How To ACTUALLY Take A+ Notes on Laptop (99% Do It WRONG ❌)

Summary

This video addresses the debate between using laptops and tablets for note-taking, particularly in a medical school context. It reveals that while 99% of students use laptops, there's a lack of discussion on laptop note-taking. The script reviews various studies comparing laptop note-taking with handwriting, suggesting that laptops are better for fast-paced, information-heavy environments. The presenter shares personal experiences with different note-taking apps, highlighting OneNote as the most effective for medical students due to its organization, accessibility, and features. The video also covers effective note-taking strategies, the importance of active recall, and using past exam papers for high-yield revision.

Takeaways

• 📊 A 2021 survey revealed that only 25% of students own a tablet, with 99% using laptops as their primary learning tool.
• 📝 The debate between laptop note-taking and handwriting suggests that while handwriting may be better for visual learning, laptops are ideal for fast-paced, information-heavy environments.
• 💡 The effectiveness of note-taking varies by individual and subject, with post-note-taking study habits being crucial for learning retention.
• 🖥 The presenter recommends OneNote for its free access, cross-device synchronization, offline editing, and robust note-taking features.
• 📱 OneNote's mobile app allows for note access on smartphones, making it convenient for on-the-go studying.
• 🔍 OneNote's search function is highlighted as a powerful tool for quickly finding information across notes.
• 🔗 OneNote's linking system enables easy navigation between related notes, aiding in comprehensive studying.
• 📚 Active recall strategies, such as using Anki flashcards or mind mapping, are emphasized for effective revision.
• 👨‍🏫 The Feynman technique, where one teaches a topic to others, is suggested for identifying knowledge gaps and reinforcing memory.
• 📑 Utilizing past exam papers for year-round study helps in focusing on high-yield topics and understanding exam patterns.

Q & A

What was the main focus of the 2021 survey mentioned in the transcript?

The main focus of the 2021 survey was to understand the prevalence of tablet ownership and usage among students, as well as to determine if owning a tablet, like an iPad, is significantly advantageous over using a laptop for learning.

According to the survey, what percentage of students own a tablet?

Only one quarter of the students surveyed reported owning a tablet.

What did the majority of respondents in the survey consider as their main learning tool?

99% of respondents in the survey indicated that their laptop is their main learning tool.

What does the research suggest about note-taking on paper versus using a laptop?

Research suggests that handwriting notes on paper is generally more effective for visual learning and better encoding, leading to a deeper processing of information. However, laptops may be more suitable for fast-paced environments where a large amount of information needs to be captured quickly.

What is the speaker's opinion on the importance of how you study your notes after taking them?

The speaker emphasizes that the method of note-taking (laptop, tablet, or handwriting) is less important than how you study and revise your notes afterwards, as the effectiveness of note-taking varies from person to person and subject to subject.

What note-taking app does the speaker recommend for medical school students?

The speaker recommends OneNote for medical school students due to its free availability, great structure for organizing notes, synchronization across devices, offline editing capabilities, and various note-taking features.

Why did the speaker switch from Google Docs to OneNote for note-taking?

The speaker switched from Google Docs to OneNote because Google Docs was difficult for searching specific notes and not very user-friendly for editing and adding photos, while OneNote provided a more organized and feature-rich environment for note-taking.

What are some effective note-taking strategies mentioned in the transcript?

Some effective note-taking strategies mentioned include mind mapping, matrix note-taking, charting method, and the Cornell method. The key is not to copy and paste notes, as this does not engage the brain and is ineffective for learning.

How does the speaker suggest preparing for lectures to enhance note-taking?

The speaker suggests downloading lecture slides as a PDF and annotating them before the lecture to prime the brain on the lecture subject, which can help in creating more effective notes during the lecture.

What are some features of OneNote that the speaker finds helpful for note-taking?

The speaker finds OneNote's features such as creating templates, accessibility on mobile devices with offline editing, the ability to capture notes through photos and screenshots, a searchable database, and a linking system to be particularly helpful for note-taking.

What is the speaker's approach to revising notes and preparing for exams?

The speaker's approach to revising notes involves active recall techniques such as using Anki decks, creating mind maps, explaining topics to friends (Feynman technique), and using past exam papers to identify high-yield topics.

Outlines

00:00

💻 Laptops vs. Tablets for Note-Taking

The paragraph discusses the prevalence of laptop use among students compared to tablets, highlighting that despite the hype around iPads, laptops remain the primary learning tool for the majority. The speaker intends to share their method of taking notes on a laptop in a medical school setting, focusing on the choice of note-taking apps and strategies for effective note utilization. It addresses the debate on note-taking methods, with studies suggesting that handwriting notes on paper is superior for visual learning and information encoding. However, for fast-paced learning environments, laptops are more suitable for capturing information quickly. The speaker emphasizes that the method of note-taking is less critical than the approach to studying and revising notes afterward.

05:02

📚 Choosing the Right Note-Taking App

This section delves into the speaker's personal journey of selecting a note-taking app during their medical school years. Initially, they used Google Docs but found it challenging for specific note retrieval and photo integration. They then tried iote but found it too complex. Eventually, they settled on OneNote, which was popular among peers, free, and offered a structured organization system, cross-device synchronization, offline editing, and a variety of note-taking features. The speaker also briefly discusses Notion, suggesting it's more suited for project management rather than student note-taking due to its rigid, task-based structure that doesn't encourage nonlinear thinking.

10:02

📝 Strategies for Effective Note-Taking

The paragraph outlines strategies for creating effective notes on a laptop. It starts with preparation, such as having lecture slides ready in a PDF format for easy attachment or annotation within OneNote. The speaker then discusses three note-taking methods: objective-based notes, which are concise bullet points with images and videos; the Matrix method, which uses tables for comparing and contrasting information; and mind mapping, which can be created with tools like Lucid Spark or by hand and then digitized. The speaker also shares useful OneNote features like creating templates, accessing notes on mobile devices, capturing notes through photos or screenshots, and leveraging OneNote's searchable database and linking system for efficient note organization and retrieval.

📈 Active Recall and Exam Preparation

The final paragraph focuses on the importance of active recall and effective revision strategies for exam preparation. The speaker mentions using Anki decks, although they personally prefer pre-made decks like 'Zanki' to save time. They also advocate for using mind maps for active recall under exam conditions to test and consolidate knowledge. The 'Feynman Technique' is introduced as a method of explaining concepts in simple terms to strengthen understanding and memory. The speaker also recommends using past exam papers throughout the year to identify high-yield topics and improve exam performance. The paragraph concludes with a teaser for a future video that will delve deeper into exam revision strategies.

Keywords

💡Laptop

A laptop is a portable personal computer with a clamshell form factor, suitable for mobile use. In the context of the video, the laptop is presented as a primary tool for learning and note-taking, contrasting with the perception that tablets like iPads are more modern or superior for educational purposes. The script discusses how laptops are still widely used by students, despite the hype around tablets.

💡Note-taking

Note-taking refers to the act of recording information during lectures or while studying, typically to aid in understanding and later recall of the material. The video emphasizes the importance of effective note-taking strategies on laptops, suggesting that the method of note-taking is more critical than the device used, and that laptops can be particularly useful in fast-paced learning environments.

💡OneNote

OneNote is a digital note-taking app developed by Microsoft. It is highlighted in the script as a preferred application for organizing and managing medical school notes due to its free availability, cross-device synchronization, offline editing capabilities, and rich feature set. The video suggests that OneNote's structure and features can enhance the note-taking process and later revision.

💡Active Recall

Active recall is a learning technique that involves actively testing oneself to remember information, rather than passively rereading notes. The video mentions using active recall through tools like Anki or mind maps to reinforce learning and improve retention. It is presented as a critical step in the revision process to achieve better grades.

💡Mind Mapping

Mind mapping is a visual note-taking method that involves organizing information in a diagrammatic, branching structure. The video discusses using mind maps as a way to capture complex information in a logical and visually accessible manner, which is particularly beneficial for subjects like medicine that involve a lot of comparison and contrast.

💡Anki

Anki is a flashcard program using spaced repetition, a technique to improve long-term memory. The script mentions that many medical students use Anki to create study decks by transferring their notes into question-and-answer format, although the video creator personally finds this method time-consuming and prefers to use pre-made decks.

💡Spaced Repetition

Spaced repetition is a learning technique where material is reviewed at increasing intervals over time, which is proven to enhance long-term retention. The video references Anki, a tool that implements spaced repetition, as a popular method for medical students to study and memorize large amounts of information.

💡Matrix Note-Taking

Matrix note-taking is a method of organizing notes using a grid or table format to compare and contrast information. The video describes this method as particularly useful for medical subjects, allowing for the logical arrangement of complex data, which can aid in understanding and memorization.

💡Objective-Based Notes

Objective-based notes are a form of note-taking that focuses on summarizing information into concise bullet points, capturing the essence of the topic. The video suggests this method as a way to distill key points from lectures into a brief and easily reviewable format, which is beneficial for later study.

💡Cornell Method

The Cornell Method is a note-taking strategy that involves dividing a page into sections to organize notes and cues for review. While not explicitly detailed in the script, the video mentions various note-taking strategies, and the Cornell Method is one such technique that could be used to enhance the learning process, as it encourages summarization and review.

💡Revision

Revision, in the context of the video, refers to the process of reviewing and studying one's notes to prepare for exams. The video emphasizes that the effectiveness of note-taking is closely tied to how well one revises their notes, suggesting various strategies such as active recall, using Anki, and past exam papers to optimize this process.

Highlights

In a 2021 survey, only one quarter of students own a tablet, with laptops remaining the main learning tool.

Studies suggest handwriting notes is better for visual learning and encoding information.

Laptops are found to be more suitable for fast-paced learning environments where quick information capture is needed.

The effectiveness of note-taking varies from person to person and is not solely dependent on the tool used.

Efficient note revision is crucial for academic success, regardless of the note-taking method.

OneNote is recommended as a free and structured note-taking app for medical students, syncing across devices.

Notion is not recommended for medical note-taking due to its rigidity and task-based nature.

Effective note-taking strategies include mind mapping, matrix, charting, and the Cornell method.

Copy-pasting notes is discouraged as it requires no cognitive effort and does not aid in learning.

Preparation before lectures by downloading and annotating slides can enhance note-taking.

Creating concise, objective-based notes with images and videos is an effective method for medical students.

Matrix note-taking method organizes complex information logically, beneficial for subjects like history and medicine.

Mind maps can be created without a tablet using free online tools like Lucidchart and integrated into notes.

OneNote features like templates, mobile access, and note capturing enhance the note-taking experience.

OneNote's searchability and linking system make it easier to find and connect information across notes.

Active recall through tools like Anki or mind maps under exam conditions strengthens knowledge retention.

The Feynman technique of explaining topics in simple terms to others is an effective method for self-assessment.

Utilizing past exam papers throughout the year helps identify high-yield topics and improves exam performance.

Transcripts

if you're someone who doesn't own a

fancy iPad and you've only got one of

those good old laptops are you missing

out big time in a 2021 survey out of a

thousand students actually only one

quarter of people said that they own a

tablet and 99% of respondents said that

their laptop is their main learning tool

even with 99% of us still using laptops

it's crazy that I cannot find anyone

talking about taking notes on laptops

everyone's just raving about their

newest iPads so in this video I'm going

to show you guys a really easy way of

how I take notes in medical Skool on my

laptop which note taking app to use and

how you actually make use of your notes

later on in the year to get that A+ that

you want but first let's address the

elephant in the room I know you guys are

itching to hear this but it might not be

what you think it is there are many

studies out there that have specifically

look at note taking on the laptop versus

handwriting on paper based on the

studies it does suggests that

handwriting notes has the upper hand in

visual learning and better encoding

these students end up having a deeper

processing of the information they've

just learned because they have to

rewrite things in their own words these

findings are specific to writing on a

paper and not writing on a tablet but

what about laptops interestingly they

found that laptops may be more suitable

for fast-paced environments where a

large amount of information needs to be

captured quickly and efficiently what

does this mean for you and which one is

better well it turns out the results are

pretty inconclusive and it varies from

person to person subject to subject it's

actually what you do after words that

matters the most both laptop and tablet

or even handwriting are all just as bad

if you don't know how to study your

notes afterwards I'm going to show you

how you can revise your notes on your

laptop efficiently at the very end of

the video so make sure you don't miss it

now let's get to writing your laptop

notes first let's choose the right

application for you I remember during my

premid year like choosing the write note

taking app is just the vein of my

existence I swear like everyone was

using a different note taking app in the

lecture theater I'd look to my left and

someone's using Google Docs and to my

right someone's using iote so at first I

went with Google Docs and Google dry for

the first year in my Premier year but

the downside was that it was pretty hard

to look up for notes when I specifically

needed something and it was not very

easy to edit things and add photos very

easily so then I tried iote and to be

very honest I don't think I gave iote

like a fair chance to really test it out

because I just remember first impression

of Ian note too complicated too hard and

I gave up pretty quickly then I found

one note and I swear 3/4s of my class in

mid School were using this one note app

and it was perfect for me for many many

reasons but one of them is because it's

free and it has a really great structure

for organizing medical notes and it

sinks across lots of different devices

your phones your tablets your laptops

and it's even available offline to edit

and last of all it has lots and lots of

different note taking features that is

absolutely life- changing to note taking

which I'll show you a little later you

might be think thinking oh Unice what

about notion well back in my days notion

really wasn't that popular yet and I

have to be very honest that I've never

used notion for medicine I have used it

for YouTube production and I think that

it's a very useful tool in that regard

but I wouldn't use it for Mid school

notes this is what Justin song who is a

study coach he sums it up pretty well

for study overrated if the rating is

here if this is over it is here I think

notion is not designed for studying I

feel that notion is not a note taking

app

but it strength is in project management

in a team setting where there are lots

of tasks that you do need to track and

things like that but for not taking for

students I think notion is a bit too

rigid it's too task based and it doesn't

really encourage nonlinear thinking if

you've enjoyed this video so far make

sure you hit that thumbs up button and

let me know has anyone at school

actually taught you how to write a

really good set of notes I remember back

in high school in my biology class my

teacher would say class the mitochondria

is the PowerHouse of the the cell and

literally I would write in my notes the

mitochondria is the PowerHouse of the

cell but the problem of this is that

you're not actually challenging your

brain to understand or make use of this

new information that's coming into your

brain and it turns out that there are

tons of more effective note taking

strategies out there mind mapping Matrix

not taking charting method Cornell

method and you know what it really

doesn't matter which one you pick as

long as you're not copy and pasting your

notes because then you might as well not

make any notes cuz it's a complete waste

of your time so instead my biology notes

could to look like this or this the

thing with copy and pasting is that it

really does not require any brain power

so zero cognitive loading and it simply

does not fit in any levels of learning I

know it can be super tempting really

easy to just copy and paste when you're

taking notes on your laptop cuz I know

I've been there before but if you find

that note taking is really easy for you

then honey you are doing it wrong cuz

it's not going to stick in here now

there are three parts to writing really

good notes the first part is preparation

and this is in regards to lecture slides

I usually have my lecture slides

downloaded as a PDF folder that I can

later attached to my one note on the

subject or I can have it inserted as a

print out into one note and it's this

function here then later on with the

print out you can then annotate on the

slides as you go which is pretty handy

and I usually do this a day before the

lecture so then I can prime my brain on

the lecture subject I mean ideally it

would be great if I could make a full

set of notes during the lecture but it

is virtually next to impossible to try

and do that in a mid School lecture I

just remember getting absolutely shooked

when my Anan lecture was like hey by the

way this one lecture is 10 lectures

compiled good luck guys so if you feel

like there's too much information in

your lecture then you might as well try

to understand what the heck is going on

rather than focus on getting everything

down on paper or on your laptop now that

we're finished with Ting the slides

you're not done yet we're going to

create our own set of notes from the

lectures during this time I focus on

distilling the most important of

information or summary of the topic into

one or two pages on what we've just

learned you might be asking why can't I

just study from the annota lecture

slides you know good question but here

are two reasons why I think it's not a

good idea number one each time that

you're going through the process of

creating your own notes you're engaging

with the material actively and making

your revision for later a whole lot

easier and number two imagine going

through a 100 L slides to find that one

piece of information that you need to

study what a night me right so here are

a few examples of how I create effective

notes on my laptop the first one is

objective based notes so this is just

summarizing the notes into bullet points

and really summarized version keeping it

really brief just the essence of it and

I include lots of images any videos that

can explain better than words do the

second method is the Matrix note taking

method which is one of my absolute

favorites for medicine this is using a

grid or a table to compare and contrast

the information that you have learned

the benefit of this is that you're able

to organize a complex set of information

in a really logical way and it's

especially helpful for subjects like

history or medicine which are things

that you can compare and contrast a lot

of the time the third method is my

mapping listen you don't need a tablet

with a stylist pen to be able to create

my maps I mean obviously great if you

can but not everyone's going to be able

to afford a tablet or an iPad so I got

you you can use free online tools like

Lucid spark to create your mind maps

online and then you capture it and pop

it into your notes later on for me in my

first year of medle school I actually

used to do them by hand on an A4 piece

of paper and then later on I scan and

Chuck them onto my one note but come to

the end of my medical school career and

my last year of uni I got myself a a

surface go and I would use it to draw my

maps but even then it still never

replaced my laptop notes now here are

some really cool one note features that

you should save for later on and it will

make your note taking so much easier

first one is creating templates for

different types of notes so for Matrix

note taking I actually use this heaps

and heaps in my mp notes and I use this

a lot because this is the most

appropriate like the one that makes

sense for me in clinical medicine so I

have this save as a default template in

my mCP notebook and I'll show you how to

do this what you do is you create a page

and the template that you ideally want

your notes to look like then next you go

onto notebooks pages and then you click

set as default template voila it's that

easy the second feature that's really

impressive for one note is that you can

access notes anywhere you know those

times that you turn up at a tutorial or

a lecture and you've forgotten your

laptop you're like oh my God but you're

good actually if you have a smartphone

you're good to go because the one note

mobile app is really really good and you

can access it offline as well as long as

you go into an internet it will sync to

your laptop later on third one is that

you can capture notes on Theo so picture

yourself coming across a textbook with

really amazing diagram that you just

can't get a pdf version of what you can

do is that you can grab your phone and

quickly capture the photo and then check

it onto your one note mobile app and

later on it'll sink to your laptop or if

you're watching a YouTube video

and you find a frame where it describes

things amazingly you just want a

screenshot of it what you can do is just

grab screen clippings and it will get

inserted straight into your notes no

hassle feature number four is that one

note has a very searchable database you

literally can just go contrl F Type the

keyword you're after and boom all the

lecture all your notes that you've

written in the past I don't know four or

5 years shows up it's essential if you

have a really long degree like medicine

feature number five is the linking

system the neat thing about one note is

that you can link one note to another

note that you want yourself to look at

when you're looking at this note and a

practical example is that I actually

have a master page for most of my

subjects and this is where I bring all

the relevant ideas of that subject

together in one page and then I link it

out to relevant notes for more

information if I need to I talk in depth

of how I structure and organize my one

note in this video here so if you're not

used to one note make sure you check out

this video now the third part is

actually making use of your notes which

is r ision which I find is the most

important step to getting those good

grades revision is where you start to

use active Reco which basically is just

testing yourself what you already know

the most popular way of using active

freal is actually using anky dicks a lot

of my colleagues in mid school they like

to copy their notes on one note and then

paste it as questions into anky and that

became their study deck I have to admit

that I don't make my own anky decks

because I think they are such a Time

Sinker I did try sticking to anky for

maybe one week that entire of my six

year Medical School degree I tried

really hard to stick to it but I find it

really hard to keep up so I absolutely

just fell off the wagon and instead I

went online and searched for yanky decks

for Mid school and I found this deck

called zanki which at the time was free

but I think now days you have to pay a

small fee for it so even if you have to

pay a small fee for it you know if money

can buy you back time I 100% would

recommend I also really like to use my

maps as a form of active recall and I

like to do it under exam conditions I'm

not peing over my notes so this is a

really good way to test the knowledge

that you already learned and it's a good

way to see different connections between

the topics and ideas that you've learned

already bringing it all together in one

place and this is also known as the hian

theory where the neurons that are wired

together eventually start to fire

together so it strengthens your

knowledge even more in that subject if

you have a friend who's doing the same

course as you or anyone who would listen

to you that's good enough try explaining

to them a topic or a subject in really

simple terms or this is also known as

Fame and technique I use this technique

almost every night leading up to exams

and tests at medical school with my

friend and it works superbly it's just a

really good way to see what areas you're

weak in and it's also kind of

embarrassing when you if up in front of

your friends and you forget stuff so

then that sticks with you even better in

your memory for later on in the exam I

also use past exam papers throughout the

year this is like high yield golden

stuff and I don't leave it last minute

just before the exam this is because it

gives you a better gauge of what you

actually need to focus on to do better

in exams studying exams is all about

finding those High you topics the common

things that come at exams you know it's

all about playing the game right if you

want to learn how to get a pluses in all

of your tests then you need to learn the

right way to revise your exams in this

next video

here