Writing notes - tips

I went on the prowl looking for resources to help you learn more about note taking. I went to You Tube and was surprised by how poor the selection was on "how to write notes". I managed to still find a few. Here they are. I hope you will find them helpful.

A mini lecture but without visuals.
duration? 3:59 min



How to take effective notes
duration? min



Great simple tips - applied to lectures .. but equally useful for taking notes from reading.
1) selective note taking
2) laptop vs notebook
3) write in your own words
4) review your notes after class
5) understand first, write second ***

duration? 3:35 min



Note taking techniques - a bit flashy but the ideas are again useful.

duration? 1:46

Writing an Outline - why bother? (support resources)

Check out these resources. You can learn more about the importance of an outline.

Powerpoint presentation (requires headphones)


Uploaded on authorSTREAM by shakira

Writing an Outline - why bother?

Adapted from Developing an Outline: Why and How to Create a Useful Outline - The OWL at Purdue

Why create an outline? Good question. There are many reasons; but in general, it may be helpful to create an outline when you want to show the logical ordering of information.

For research papers, an outline may help you keep track of large amounts of information. Many people find that organizing an oral report or presentation in outline form helps them speak more effectively in front of a crowd. Below are the primary reasons for creating an outline.

• helps in the process of writing
• helps you organize your ideas
• presents your material in a logical form
• shows the relationships among ideas in your writing

How do I create an outline?

• determine the purpose of your paper.
• determinethe audience you are writing for.
• develop the thesis of your paper.

Then:

• brainstorm: list all the ideas that you want to include in your paper.
• organize: group related ideas together.
• order: arrange material in subsections from general to specific or from abstract to concrete.
• label: create main and sub headings.

Remember:

If you create an outline before writing your paper, it will make organizing your thoughts a lot easier. Whether you follow the suggested guidelines is up to you, but making any kind of outline (even just some jotting down some main ideas) will be beneficial to your writing process.

Source
Purdue OWL . (2008, November 13). Developing an Outline: Why and How to Create a Useful Outline - The OWL at Purdue. The OWL at Purdue. Retrieved March 8, 2009, from http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/544/02/.

Sample Outline

This is a sample outline that I found on the internet. It shows the sorting of information according to main ideas, and supporting ideas. It is NOT globalization essay but it does show you the general organization, you need to realize in your own outlines.

The Conquest of Mt. Everest

1. Introduction
2. Background Information (used to introduce new or important terms - for almost all of you it will mean explaining "globalization" and the question that you are answering)
   
   1. Location of Mt. Everest
   2. Geography of the Surrounding Area
   3. Facts about Mt. Everest
      1. Height of the mountain
      2. How the mountain was named
         1. Peak XV
         2. Joloungma (Tibetan name)
         3. Sagarmatha (Nepalese name)
      3. The number of people who have climbed Everest to date
3. Major Explorers Covered in this Paper
   1. Sir Edmund Hillary
      1. First to reach the summit (1953)
      2. Led a team of experienced mountain climbers who worked together
   2. Tenzing Norgay and the Sherpas
      1. Norgay was an experienced climber and guide who accompanied Hillary
      2. Sherpas still used to guide expeditions
   3. Rob Hall
      1. Leader of the failed 1996 expedition
      2. Led group of (mainly) tourists with little mountain climbing experience
4. The Impact Expeditions have had on Mt. Everest and Local Community
   1. Ecological Effects
      1. Loss of trees due to high demand for wood for cooking and heating for tourists.
      2. Piles of trash left by climbing expeditions
   2. Economic Effects
      1. Expedition fees provide income for the country
      2. Expeditions provide work for the Sherpas, contributing to the local economy.
   3. Cultural Effects
      1. Introduction of motor vehicles
      2. Introduction of electricity
5. Conclusion

Source

Ferber, A. (n.d.). Sample Essay Outlines - TeacherVision.com. TeacherVision. Retrieved March 8, 2009, from http://www.teachervision.fen.com/writing/essays/1779.html.