The practice of recording information from different sources and platforms to increase concentration, deepen understanding and freeing the mind from recalling everything is called note-taking. Useful notes must have the following things:-
- Key concepts and main points.
- Important examples.
- Definition and new vocabulary.
- Any references provided.
- Difficult concepts or unfamiliar terms are difficult to understand.
- Thoughts, questions and ideas of note-taking person.
Tips for effective note-taking
- Know the topic of the lecture and do pre-reading about it.
- Arrive on time in the meeting or class. Sit at a place from where you can clearly listen and watch the speaker.
- Concentrate and pay attention to think critically.
- Listen to the overall argument and do not try to write down everything being said. Be selective and write down only key concepts.
- Revise the notes in mind after the lecture to build up a deep understanding of the topic and identify the gaps in knowledge.
In-computing cross-platform app means the software that is designed to work in several computing platforms like Mac, iOS, Android, Windows, and Linux etc. In this article, I will discuss the top in trend cross platform note taking apps.
1. Evernote
- Supported platforms are web client, macOS, Android, iOS, Windows.
- Cost price is $7.99/month for personal plan and $9.99/month for professional plan. Free version is also available.
- Evernote helps users to remember everything and tackle any project with notes, tasks and schedule in one place.
- Go paperless and work anywhere to keep important information handy. Notes will synchronize to all devices automatically. Connect to Google calendar for notes and meetings on time.
- Make notes more useful by adding text, images, audio, scans, PDFs and documents.
- Get what you need when you need it with powerful search capabilities.
2. Microsoft OneNote
- Supported platforms are windows, macOS, iOS, web client and Android.
- Cost price is free for all platforms but the cost price is $69.99 if you want to get OneNote alongside programs like Word and Excel.
- Divide notes into notebooks, sections and pages. Find your notes right where you left them with easy navigation and search.
- Revise your notes with type, highlighting, To-Do tags or ink annotations using a stylus or your finger.
- Share ideas and create together with coworkers, friends and family in OneNote.
- Record audio notes, insert online videos and add files.
- Use the OneNote Web Clipper to save content with a single click.
3. Simplenote
- Supported platforms are Android, Linux, Web browser, macOS, iOS and Windows.
- Simplenote is a free and open source app. It made money from a subset of users who spent 419.99 per year to remove ads and add Dropbox synchronization.
- Use it everywhere and stay updated with your notes by automatic synchronization of notes in real-time.
- Add tags to find notes quickly with instant searching.
- Share a to-do list, post some instructions or publish your notes online to work together.
- Notes are backed up with every change, so the user can see what he noted last week or last month.
- Write, preview and publish your notes in Markdown format.
4. Notion
- Supported platforms are Web, macOS, iOS, Windows and Android.
- There is a FREE plan for personal use. Price is $4/month for Personal Pro version, $8 per member/month for team version.
- The root of “notion” is the Latin word “notion” which means “to know”.
- Connect your teams, projects and documents in Notion without the chaos.
- Keep your knowledge and daily work side by side, so you never lose context.
- Build the workflow you want by just dragging and dropping to craft the dashboard, website, doc or system.
- Start with a template and modify it however you need after selecting it from thousands of free, pre-built setups for work and life
5. Roam Research
- Supported platforms are Windows, Linux and macOS.
- Cost price is $165 to $180 per year for the pro version. Free version is also available.
- As easy to use as a document and as powerful as a graph database. Roam helps you organize your research for a long time.
- Fluid note-to-note linking means users can instantly link one note to another to create a web of information, doing away with the need for tags and folders.
- Delightful writing experience with Markdown support.
- The set-up of the app encourages daily journaling.
6. Standard Notes
- Supported platforms are android, iOS, Linux, Mac, Windows and Web.
- Cost price is $29/year for the pro version. Free version is also available with basic features.
- Main highlight of this app is the security features. Everything that user type is encrypted by default and only the user can access it.
- Powerful search features with custom tags so that users can define and save custom searches based on different criteria.
- Limited image support and users cannot drag and drop notes between folders and tags are major drawbacks of this app.
Advantage of using note-taking applications
- Store all important information and notes digitally in a cloud based storage system to access anytime on the go. No need to carry heavy note-taking files of different subjects.
- Type, write and draw notes on the device without using a physical pen and paper. Save the cost of purchasing stationery items.
- Add images, audios, videos, PDFs and live recordings to enrich the meaning and context of notes.
- Collaborate and share notes in real-time with friends, team workers, seniors and others instantaneously.
- Easy to update notes from time to time.
- Much easier to question via email and the students will always have an e-copy of the explanation to refer back while studying.
- Easy to compile raw files, data and citations from various sources. Store, organize, add footnotes and provide context to project notes easily.
Disadvantage of using note-taking apps
- Note-taking apps are prone to technical failure.
- Handwritten note-taking is more effective than typing for human mind storage.
- Internet connection is mandatory to use all features of these apps.
- Each note-taking app has its own functionality. Due to the varied functionality and overwhelming availability it is difficult to understand which is most suitable.
- Devices are not allowed everywhere. It means that we can’t use these apps every time and everywhere.
Conclusion
Individuals need to use note-taking apps in their everyday personal lives to remember every bit of information around the globe. These applications enable users to type, write, draw and erase on their devices the same as on paper. Each app has its own unique storage and sharing features. It totally depends on the user to search and pick up the app which is most suitable for their work needs.
