Note-Taking App Collection
This page lists applications that are useful in taking notes. There are many more applications out there, but here are some that are very inexpensive and still quite functional.
Intended Audience
WSU faculty interested in learning more about how notes can be taken electronically and students looking for ways to add media, organization and security to their note taking.
Why take notes on a tablet?
Note taking is an integral part of the educational experience. Using a tablet can be a fast and easy way to records notes and tablets support the addition of other types of media to your notes, things like web clips, photos, audios and videos. Try that with you spiral notebook.
While the traditional paper and pencil still have considerable worth in the note-taking arena, there are some very sound pedagogical reasons for taking notes on a mobile device, especially a tablet. Here are a few:
- Media can be added to notes in ways that support new learning methods. Tablet applications support the incorporation of media beyond the written notes. Most apps allow for the inclusion of media like photos, audios clips, video clips and web clips directly into the note page.
- Electronic note taking comes with built-in organizational tools that make categorizing notes a breeze. Most note-taking applications support the notion of notebooks or folders for grouping notes by subject. No more losing loose sheets of notes or writing some biology notes in your sociology notebook because it is the only notebook you are carrying.
- Note taking on a tablet can be very collaborative. Students can work in small groups within a single set of notes, adding content, critiquing fellow students' work and building solutions much larger than could have done on their own. Notes can also be shared with the professor for assessment and review.
- There are digital extras on the tablet that the good old paper notebook can never do. Note takers can search their notes electronically, whether they are typed or handwritten. Alarms can be associated with notes that remind the note taker of deadlines and timeliness. Tags and keywords can be assigned to notes and used as a secondary categorization and search tool.
- Digital note taking can help your students climb the Bloom's Taxonomy ladder. Traditional note taking fits directly into the Knowledge (with verbs like list, label, recite and memorize) and partially into the Comprehension (rewrite, paraphrase and restate) Cognitive Domains of Bloom's Taxonomy. Adding the features of digital note taking listed above add to Comprehension (record, photograph, compare and defend) as well as push the note taker into the third Cognitive Domain, Application (with operations like organize, produce and choose).
Note Taking Applications
| Application | App Store Category | Description | For more information |
|---|---|---|---|
Evernote |
Productivity | Evernote is an easy-to-use, free app that helps you remember everything across all of the devices you use. Stay organized, save your ideas and improve productivity. Evernote lets you take notes, capture photos, create to-do lists, record voice reminders. |  
|
Notability |
Productivity | Notability will transform how you work: sketch ideas, annotate documents, sign contracts, complete worksheets, keep a journal, jot travel notes, teach a class, make a presentation and much more. With iCloud support, your notes stay up to date on all your devices. |
|
OneNote |
Productivity | Whether you’re at home, in the office or on the go, your notes travel with you. And you can share your notes and collaborate with others, across multiple devices. |
|
Penultimate |
Productivity | The most natural digital-handwriting experience on iPad, Penultimate gives you the convenience and feel of writing on paper with the added power and availability of Evernote. |
|
Skitch |
Productivity | See something that sparks an idea? Use Skitch to snap it, mark it up with simple tools, and send it on in an instant. Your bold ideas stand out even brighter with Skitch. |
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More Information
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