A Comparative Study on E-Note-Taking

Abstract

In all walks of life individuals are involved in a cumulative and incremental process of knowledge acquisition. This involves the accessing, processing and understanding of information which can be gained through many different forms. These include, deliberate means by picking up a book or passive by listening to someone. The content of knowledge is translated by individuals and often recorded by the skill of note-taking, which differs in method from one person to another. This article presents an investigation into the techniques to take notes including the most popular Cornell method. A comparative analysis with the Outlining and Mapping methods are carried out stating strengths and weaknesses of each in terms of simplicity, usefulness and effectiveness. The processes of developing such skills are not easy or straightforward and performance is much influenced by cognition. Therefore, such associations regarding cognitive conceptions involve the exploration into note-taking processes encoding and storage, attention and concentration, memory and other stimuli factors such as multimedia. The social changes within education from the traditional manner of study to electronic are being adapted by institutes. This change varies from computerising a sub-component of learning to simulating an entire lecture environment. This has enabled students to explore academia more conveniently however, is still arguable about its feasibility. The article discusses the underlying pedagogical principles, deriving instructions for the development of an e-learning environment. Furthermore, embarking on Tablet PC’s to replace the blackboard in combination with annotation applications is investigated. Semantic analysis into the paradigm shift in e-learning and knowledge management replacing classroom interaction presents its potential in the learning domain. The article concludes with ideas for the design and development of an electronic note-taking platform.

Key Terms in this Chapter

Traditional Manner of Study: Typically a classroom environment with the tutor writing content on a blackboard and students using pen and paper to record the content as their own notes. The tutor dominates the classroom environment unlike in electronic learning where, the user has a sense of control due to flexibility in learning.

Cognitive Psychology: A study into cognition such as mental processes describing human behaviour, understanding perceptions, examining memory, attention span, concentration, and forgetfulness. The purpose of understanding humans and the way they mentally function.

Annotation: The activity of briefly describing or explaining information. It can also involve summarising or evaluating content.

Pedagogical Principles: Key issues to instruct the design and development of an electronic learning environment.

Platform: Computer framework allowing software to run for a specific purpose.

Metacognition: The ability and skills of learners to be aware of and monitor their learning processes.

Information Processing: The ability to capture, store and manipulate information. This consists of two main processes; encoding and storage. Students record notes during the encoding stage and conduct reviewing thereafter, in the storage phase.

Multimodality: An electronic system that enhances interactivity by amalgamating audio, visual and speech metaphors.