There are a lot of ways to keep in mind in class today: laptops, tablets, and other gadgets, tape-recording apps, and the good old-fashioned pen and note pad. Which one should you utilize? Does it matter? Of course, the response is individual. What works for someone won’t work for another. There are some compelling arguments for composing notes longhand, with a pen or pencil, consisting of research study by scientists Pam Mueller and Daniel Oppenheimer, who found that trainees who wrote notes by hand had a much better conceptual grasp of the material taught. They understood more, had better recall, and evaluated much better. That’s pretty tough to argue with.

2 articles by leading companies go over the matter:

Harvard Business Review: “What You Miss When You Take Notes on Your Laptop”
Scientific American: “A Learning Secret: Don’t Take Notes with a Laptop”
Partially because they listened better and were more engaged in the learning rather than attempting to type word-for-word whatever the teacher stated. If you pick to utilize a laptop computer for your note taking, keep this study in mind and don’t attempt to record every single thing said. And type just the notes you would have written by hand.

There are other things to keep in mind:

Does your teacher enable laptop computers in the classroom for note taking?
Is your laptop easy to bring and set up?
Do you need to plug it in?
Exist electrical outlets readily available in your class?
Does your software application load rapidly?
Do you have great habits for organizing your documents?
Can you take note in class with your laptop computer open?
If you can state yes to all or the majority of those questions, then remembering on a laptop might be great time management for you.

Benefits
If you understand you can type much faster than you can compose, the benefits of using a laptop computer for notes may include:

Paying much better attention since you can type without taking a look at your hands
Even when you make typing errors, your notes will still be legible
It’s easy to organize your notes into folders.
As soon as modified, you can copy notes and paste them into files
Drawbacks
There are disadvantages to using a laptop for note-taking:

Make certain you’re not trying to type a lecture word for word just because you’re quickly.
There are some notes that can’t be typed unless you’re a wiz with software application. Have paper and pen or pencil beside your laptop computer for anything you can’t type, like a fast drawing of something.
If you need to hurry between classes, closing down and launching a laptop computer takes some time. Beware not to be impolite in the classroom by searching with your things when your instructor is speaking.
Laptop computers can be pricey and delicate. If you’re carrying yours daily, ensure you have a strong one which you’re careful with it.
Laptop computers can be taken. If you lose it, you’re in trouble.
Laptops are likewise vulnerable to infections and other maladies. You want to make sure you’ve got sufficient protection and back up your information frequently so you don’t lose it all the night before your task is due.
More Tips
Study abilities and time management can be greatly enhanced by using a laptop computer with good sense. Here’s a bit more recommendations:

Whether you have access to the Internet in class, try to resist going to. The temptation can be terrific to peek at social networks, answer email, or anything else you do online. These are apparent distractions you don’t need.
Attempt to type big ideas, not every concept.
Keep in mind to look up and remain engaged with your teacher.