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Technology is everywhere we turn today, it has become the norm to have some sort of mobile phone or laptop device on your person at all times, be it on a train or a bus, in a lecture theatre or a meeting – it has become acceptable to use these devices everywhere.

Taking notes on a laptop is quite a skill to learn and one which must be practised in order to become proficient.

Follow these 5 tips on taking notes effectively on your laptop whilst minimising the distraction to others around you.

1. Do not attempt to write out the whole conversation on your laptop. Make abbreviated notes and bullet points. Do not worry about typing errors; you can amend your work later. If you try to write down everything there is a good chance that you will miss some important information.
2. Prepare in advance -  Getting to know the useful short-cuts on your laptop will save you a considerable amount of time and prevent you missing out on vital information. If you leave your laptop in ‘hibernate’ mode you can be up and running in no time at all with as little disruption as possible. Pre-prepare the screen with the date and title and any information you already have. Doing this will save you valuable time in meetings and lectures. Finally prepare any questions you may have beforehand and you will have the opportunity and time to ask them during the meeting or lecture.
3. Note taking requires good organisational skills. Keep your notes in some kind of order, perhaps by segmenting them into relevant sections. Often during meetings and lectures the speaker will jump back to an earlier part of the session. Keeping notes in  uniform order will help you to  jump back and add more information into the relevant section.
4. After your meeting or lecture, it is advisable that you transcribe your notes as soon as possible so that they are still fresh and clear in your mind and will then make sense when you come to read back over them at a later date.
5. Consider using specially designed note taking software to assist you. Microsoft OneNote is designed specifically for the purpose of collating notes into one place. Easy to organise, you can find your notes with ease and efficiency. Phoenix Software is offering huge discounts on software for pupilsand this offer includes a discount on  Microsoft Office 2010. Part of the Microsoft 2010 package, OneNote is available online to students and teachers at excellent discounted prices.

If you are keen on the idea of using laptops for note taking but are not quite ready to make the leap from notepad and pen, you might find a Smartpen of interest. These Smartpens record everything you write down and then the stored information can be transferred directly to OneNote. OneNote’s excellent ability to search for handwritten text can be very advantageous here.