Using OneNote to Take Notes in Class
OneNote is quite popular with college students. You can create a section for each class and keep an entire semester's worth of notes in the section. When you're done with the class, close and back up the section. Figure 2.1 shows a typical OneNote window for a college biology class. As you can see from the figure, Sally has a section for each of her five classes.
Figure 2.1. You can create a section for each class and multiple pages for each class.
As you can see from the figure, there are a large number of pages within the Biology section. Every lecture receives its own page in the section. When it comes time for a test, all Sally needs to do is review the appropriate pages.
 | For more information about creating multiple sections, opening, and closing sections, see “Working with Note Files,” Chapter 6. |
With OneNote's search capabilities, Sally can search all the pages within her biology notes for the relevant topics. To search for cell membrane, Sally can type cell membrane in the search box directly above the page tabs and press Enter on the keyboard. Sally's search results are shown in Figure 2.2.
Figure 2.2. Students can easily search through multiple pages of notes.
Using a Tablet PC can be quite helpful for several types of classes. Chemistry and calculus classes in particular don't lend themselves to only typewritten notes. Chemical reactions and calculus equations often need handwritten structures for clarity. Figure 2.3 illustrates how well OneNote captures handwritten chemistry notes.
Figure 2.3. Using a Tablet PC can capture handwritten equations and structures.
You can search through handwritten notes in the same manner as typewritten notes. The only limitation you'll encounter when searching for handwritten notes is that unless OneNote recognizes your writing as text (as opposed to recognizing it as a drawing), you won't be able to search for that text. In Figure 2.3, you cannot search for the chemical symbols displayed in the figure, only the text surrounding them.
 | For more information about using OneNote to capture more than just text, see “A Picture Is Worth a Thousand Words,” Chapter 12. |
OneNote includes many templates you can use, including several designed for taking notes in class. The History Class template is shown in Figure 2.4.
Figure 2.4. OneNote includes a variety of templates.
