Microsoft OneNote

I have been using this app to help me take notes on PDF’s of readings or PowerPoints from classes. The issue I’ve run into is either certain images not loading across devices or some not updating at all. Some PDF’s I’ve had to rotate on my iPad, but they are still wrong on my computer. All of my markings are as though the PDF’s have been rotated, but the images themselves are not. I end up having to have my iPad AND my Laptop open with OneNote just to make up for the inconsistencies. Another feature causing issues on the iPad is the “undo” button will sometimes force me to scroll to a different part of my notes. Or, if I somehow don’t hit exactly the undo, I am forced to the top of my notes. Which, if I am in the middle of an over 100 slide PowerPoint during lecture, has me wasting time trying to scroll back to my spot. I know it might be hard to include, but it would be nice if my Apple Pencil shared features it has on my device with OneNote. If I could have the option of my hand writing turning into text or even being able to search my notes for something handwritten would save me a lot of time. I know what is available is limited to licensing and what the developers can manage, but some things for the future maybe? Otherwise this app has been really good for digital note taking for classes. I am a full time student and got tired of buying notebooks and paper for each class. Now, as long as my device is charged, I can just open any notebook on the go.

I am an iPhone user who first used OneNote at work using Microsoft. I loved the organization of it better than the systems I’d used before. I then migrated my notes from elsewhere. I recently got a tablet and stylus and OneNote has really leveled up in functionality. Now I use OneNote and Apple notes exclusively. Two of my favorite recent uses: 1. I was watching a master therapist working on a training film with friends. There was a transcript for the video. I uploaded that into a note in my experiential family therapy section. Then I got to sit back and enjoy, and take notes directly on the transcript without feeling like I also needed to pause to write out some key sentences I would have wished I could quote if not having the transcript. That thing you get to do with a paper copy: doodle, highlight, jot words and phrases, exclamation points. All there. But no various notebooks to carry around and make sure not to forget when coming to an event like that. 2. I draw tarot cards most mornings as part of a daily/devotional practice. I did this before the iPad and Apple Pencil, but I wrote notes in a paper notebook. NOW with those tools and OneNote, I can hold up the tablet, snap a picture of my spread, and write notes directly around the image of the cards. Because of this, I notice I am learning the card associations more quickly.

Super versatile note taking and sharing app. It has some really cool features only for the PC software that i wish i had on the iPad like searching hand written notes and turning them into text, or recording audio and linking your notes to the place in which they occur in the audio. (You can use most of these on a p/c after you take notes with your iPad though.) But at the end of the day it is still a great fusion of typed and hand-written notes (if you have an apple pencil), with a pretty convenient organization structure and a nearly limitless canvas. You aren’t forced to take all your notes in 8 1/2” x 11” increments. Most of my frustrations come from my inability to turn off the auto correcting features. It capitalizes letters after a period, and turns some things into symbols when i really don’t want it to. so far, I haven’t been able to disable this. Also, when I’m using my bluetooth keyboard arrows to navigate, it alway jumps two spaces at a time. I’ve had to learn keyboard tricks to get around these quirks. My biggest problem was when my school’s network was unable to connect to microsoft online. If this app can’t connect, you will get several warnings and all your notes are effectively in a read-only mode. I spent several minutes looking for an offline mode, but I ultimately ended up scrambling to take notes on paper that day. Overall, it’s still my favorite way to take notes. It is both structured and free flowing, and it really works for me.