Note-taking 101: Digital Vs. Handwritten

Whether you’ve enrolled in one of our government-funded courses or are looking to do so, there are a few different ways you can ensure you stay on track throughout the semesters. Note-taking is possibly one of the most crucial methods that will help you with your studies. But what’s the best way to take notes? Well, today we’re going to be looking at the differences between digital and handwritten notes including the pros and cons of both methods as well as some useful applications that will help you keep your notes organised. So, let’s dive in.

Handwritten notes

Some people may be used to writing down notes by hand and thus prefer it. Physically writing down notes may also help you retain the information better as opposed to typing. Of course, with physical note-taking, you’ll be carrying around a lot more stuff. You’re going to want either a notebook for each subject – or a large notebook with dividers for each one depending on which government-funded course you’re thinking of enrolling in.

The notes can get damaged or lost and will be unrecoverable once they are. It also requires some speed when actively taking notes in class or else you risk falling behind and missing some things your educator is saying. If you need to add more notes to an older section and don’t have any room left on the page, then you may have to start another page further in your book which could cause confusion later down the track.

Digital notes

For some, it’s faster to type than it is to write – and thus digital notes are much more efficient. There are varying sized laptops and tablets available which means you can find the product that is best for you at relatively affordable price points. Digital notes can be easily manipulated and edited. If you’re someone who prefers neat and uniform notes then that can be easily achieved digitally.

Through various applications, it’s also much easier to segregate your work by subjects and assignments. You can even search for keywords to instantly find the notes you need. If you back your notes up to a cloud storage service (which a lot of applications do automatically nowadays), then you can view them on multiple devices and don’t have to worry if you accidentally delete them or damage your hardware. A downside to digital note-taking is that it isn’t for everyone and may end up being quite inefficient in some cases.

Applications for digital note-taking

If you’re comfortable enough taking down digital notes, then the next thing you should do is find the best application that works for you. You can use Microsoft Word to take down notes – but we suggest looking at Microsoft OneNote instead, which is specifically built for note-taking. OneNote allows you to create workbooks with different sections and sub-sections within each one which makes sorting out your notes extremely efficient. It will also sync across your other devices so if you have the OneNote app on your phone, you can quickly view or edit notes wherever you are.

If you’re an Apple user, then the native Notes application is good for taking basic notes and allows for some categorisation. If you have an iPad with an Apple Pencil, then you can handwrite your notes and even have them automatically transformed into text, if you choose. That way, you still get to handwrite them, but they’ll be converted into an easy-to-read format. Evernote is another popular and very handy note-taking application that allows for all of the aforementioned features and is compatible across all your devices regardless of what operating system they’re running.

All of these applications also allow for collaboration with fellow classmates over the cloud, meaning you can pool your notes together with a friend in real-time even if you’re not together – which can be really helpful for group assignments or remote learning in general. Both Evernote and OneNote have premium paid tiers so-to-speak which offer extra features. However, for the majority of people, the free packages are more than sufficient for most students.

Are you interested in government-funded courses in Werribee?

South West Training Services is an inclusive and community-centric institution that specialises in several government-funded courses in Werribee including those in Early Childhood and Business pathways.

If you would like to learn more information about our courses or are interested in enrolling, then please don’t hesitate to call us on (03) 9748 9233. Alternatively, you can also fill out the contact form on our website.