Taking notes with a computer is faster for me, keeps my notes more accessible, and most importantly, allows me to share them easily. Web 2.0 is here, so why use Notepad or Microsoft Word when you can get your collaboration on and get twice the work done in half the time? Here are some tools you can use to take, organize and share the information you take down.
Evernote is a note-taking application that will organize and separate the content you add into it. By using tags, folders, and a built-in meta-data organizer, all added files will be arranged neatly. You can install a software client on your computer to upload files to the Evernote servers, which are then accessible from the Web site. The software also has free Android and iPhone applications that sync with your files so you can access and append them with notes and sound clips on the go. I've found the portable feature useful on my phone because I was easily able to record a professor's lecture and then go back and review it. A Web clipper add-on is available for Firefox, Google Chrome, and Safari, so users can take content directly from the Web and import it into their folders. The free syncing system allows you to upload up to 40 megabytes of data a month, while a full subscription is only $5 a month and raises your upload cap to 500 megabytes.
Instapaper is a Web application that is accessed through a Web bookmarklet. By bookmarking sites with this bookmarklet, you create a quick link to Web content that converts the Web page into a text-only format, with the option to revert back to the normal Web site. The application also has the ability to print or download the converted Web sites as an ePub or Kindle-compatible format. You can also download the free iPhone application for mobile browsing.
OneNote is included in the Microsoft Office suite, so a majority of students should already have access to it. OneNote has a text editor that supports hyperlinks, as well as the embedding of several picture formats and movie file types. Tags and workbooks allow your information to be easily organized, and the search feature works well across the notebooks. The synchronization tool allows files to be edited between multiple computers or within a shared notebook, then sync the changes to keep the group updated. The clipping feature is built into OneNote and allows user to clip a screenshot of their desktop and import it into a note. Mobile OneNote is available for any Windows Mobile OS phones, as well as through an unofficial iPhone application that is able to sync with OneNote.
Tiddlywiki is a personal wiki that lets the user have full control over the content that it displays. By downloading the HTML file, you can begin editing it and accessing the wiki through any modern browser. The markup language is simple and is very easy to pick up with a little tinkering. Tagging is supported, and the slick interface is powered by Javascript. The entire program is mobile and can be uploaded to a thumb drive, e-mailed, used through an iPhone application or uploaded to a server so users can have a mobile wiki. The entire project is open-source and it has customizable add-ons, themes and tools.
Zotero is an open-source Firefox add-on developed by George Mason University and the Center for History and New Media. The add-on lets users catalog a varied amount of file types and then export the citations into an ever-expanding list of formats. The add-on also allows you to take screenshots of Web pages and capture static media for offline use. The captured Web pages can be annotated with custom notes. Using the 2.0 release, you can also sync your databases for group use and mobile access across any Firefox browser with the add-on. There is also a word processor add-on that lets users insert citations and bibliographies into Word documents directly from Zotero. You can also import your citations from Endnote, which makes switching over a snap (Guide to switching).
XMind is a mind mapping (think visual note-taking), open-source application that has a free version available. The program is snappy and the tagging system is varied, so when your mind map grows impossibly large, you can keep track of it. The branching system does sometimes branch in ways you don't want it to, but after a little finagling, you get used to its quirks. You can also embed pictures into your mind map when you’re trying to associate a person with a name. The paid version of the software ($50/year) includes the ability to work collaboratively with a group, and export your mind map as a Word, PowerPoint or PDF file.
By publicly sharing your notes through Blackboard, a wiki, or a custom Ning site, you are only helping yourself. The work is already done and the barrier to sharing is so minimal that creating a shared resource is something that students, and usually professors, can get behind. By using collective knowledge, you and your classmates can have a bigger knowledge base while doing less work.
Do you use any other note-taking software? Anything particularly useful for collaboration or mobility? Leave the name and link the comments!
— Colin
