Why Students Shouldn't Buy iPads

Summary

Elizabeth, a medical student and artist, shares her transition from using an iPad for note-taking to a laptop, which she finds significantly more efficient. She lists five reasons why a laptop is superior for university note-taking, including easier access to lecture slides, quicker screenshot capabilities, better note structuring, instant question creation, and full use of computer processing power. She also touches on the benefits of not handwriting notes and suggests that while iPads are great for art and leisure, a computer should be the first choice for academic purposes.

Takeaways

• 😀 Elizabeth, a medical student and artist, has significantly improved her note-taking process over the last three years.
• 📚 She transitioned from using an iPad and Notability to a laptop or computer for taking lecture notes, which has saved her a lot of time.
• 💻 The availability of lecture slides on her computer during Zoom lectures has empowered her to take control of her academic materials.
• 🖼️ Screenshotting slides and images during lectures is much faster and more efficient on a computer compared to an iPad.
• 🔄 The ability to easily rearrange and structure notes on a computer using platforms like Notion has greatly improved her note organization.
• 📝 Creating questions on the spot during lectures is facilitated by having full computer processing power, enhancing the use of active recall for studying.
• 🔍 Having multiple tabs open during lectures allows for immediate research and incorporation of new information into notes without interrupting the lecture.
• 🖊️ Elizabeth argues that the benefits of handwriting notes are overrated, and the efficiency of typing outweighs them.
• ✅ The full control over the note-taking process and the immediate availability of lecture materials have made post-lecture processing unnecessary.
• 🎨 While she still enjoys using her iPad for artistic purposes, Elizabeth no longer uses it for academic work.
• 💡 She suggests that for university students, a computer should be the first choice for academic tasks, with an iPad being an optional additional device if affordable.

Q & A

What major change has Elizabeth experienced in her note-taking process over the last three years?

Elizabeth has transitioned from using an iPad for note-taking to using her laptop or computer, which she believes has significantly improved her efficiency and saved her a lot of time.

Why does Elizabeth believe using an iPad for note-taking is detrimental to efficiency and productivity?

Elizabeth thinks that using an iPad for note-taking can be time-consuming and less efficient because it lacks the flexibility and speed of screenshotting, structuring, and creating questions on the spot that a computer provides.

How has the shift to virtual lectures impacted Elizabeth's approach to taking notes?

The shift to virtual lectures has empowered Elizabeth because she can now access and screenshot slides directly from her computer during the lecture, which was not as easily achievable with an iPad.

What is the primary method Elizabeth uses to screenshot slides during a lecture on her computer?

Elizabeth uses the keyboard shortcuts Command + Shift + 4 on her computer to take screenshots of important slides and quickly drag them into her note document.

How does Elizabeth utilize the flexibility of a computer to structure her notes differently from her iPad experience?

Elizabeth can rearrange and organize her notes on her computer in a way that is not possible with an iPad, allowing her to place information where it is most relevant and ignore or prioritize content based on her needs.

What study method does Elizabeth recommend for improving learning efficiency?

Elizabeth recommends using active recall, a method where she creates questions on the spot about the material she has just learned, which she believes can significantly improve learning outcomes.

How does Elizabeth leverage the full processing power of her computer during lectures?

Elizabeth can have multiple tabs open on her computer, allowing her to quickly search for information, get answers, and incorporate them into her notes without interrupting the lecture.

What is Elizabeth's opinion on handwriting notes compared to typing on a computer?

Elizabeth believes that while handwriting may have some benefits, it is not necessary and can be replaced by typing on a computer, which is more efficient and editable.

Why does Elizabeth suggest that virtual lectures have given her more control over her learning process?

Virtual lectures allow Elizabeth to have full power over her learning materials, enabling her to screenshot, search, and organize information in real-time, which was not possible with traditional in-person lectures.

What advice does Elizabeth give to students considering buying an iPad for academic purposes?

Elizabeth advises against buying an iPad primarily for academic purposes, recommending a computer first due to its superior functionality for note-taking and studying. She suggests an iPad could be a fun addition if one has extra resources.

What software does Elizabeth mention using for her note-taking and workflow management?

Elizabeth mentions using Notability on her iPad and Notion on her computer for her note-taking and workflow management.

Outlines

00:00

📚 Transition from iPad to Laptop for Efficient Note-Taking

Elizabeth, a medical student and artist in London, discusses her evolution in note-taking methods over the past three years. Initially, she was heavily reliant on her iPad and the Notability app for all academic tasks. However, she found that transitioning to using her laptop or computer significantly improved her efficiency and saved her hours of study time. She emphasizes that using an iPad for note-taking in university is inefficient and time-consuming. Elizabeth outlines her top five reasons for not using an iPad for university note-taking, starting with the outdated nature of lecture slides and the advantages of having immediate access to current slides on her computer, which she finds empowering.

05:01

🖥️ Enhancing Academic Productivity with Computer-Aided Note-Taking

Continuing from her previous point, Elizabeth explains the benefits of using a computer for note-taking, such as the ease of screenshotting important slides directly into her notes using keyboard shortcuts. She contrasts this with the more cumbersome process on an iPad. Elizabeth also highlights the ability to structure notes more effectively on a computer, using an application like Notion, which allows for greater flexibility in organizing information compared to the linear approach on Notability. She discusses the advantages of creating questions on the spot during lectures for active recall, a method she highly recommends for improving study efficiency. Additionally, she appreciates the full processing power of a computer, which enables her to multitask, such as opening multiple tabs for immediate research and note enhancement without interrupting the lecture. Lastly, she argues against the necessity of handwriting notes, advocating for the speed and editability of typed notes.

Keywords

💡Lecture Notes

Lecture notes refer to the written or digital records taken during a lecture to capture the main points and information presented. In the video, Elizabeth emphasizes the evolution of her note-taking process, highlighting how transitioning from an iPad to a laptop has streamlined her ability to take, organize, and revise these notes, ultimately improving her study efficiency.

💡Notability

Notability is a note-taking application used on iPads that allows for handwriting, typing, and audio recording. Elizabeth mentions her initial 'obsession' with Notability for all her academic needs, from lectures to studying, but later argues against its use for note-taking in university due to the limitations it presents compared to laptop alternatives.

💡Zoom

Zoom is a video conferencing platform that has become prevalent, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic for remote learning. In the script, Elizabeth discusses the advantages of using Zoom for lectures, such as immediate access to slides, which contrasts with the traditional classroom setting where slides might be outdated or unavailable.

💡Screenshotting

Screenshotting is the act of capturing an image of what is currently displayed on a screen. Elizabeth explains how the process is more efficient on a computer than on an iPad, allowing her to quickly incorporate important slides or images into her notes without disrupting the flow of the lecture.

💡Notion

Notion is an all-in-one productivity tool that can be used for note-taking, project management, and more. Elizabeth finds it 'game-changing' for her note-taking process as it allows for greater flexibility in organizing and structuring her notes compared to Notability on her iPad.

💡Active Recall

Active recall is a learning technique where students actively attempt to remember information without looking at their notes. Elizabeth recommends this method as highly efficient for studying and mentions creating questions on the spot during lectures as a form of active recall.

💡Multiple Tabs

In the context of the video, multiple tabs refer to having several browser windows or tabs open simultaneously for quick access to different resources. Elizabeth uses this feature to her advantage during lectures to look up information instantly and incorporate it into her notes, enhancing her learning process.

💡Handwriting

Handwriting is the traditional method of writing by hand, which some studies suggest can aid memory retention. However, Elizabeth argues that while handwriting might have some benefits, it is not necessary for effective note-taking and can be replaced by digital methods that offer more flexibility and efficiency.

💡iPad

An iPad is a tablet computer that is popular for its portability and touch-screen interface. Elizabeth initially used her iPad for all her academic tasks but later switched to a laptop for note-taking due to the advantages in efficiency and functionality, though she still appreciates the iPad for artistic purposes.

💡Workflow

Workflow refers to the sequence of steps taken to complete a task or project. In the video, Elizabeth discusses her improved workflow for taking lecture notes using a laptop and various digital tools, which has led to a more efficient and organized note-taking process.

💡Virtual Lectures

Virtual lectures are online classes conducted remotely, often using platforms like Zoom. Elizabeth acknowledges the downsides of virtual lectures but also sees the opportunity they provide for having more control over the learning process, such as accessing slides and resources instantly.

Highlights

Elizabeth, a medical student and artist, has revolutionized her note-taking process over the past three years.

Switching from an iPad to a laptop for note-taking has significantly improved her efficiency and saved time.

Lecturers have adapted to using Zoom, allowing students to have immediate access to slides during lectures.

Screenshotting slides on a computer is faster and more efficient than on an iPad.

Using a computer allows for better note structuring and organization compared to an iPad.

Active recall, a study method, can be implemented more effectively with computer note-taking.

Creating questions on the spot during lectures is faster with a computer.

Having full computer processing power enables multitasking during lectures, such as opening multiple tabs for research.

Elizabeth argues that handwriting notes is not necessary due to the benefits of digital note-taking.

Digital notes are fully editable and can be easily copied and pasted for further organization.

Elizabeth's workflow allows her to complete all necessary tasks during the lecture, reducing post-lecture work.

Virtual lectures have given students more control over their learning process.

Elizabeth recommends a computer over an iPad for university students, especially for academic purposes.

An iPad can be a fun addition for non-academic activities, but it should not be the primary tool for university studies.

Elizabeth plans to share a detailed guide on her note-taking process using Notion.

She emphasizes the importance of being kind to oneself and others during the university journey.

Elizabeth concludes by encouraging students not to believe everything they think and to question their assumptions.

Transcripts

hi my name is elizabeth and i'm a

medical student and an artist

living in london over the last three

years the way that i take lecture notes

has

massively changed and definitely

improved

to the point that now once i'm done with

a lecture i

no longer need to do any sort of post

lecture processing or

googling or organizing or putting things

together

when i'm done i'm done and all i need to

do

is sometimes study but most of the time

all i need to do is just revise when it

comes

to the exam so one of the things that

has massively

changed for me is switching from using

an ipad to take notes to using

my laptop or my computer to take notes

and i

genuinely think this has made the

biggest difference to me

and it has saved me absolute hours in

terms

of how long i need to work and study so

for a bit of background in my first year

of medical school i

exclusively used my ipad and notability

to study

i was notability obsessed as sad as that

is i used it for absolutely everything

from note taking to lectures to studying

later to creating questions

images diagrams pictures

anatomical drawings everything i was

using

my ipad i fully believe that using your

ipad for studying

would be detrimental in terms of

efficiency and productivity

and you would be wasting so much time to

get

the same results i will go through my

top five reasons why i believe

that you should absolutely not buy or

use an ipad

for note-taking in university the first

reason

is that lecturers have massively changed

if before you're sitting in a lecture

theater

and there's someone going through you

know the slides in front of you

you may or may not have these slides

most likely you're going to have the

slides from six years ago that were

uploaded

or you don't have them at all and in

that case it does make sense to kind of

use handwritten notes and

ipads are absolutely wonderful for that

today

if you're using your zoom assuming of

course

that the stars align and your professors

have magically

um you know figured out how to unmute

themselves

and how to share their screens and all

that so assuming

that that is sorted what will usually

happen is that when my professors are

having their

zoom cool i already have the slides on

my computer

they're here i can touch them i can feel

them they're mine

so that's massively massively empowering

because it means that i don't have to

wait for later

anything that is on my zoom screen

academically

um yeah i consider it to be mine and i

can do whatever i want with it

so this is what i do the first thing and

the most powerful thing

is screenshotting now i know that this

is not groundbreaking but

just hear me out there's a huge

difference in the way that you can

screenshot with an ipad

versus the way that you can screenshot

with a computer if you're sitting in a

lecture obviously you can take a picture

of the presentation but

what will busting your phone out and

taking photos of every single thing on

the screen

due to your street cred and your

reputation um

nothing but at home that's a bit

different so what i would do

is i'm really sorry if this is really

really basic but um

if you use command shift and three you

can screenshot your whole screen if you

use command shift

four you can have this little pop-up

that will you drag and drop and if you

use command shift five

i mean check it you'll figure it out so

i use command shift four

all the time and then i can just drag

and drop the

screenshot will go into the bottom

corner of my screen and i can drag it

into the document that i

am using to take notes this takes under

a second

i will not do it for every single slide

of the presentation because most of them

are pointless

but i will do it for the images or the

slides that i find

important and this saves so much time

on an ipad it would be such a chore to

take a picture or to screenshot

something and then

kind of go into your photo no um you can

do that so much quicker

using um their screenshot function the

second thing is that you can structure

things as you work

on your computer in a way that an ipad

will not allow

so in my ipad when i used to take notes

on instability

as the lecture went in order i would

continue taking notes and i was very

much limited to like the slides that

i've

uploaded there for example or to the

order in which things are being said

it's a lot more hassle to move things

around in notability

than it is on another platform i use

notion and

which is game changing but you can drag

and drop things everywhere

it's so much quicker to do this and in

terms of

processing your notes it helps so much

more because i am not limited by what

the lecturer think is important or the

right order to do things

if he forgets and mentions something 10

minutes later i can immediately put it

where it was relevant i can shift things

around according to how important i

think they are

if they're mentioning something that's

not coming up in exam or i'm not

interested in

i can completely ignore it so i am in

full control

of my notes now i'm moving on to point

number three

which is that you can create up

questions on the spot a lot

faster so if you don't use active recall

already

i am so jealous because whatever score

you're doing right now you can double or

triple it

by um you know using active recall it's

the best

most efficient most life-changing method

of study

please please implement it but a simple

way that you can do that

is simply making you know questions of

anything that you've slightly learned

so basically as a rule of thumb for me

if something is important enough for me

to take a note of it it's important

enough for me to know

so i will immediately make a question on

that for some reason

lecturers speak a lot slower and figure

things out a lot slower and zoom

so i have a lot of extra time during

which

i can just create a question from

everything that i've just

taken in um as a note and i'll just put

this at the top of everything and i'll

add these

as i go along my fourth reason is that

you have

full computer processing power so i can

have multiple tabs open

and this really helps so if before i

would take note of something and you

know put

put a symbol there or a star to remind

myself to go home and then google it and

check it out

and then add more notes in you know my

notability i don't need to do this

anymore

if i'm in the lecture i'll immediately

open a tab google something

use alfred by the way to just like

google something immediately

get the answer pop it in my notes and

that's done sorted

it has not interrupted anything lecture

is still going on and i am completely up

to date

with everything that is happening and

then my fifth and last reason is that

you don't need to handwrite anymore

so um even though there are studies that

show that handwriting

is useful in limiting the amounts of

notes that you can take

or kind of you know helping you stay

awake and all that stuff

i think in the end of the day in my

opinion handwriting is just

cute and nothing more you can very

easily tell yourself

to take less notes and you can train

yourself to do that if it's particularly

difficult

but um i don't think that it justifies

the need to

write things down by hand it's fully

editable it's copy pasteable

so all my questions i can copy paste

them in a separate document

like in the end of the lecture or during

the lecture um if i do them

copy them put them on another document

immediately things are flowing so much

faster

and they're so much more efficient and

everything is happening on the same

screen that the lecture is happening by

doing all these things

once the lecture is done i'm done i'm

finished

i don't need to do anything else anymore

so yeah in the end of the day i think in

2020

so much of our freedom has been taken

away but what has been given to us

is virtual lectures which are so bad in

so many

ways but are great in the sense that i

now have

full power over everything that is going

on

and i can i've definitely been utilizing

that to improve my

learning and my workflow so yes

um so i think in the end of the day if

you're thinking of buying an ipad i

would just not do it

at least not for lectures i love my ipad

i still use it for art

but i just don't use it for anything

academic anymore if you're thinking

between an ipad and a computer if you're

starting university

i would definitely recommend the

computer first but

if you have money to burn add on an ipad

they're really cute

there there's a lot of fun things you

can do on it i mean it helps

it's nice it's fine if you get it for a

christmas gift don't be sad

basically is what i'm saying but yeah

i'll probably follow this up

with how i actually do take those nectar

notes in detail and how i use

notion to kind of create this whole

workflow

even though no one's asked for that

video i just find it really fun

so yeah that is all for me and thank you

good luck in university be kind to

yourself and others and don't believe

everything you think

thank you