With many aspects of university converting to digital form (such as online lectures and meetings), it seems only fitting that we adapt our note taking as well. There are many apps available on the market which aim to assist students in capturing their lecture content digitally, but how do we know which to choose from? The best apps for taking notes in university will provide you with the ability to create your own profile so that you can keep your notes all in one place. They will take into consideration the different learning styles of students and provide a wide range of accessibility options to cater for each individual. They will connect with other student platforms such as Canvas and Microsoft Teams, so that you can integrate your lecture content and what makes them the best apps for taking notes in university is that they will make your life easier and reduce your levels of stress. So, let’s have a look at some note taking apps which provide these benefits for students!
Notability – The app visual learners need to be using for successful revision.
We know that there are various types of learners (you can find out which style you are here) and these students benefit from different learning styles. Notability is one of the best apps for taking notes in university for visual learners. The app is free to use and provides users with a blank page to get creative and lay out their notes in a format which is productively effective for them as a visual learner. Notability has a draw tool for students to handwrite their notes in a wide range of colours and can also type up and highlight key information in a range of fonts. Notes are uploaded to the cloud so students can access all their revision information in one place without the hassle of carrying around pens and notebooks. What makes Notability one of the best apps for taking notes in university is that it gives you the option to create your own profile to customise notes to suit each individual need while also catering for students with other learning styles. The app can be used by auditory learners as they can attach clips of lecture recordings they may have created using other auditory apps such as Jamworks and tie them to their written notes to link the revision all together.
Obsidian –One of the best apps for taking notes in university for lovers of Markdown
For students who’s notes constantly interlink with one another, Obsidian is one of the best apps for taking notes in university. The Obsidian app can be used to link your thinking styles together through the format of plain text Markdown files. The app provides an almost blank canvas with the freedom to be able to translate data and note content into multiple forms such as graphs, mind maps and more. Obsidian caters for many learning types including visual, kinaesthetic and writing/reading and enables students to use notes made in the app through other platforms to make learning more accessible. Making connections between notes and points through Obsidian can help to widen a student’s knowledge of a concept and provide easy access to relevant information noted at a previous time.
Notion – A database platform for peak productivity in taking notes and revision.
Whilst Notion’s layout initially may show a similarity to Obsidian, this app stands out for it’s benefits in communication through note taking and themes and personalisation options available. The app gained popularity following lockdown and is now one of the best apps for taking notes in university which provides a space to link your entire study system together as an all-in-one workspace. Students can design their pages and dashboard to be visually effective in relation to their studies. With it being a popular note taking app for university students in 2022, there are a wide range of themes and informative videos available from other users to teach students how to maximise Notion to it’s full potential, to unlock their potential. The note-taking format within Notion caters predominantly to writing/reading and visual learners and gives students a stress-free space to organise their study content through the database.
Jamworks – One of the best apps for taking notes in university to reduce stress in class and building better grades.
What makes Jamworks one of the best apps for taking notes in university is that it helps to reduce the stress levels of students in class. Jamworks is a note taking app for students which allows users to capture the important parts of their lectures and clip them into short playlists to rewatch and listen to during revision. Aspects of the Jamworks app which makes it stand out from the rest is that it is automatically taking students’ notes for them during the class without them having to click more than a button. This eliminates stress levels as students no longer have to worry about missing out on important information. The app caters to a wide range of learners from auditory to visual and provides numerous accessibility functions so that students can adapt their lecture content to suit their individual needs such as transcribing audio files to text, making summary points and quizzes via the Jamworks Pro subscription (which is available for only 99p here!). Users can create their own profile with Jamworks where they can access all their revision content across the dashboard. The app links with apps such as Canvas and Microsoft teams for direct access to lecture streams and course information such as lecture timetables and more.
Being a student in this modern world means that we need to be consistently adapting to the new and ever-changing tools available to us. Utilising technology through engaging with some of the best student apps for taking notes in university will make revision easier as these apps can connect us students together and amalgamate our notes into an easier format to digest effectively. Whether you’re a visual learner and using apps like Notability, a lover of Markdown and delving into the data with Obsidian, a productivity and kinaesthetic learner linking your study system together with Notion or a Jamworks user aiming to reduce stress levels and get better grades, these apps can help you to take better notes and build better knowledge to become the student you strive to be.
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