This week is all about modern note-taking —especially timely for the new semester. I personally use the Boogie Board Sync, a 9.7 inch writing tablet, which is an electronic writing tablet that saves and sends pages of notes to all kinds of devices. It has one job — and it does it marvelously!
However, there are some cost-effective alternatives to the Boogie Board Sync. The Rocketbook, for instance, is a notebook that syncs with cloud-based services and erases after being heated in a microwave. Other options include note taking apps directly on your phone or tablet such as Evernote and Microsoft OneNote.
All of these options pay for themselves long-term, both economically and environmentally. I have personally taken about 4,500 pages of notes over three semesters, averaging five to ten pages of notes per class session. You’ll save money on paper costs and spare those poor, innocent trees! Think of how small your carbon footprint is because you write your notes via tablet!
Jonathan Kohl, a sophomore engineering student, was intrigued when he saw my Boogie Board Sync — so intrigued that he bought his own with savings from textbook purchases. He commented on the device’s convenience, admitting, “I play on my phone way too much.
Syncing all my notes to my phone and Dropbox will allow me to actually use my phone for something productive.”
Kohl further commented on the cloud sync capability, “I don’t use my notes very efficiently. I think I’ll study more and look back at my notes taken on the Boogie Board Sync because they’re just so convenient — on my phone and on Dropbox.”
When shopping around, there are many features to choose from. Most allow you to make electronic notebooks and export a single PDF file for a whole semester’s notes. Some allow for notes to be searchable through OCR technology. One really neat feature of the Boogie Board Sync is the ability to make videos of your notes. You can play back the way a page was written to make animations or follow a complicated math problem! The Rocketbook allows you to erase its pages by sticking it in the microwave if you use the right kind of ink. Just be sure to read some reviews.
Whether you buy just an app on your tablet or pay a little more for a Rocketbook or a Boogie Board Sync, you’ll be surprised how useful and fun it can be to get rid of paper note-taking!