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Hello all,

I am starting the first portion of the didactic year in less then two weeks. I was wondering if anyone had any tips on getting organized, I.e, binders, folders, notebooks things of that nature. I plan on taking notes on my laptop, but I was curios if I should designate a binder for each course? I know it may seem trival, but organization is the key to my success so any tips or info is greatly appreciated. Thanks

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Hey everyone,

I really appreciate all the feedback, it's definitely been helpful in easing my organizational stressors. So based off of your answers I'm assuming that most of the material will be accessible through our blackboard system, and I'll reroute it to it's appropriate place. And then maybe I'll just keep a small binder with course schedules and things of that nature in it. Do you guys think that'll work? Again I really appreciate all of the feedback.

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I will say OneNote, really the best program out there. I had a surface pro so I could use the pen to write directly on the uploaded powerpoints as well which was nice (and it automatically backed up to my onedrive so I never had to worry about technology failing and me losing everything). I had one three subject notebook and one folder for misc. crap. Really though you will find what works for you. I know we had a couple "older" students in the class who would have the powerpoint up on their laptops but would take notes the old fashioned way on paper with a pen. It comes down to whatever works for you and what you will be able to do. Ask people in the class above you what they did (I know my program had students from the class above us come in one day to talk about how they studied and that was helpful). 

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I'd recommend reaching out to someone in your program a year ahead of you and asking how the classes were structured.  They might be able to give you really great organizational tips as well.  I floundered around with organization until I figured out what worked for me.  My classes were organized such that we focused on one body system at a time and took different classes that basically put the whole organ system together.  For exams, we pulled information from all classes.  Also, my program was basically paperless.  I downloaded the materials I needed and saved projects in specific organized folders on my computer.  I also took notes in my power points.  However, I only had one folder and notebook per unit and my personal notes and papers were all together.  This tactic may not work for a program that has more separation between classes.  It's not a bad idea to get binders for each class, however, if you have to carry around all of your folders and your laptop, it might be a little cumbersome.  So definitely reach out to another older student if you can.  Otherwise, rest assured, you'll figure it out in time.

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I think it matters how you take in information.  OneNote would not have been a good tool for me since I have to hand write to retain anything.  So...I have a gazillion binders and note cards.  I did use a folder to bring lecture notes to class so I didn't have to lug the binder around.

 

I didn't even bring a laptop to class.  I think it was about 50/50 in my class.  

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  • 1 month later...

The education folks will tell you that handwriting is superior to typing for a couple reasons:

 

-Your brain feels the difference between writing an A and a B. The pure mechanics help with retention. Your brain does not feel a difference between pushing the A key or the B key.

 

-Being a fast typist can actually hurt retention. Many students type fast enough that they essentially create a transcript of the lecture. The bad part of this is that it does not teach you to discriminate what is really important. Using a slower method forces you to consider whether something is important or not enough to record. Making decisions like this is how you develop judgment.

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^^

You will be presented with a significant amount of material to organize.

Shuffling this from Blackboard to your own system whether it is OneNote, DropBox or whatever is just a data dump from one place to another.

Doodling on PPT slides, highlighting, recording lectures, taking copious detailed notes all work against you because you are just serving as a recording interface between the speaker and your understanding.

Learning occurs best when it is done with intent. The better thing is listen to the lecture or view the video or do the reading with a list of questions (instructional objectives) in place.

Read, view or listen to answer the question.

Then revisit that question and answer process concerning the topic every couple/several weeks until you can ask and answer the question without prompting.

Last, if you are using the laptop, you essentially have the worldwide distraction one browser tab away. My practice is to circulate around a room when I speak. I am always amazed to see what students have their laptops open to as I deliver part of their nearly $90k education to them. So come prepared with some self restraint or install blocking software to keep you from facebook, amazon, CNN or anything else.

Good luck.

George

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  • 3 months later...

I also think that it matters how to take in info. Which is why it is highly important to have it organized. Let alone getting a paper done well. Essay About Photography As An Art for example is a sample of such a paper being written professionally. Look it up and consider in case you need help with writing yours.

Go home, you're drunk.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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