • Header Area: Include space for the subject, date, and topic.
    • Main Body: Create sections for “Key Points,” “Questions,” and “Examples.”
    • Footer Area: Reserve space for a “Summary” or action points.
  3. Format the page with consistent fonts, headings, and spacing.
  4. Save this page as a template: Right-click the page in the sidebar and select “Set as Default Template.”

Tagging for Organisation and Review

  • Use tags to mark important sections:
    • Critical Points: Use the “Important” tag for vital information.
    • Questions: Use the “Question” tag to identify areas for follow-up.
    • Assignments: Use the “To Do” tag to track tasks.
  • Access all tagged content from the “Find Tags” tool, enabling quick review during study sessions.

Integrating Class Materials

  • Drag and drop PowerPoint slides or PDFs into your notes.
  • Annotate over embedded slides using the Draw tool to add explanations or highlight key details.
  • Use the “Insert” > “File Printout” option to display multi-page PDFs directly on the page.

Using Sections and Notebooks

  • Organise subjects into separate sections or notebooks (e.g., “Year 12 Maths”).
  • Add subsections for specific topics (e.g., “Trigonometry”).
  • Colour-code sections for quick visual recognition.

3. Becoming a Power-User in Microsoft Word

Word offers simplicity with robust features for effective note-taking, making it ideal for creating clean, well-structured notes.

Using Styles for Organisation

  1. Use “Heading 1” for main topics, “Heading 2” for subtopics, and “Normal Text” for details.
  2. Apply consistent styles to create a professional look and enable easy navigation in the Navigation Pane.
  3. Update styles in your template by right-clicking a heading or text style and selecting “Update Style to Match Selection.”

Embedding Class Materials and Diagrams

  • Drag PowerPoint slides or images into the document for context.
  • Use “Insert” > “Object” > “Text from File” to embed teacher-provided PDFs.
  • Add comments next to embedded materials to explain their relevance.

Creating Reusable Templates

  1. Start a new document and create sections for “Key Points,” “Questions,” “Diagrams,” and “Summary.”
  2. Save this as a template: Go to “File” > “Save As” > Choose “Word Template (*.dotx).”
  3. Use this template for all lessons to ensure consistency.

Improving Typing Speed and Workflow

  • Learn shortcuts like Ctrl + Shift + N to apply the Normal style or Ctrl + Enter to insert page breaks.
  • Use AutoCorrect to expand common abbreviations (e.g., typing “bc” auto-expands to “because”).
  • Split your screen to have Word on one side and class materials on the other (Windows Key + Left Arrow or hover over the green maximise button on Mac).

4. Organising Thoughts Across Both Tools

Using Colour and Highlights

  • Colour-code key points (e.g., red for critical facts, blue for definitions).
  • Use highlights sparingly to focus attention on essential ideas.

Incorporating Mind Maps

  • Draw simple mind maps to break down complex topics.
  • In OneNote, use the Draw tool to create mind maps; in Word, use “Shapes” to build a visual representation.

Linking Ideas Across Notes

  • In OneNote, hyperlink related notes or pages for cross-referencing.
  • In Word, use “Bookmarks” and cross-references to connect sections.

5. Final Tips for Mastering Digital Note-Taking

  • Start Small: Begin with a simple structure and gradually incorporate more advanced features.
  • Customise to Your Style: Adjust templates and formats to suit your personal preferences.
  • Experiment: Try different methods, such as Cornell-style notes or mind maps, to find what works best for you.
  • Review Regularly: Use class time to take notes and homework time to refine them into study tools.