Non-motoring > Silly question - re laptops and college Miscellaneous
Thread Author: RattleandSmoke Replies: 16
View Threaded 

 Wed 8 Feb 12 14:35 
 Silly question - re laptops and college - RattleandSmoke
I am starting my PTLLS course tonight and when I was at university and college many many years ago the norm was pen and paper. However I am not the most organised person and like everything written on the computer to keep everything organised.

Will I look like a twit if I bring my laptop to take notes? When I was at university people who did this looked like a bit of a twit, but that was 7-10 years ago I assume things have changed?

Reply to this message | Report message
       
 Wed 8 Feb 12 14:40 
 Silly question - re laptops and college - movilogo
No - lots of students now take laptop/tablet to class for taking notes.

Personally I still prefer taking old fashioned netbooks. They are cheap, lighter and no one will nick them :-)

And I can take notes faster on them too :-)



Reply to this message | Report message
       
 Wed 8 Feb 12 14:44 
 Silly question - re laptops and college - RattleandSmoke
Thanks :). It will be a netbook I am bringing although its a fairly new one, the SSD has gone on my old cheap one and it needs a new battery, but still its a cheap one.

Reply to this message | Report message
       
 Wed 8 Feb 12 14:48 
 Silly question - re laptops and college - Zero
Use a notepad and pen. Then organise your notes jottings and scribblings to pc afterwards.

Last edited by: Zero on Wed 8 Feb 12 at 14:48
Reply to this message | Report message
       
 Wed 8 Feb 12 14:56 
 Silly question - re laptops and college - RattleandSmoke
Thanks Zero, I think it that is what I will do, having to get the bus there and back and its a long way, so it will safer not to take it.

I will have the car next week (hopefully) so I will take my laptop from then.

Reply to this message | Report message
       
 Wed 8 Feb 12 15:02 
 Silly question - re laptops and college - Dave_
My plumbing course in 2010 was 60% classroom-based, most teaching was done by using Powerpoint presentations with a printed copy handed out to each student at the end. Two or three of us took a pen and A4 pad to make notes, the rest didn't even do that.

In your situation I would play it by ear. Don't take your laptop in for the induction, do ask ther tutor whether he/she would expect/accept its use in lectures.

>> Use a notepad and pen. Then organise your notes jottings and scribblings to pc afterwards.

Agreed. Rattle might be a much more proficient typist and laptop user than most of us, but personally I find it easier to take notes on paper where corrections and additions can be made without my losing track of what's being said at the front of the room.
Last edited by: Dave_TDCi on Wed 8 Feb 12 at 15:05
Reply to this message | Report message
       
 Wed 8 Feb 12 15:18 
 Silly question - re laptops and college - Number_Cruncher
At the polyversity, I make my lectures available by posting the pdf file online - usually the day before. The better students print them off, and bring them to the lecture to add their own notes to.

I do tend to reward those who attend and are active in my lectures by basing exam questions on the work I do on the board and in discussion rather than on the bumf in the online lecture notes.

I'm sure half of those who bring in a laptop are just browsing facebook or similar.... the screen rapidly flicking back to the lecture notes as I approach is a dead giveaway.

If you plan on recording/videoing the lecture, it is best to ask - however, I take the approach that I always assume that someone is recording everything I say. Dull, but, safe!
Reply to this message | Report message
       
 Wed 8 Feb 12 15:24 
 Silly question - re laptops and college - R.P.
All the courses I ended up doing at what I laughingly called work were Powerpoint with notes handed out - never took any though !

My personal proud thing was rarely to take notes in meetings - always worked for me, my memory was superb for work detail.


Reply to this message | Report message
       
 Wed 8 Feb 12 19:17 
 Silly question - re laptops and college - swiss tony
>> My personal proud thing was rarely to take notes in meetings - always worked for
>> me, my memory was superb for work detail.
>>

I'm pretty much the same... if i try to take notes, I seem to lose touch with the next thing the lecture is saying.....

In a similar way, when I revise I have to stop a week before the exam.. any closer to the exam I wont do so well - I think my brain needs time to organise itself, although my reactions are quick when urgent action is required... at a motorbike show some years ago, I got the fastest reactions on a 'reaction test machine' and that was the day before it closed....
Reply to this message | Report message
       
 Wed 8 Feb 12 19:31 
 Silly question - re laptops and college - Fursty Ferret
I would say no - I found someone tapping away at a keyboard behind me exceptionally irritating and always learned better by transcribing my notes into computer or neater notepads after the lectures.

If you desperately want your notes digitised then take one of these in:

www.ebay.co.uk/itm/220919332518

Despite the fact it's old tech, it's exceptionally capable and I produced the best notes I've ever taken on (a borrowed) one. A lot of people had tablet pcs at uni (even back in 2004/5/6/7) and for £99 you can't really go wrong.
Reply to this message | Report message
       
 Wed 8 Feb 12 19:36 
 Silly question - re laptops and college - Mapmaker
FF>> and for £99 you can't really go wrong.

Hmmmmmm

Battery DEAD - will not hold charge

Condition Used - Missing Stylus
Reply to this message | Report message
       
 Wed 8 Feb 12 19:34 
 Silly question - re laptops and college - Mapmaker
I cannot imagine taking lecture notes down on a computer. I can type far more quickly (and indeed legibly) than I can write. If I'm making technical notes during a phone call, I'll use the computer. But in a lecture - particularly if you're given handouts that you want to annotate, no way. If there's no handout then I'll use a plain piece of paper (no lines, they just get in the way) and plenty of effort in making it look attractive. A blue and a red pen for annotating black-on-white handouts.

Writing up notes after a lecture is a complete waste of time. You don't learn anything whatsoever that way. The glorious feeling that "I'm doing some work because I'm typing my lecture notes into a computer (whilst watching the cat and listening to music)" is no more than a feeling.
Reply to this message | Report message
       
 Wed 8 Feb 12 20:39 
 Silly question - re laptops and college - RattleandSmoke
Just got back, was more of an introduction but certainly I won't have any need for a laptop in the. The pace was quite slow and different to university which was much faster paced.

This course is really buy a book learn from that, and attend the lectures to get an idea of to write the assignment and do the practical. Where at university lectures were all about the basic principles so you could then go on and do further reading.

Reply to this message | Report message
       
 Wed 8 Feb 12 20:38 
 Silly question - re laptops and college - Manatee
I imagine many of your cohort will turn up with Aye Pads, never mid laptops.
Reply to this message | Report message
       
 Wed 8 Feb 12 20:59 
 Silly question - re laptops and college - zippy
I use one of these to take notes in meetings:

www.livescribe.com/uk/

For classroom use get the custom ear phones as they have built in stereo microphones.

You need special paper though but you can photocopy it on a high resolution copier.


It does cause a bit of discussion when first seen.
Last edited by: zippy on Wed 8 Feb 12 at 21:00
Reply to this message | Report message
       
 Wed 8 Feb 12 21:08 
 Silly question - re laptops and college - swiss tony
>> I use one of these to take notes in meetings:
>>
>> www.livescribe.com/uk/
>>

WOW!
That's very clever.
Reply to this message | Report message
       
 Wed 8 Feb 12 22:02 
 Silly question - re laptops and college - Fullchat
One of the teaching models - Dale's Cone of Experience, indicates that people tend to remember 10% of what they read, 20% of what they hear, 30% of what they hear and see, 70% of what they say and write and 90% of what they do. But that can depend on your own individual learning style. Visual, Audial, Read/Write or Kinesthetic. Have a go and identify your style,

www.vark-learn.com/english/page.asp?p=questionnaire

I would suggest that unless you are a particularly brilliant audio typist leave well alone. We should all be natural writers. Trying to tap away on a keyboard would be a barrier to learning and a distraction. And if I was sitting near you I may want to stamp on it :-)
Reply to this message | Report message
       
Latest Forum Posts