Studying Online;Succeeding through Distance Learning at University

Online notetaking 81 
However, this can be rather cumbersome, and unless you have a 
truly remarkable memory, it can be challenging to fnd informa-
tion amongst an extensive list of documents. 
Making notes with word processors 
Word processors have a range of features that allow you to use 
them more efectively for notetaking. One way is to switch to 
“Outline” mode, rather than the typical “Typewriter” mode, or 
“Print Layout”. In Microsoft Word, click on the “View” menu op-
tion and then on “Outline”. Alternatively, type Ctrl + Alt + O, 
and you will switch to the Outline view. For Google Docs, you will 
fnd the outlining option also in the View menu. A word processor 
outline allows you to write bullet point style notes, but move them 
around easily and add text annotations and highlighting. 
Figure 4.7 
A word processor outline in Microsoft Word 

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82 Studying online 
Another feature of Microsoft Word that is useful for notetaking 
is the tagging feature. When you save the fle, there is the option 
to add a “tag”. You can provide a tag that allows you to fnd notes 
easily by searching for tags. 
However, there is little to recommend a word processor as a no-
tetaking system. Te fact that Microsoft has produced a program 
called Microsoft OneNote, which is explicitly designed to take 
notes, should be a clear indication that a word processor alone is 
not a proper notetaking system. 
QUICK TIP: If you have Microsoft 365, use OneNote for digital 
notetaking rather than Microsoft Word. 
Using note ecosystems for digital notetaking 
Microsoft OneNote is an “ecosystem”, allowing you to collate 
all of your notes together in one place. In addition, you can use 
Microsoft OneNote as a note fling system, making it easy to co-
ordinate and integrate all of your work and resources. Te main 
competitor to Microsoft OneNote is a program called Evernote®. 
Students also like Notion or another notetaking system called 
Nimbus Note or Zoho Notebook. Tese are complete systems 
with a wide range of features. You can use them as a simple note-
book, typing up your notes on your lectures and what you have 
been reading. However, there is much more to these ecosystems 
than a straightforward notebook. You can add pictures, videos, 
and audio fles. You can insert other documents such as word 
processor fles or PDFs. You can then annotate what you have 
imported into the notebooks. You can also import handwritten 
notes, either as images captured via your phone or by import-
ing fles from your digital pen application, for example. Moles-
kine® also produces a notebook that is integrated with Evernote®, 
providing a more direct way of inserting handwritten notes into 
your digital notebooks. 

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