Study Skills, Notetaking
and Technology
Fall 2013
Overview of session
 Study
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techniques
Learning from lecture
Reading
Memorizing
What types of technology can I use
To be successful,
You need to be organized
 In
order to be able to study, you need to
be able to locate your notes, books,
handouts, etc easily.
 Develop a system to get and stay
organized! Be ready to study and take
advantage of free time that may come up
 Plan to take time before and after class to
review notes and readings
Establishing a study routine
 Schedule
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time to study each day
If you don’t have a planner or
organizational system, get one!
 Make
good use of your time before and
after class-this is the best time to study
 Plan a time each week to review what you
have studied in each subject area
 Try to study at the same time each dayestablish a routine
How to make the most of your
study time
 Have
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a good study environment
Is it noisy? If you are distracted by the TV or
conversations, you should find a different
place to go
Are you going to be interrupted? Make sure
your family and friends know you are
studying. Turn your phone off-no texting
either…
What is the lighting like? It should not be too
bright or too dim
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Is it too hot or cold? Either extreme will cause
problems. Find a temperature that will work
for you
Are you comfortable there? Is the chair okaydon’t get too comfortable or you may fall
asleep. Are there distractions there-pictures
to look at, laundry to do, etc?
Does it have the equipment you need? Don’t
give yourself an excuse to get up and walk
away.
Tips on getting started
 Can’t
get motivated? Set a timer for 10
minutes and start studying. You probably
won’t want to stop after you get started
 Study for the class that is most difficult for
you first-don’t procrastinate!
 Research shows that studying in 60-90
minute blocks is best. Once you reach
that time, take a break, then hit the books
again.
Know when you study best
 Take
a look at how you use your time right
now? Are you a morning person or
evening person? When are you most
alert? When are you best able to focus?
By analyzing what you are doing now, you
can make good choices about how to use
your time in the future.
Learning from lectures
 Taking
notes is very important. In order to
take good notes, you have to be a good
listener.
 Be prepared. If you know what the lecture
is going to be on, it will be easier for you to
take notes. Read chapters, review hand
outs etc.
 Sit in the front of the class. You will take
better notes when you are able to pay
attention and follow the lecture
Learning from lectures (cont)
 Copy
down everything on the board if
possible. If not, try to focus on the
following:
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What is the overview/beginning of the lecture
What questions are asked of you during the
lecture “What do you feel the most important.”
Talks about terms and definitions
Information that is repeated or emphasized
When writing down notes, keep
these things in mind…
 Develop
short hand abbreviations-remove
vowels (sty sklls)
 Use a half page system
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Lecture notes on the left
Comments and revisions on the right
 Rewrite
and condense notes after class. If
possible spend 15 minutes before and
after class reviewing your notes.
 Leave
spaces as you write notes, so you
can go back through and fill in the gaps
 Do notes taken in an outline form work for
you?
 Read and review notes daily! Reviewing
works much better than cramming
 Create flash cards from the lectures
 Talk with classmates and instructors about
anything you missed
Organizing your notes
 Three
ring binders
 Notebooks
 Color coding
 Trapper Keepers
 Note taking apps
 For more tips, check out GPS LifePlan:
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GPS LifePlan:
http://www.gpslifeplan.org/ridgewater/educatio
n/index.php?link=studyskill-learning-online#2
Reading
 Reading
is not running your eyes over the
material-read actively
 Make sure you read everything-even the
charts and graphs!
 Text books are all written differently
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Some are well organized and some are not
Different types of books require different types
of reading. Biology textbooks will take longer
to read than some others
Reading
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You will want to time yourself each semester to
see how long it takes to read a page in each
book in each class. This will allow you schedule
enough time to read for each class
Choose a moderate amount of reading material
(50-90 minutes of sitting time)
If the chapter has a summary, read it first-get an
idea of what it is about
Look up words you don’t understand
Read the whole chapter
Reading cont
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Try the SQ3R method (taken from
www.studygs.net/texred2.htm)
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Survey the chapter
Question
Read
Recite
Review
More on reading….
 Periodically
stop reading and try to
connect the concepts to understand the
material
 Write notes or outline the chapter
 Re-read the chapter if don’t understand
the material
 If the material is still challenging, talk with
your teacher or someone in the academic
support center
 For
more tips on reading, check out GPS
LifePlan:
http://www.gpslifeplan.org/ridgewater/educ
ation/index.php?link=studyskill-reading
Memorizing
 You
can only remember things you
understand
 Make-up your own examples-don’t just
use the ones mentioned in class
 Take learning to the next step-don’t just
memorize, apply it
 Think in colors-picture it in your mind
 Use mnemonics-rhymes
 Repetition-review, review, review
Apps for Note Taking
 Evernote:
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Can create notes and keep them organized
Text notes, audio recording, photos and web
clips
Can sync contents across all versions:
desktop, iPhone and web portal
Does not have drawing input ability
Free!
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N6su8e
gZWNw
 Notability
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Text, images, audio recordings and also a
sketch pad
Many fonts, text sizes, colors and options
Can sketch on items you up-load-images,
web clips and clip art
$.99
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bvulN3LSu
08:
 Note
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Taker HD
Many note taking options within the program
Can choose options such as: variable line
thickness, color, typeface, point size, finger
drawing
Import PDF’s and insert and crop photos
$4.99
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FdGDnUKZ
cMM&feature=plcp
 PaperPorts
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Notes
Includes speech to text dictation software
Support dropbox and box.net
Free!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=axgo_0GoA
98
 Penultimate
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You can email a sketch or notebook without
leaving the app
Touch based
$.99
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=waIi5LlG8n
0
References
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____. “Effective Memory Strategies”. Retrieved September 25, 2006 from
www.sdc.uwo.ca/learning/memory.html.
Pegg, Bruce. (October 4, 1995). “Note Taking”. Colgate University Writing
Center. Retrieved October 5, 2006 from
Departments.colgate.edu/diw/notetaking.html.
____. (July 1, 1994). “Study Skills Self Help Information”. Retrieved
September 13, 2006 from http://www.ucc.vt.edu/stdyhlp/html.
www3.aukron.edu/schlcomm
Landsberger, Joe. (June 2, 2006). “”Study Skills”. Retrieved October 5,
2006 from www.studygs.net
____”Test Anxiety Self-help Brochure”. Retrieved September 26, 2006 from
www.counse.uiuc.edu.brochures/testanx.htm.
www.howtostudeny.org/resources
____. “Test Taking and Test Anxiety”. Retrieved November 27, 2006 from
http://www.uiowa.edu/web/advisingcenter
Duffy, Jill. Note-Taking Apps for the Apple iPad. www.pcmag.com.
April 26, 2012.