How do you, Note take?

Discussion in 'Training & Development' started by supernova, Nov 10, 2009.

  1. supernova

    supernova Gigabyte Poster

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    How do you Note take?

    My note taking skills seem to be bad i tend to make too many and way over detailed.
    It seems to slow me down greatly which makes me frustrated.

    wondering if i should re-frame note taking until i have read through books etc several times?

    I wonder if anyone has some tips?
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Nov 10, 2009
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  2. dazza786

    dazza786 Megabyte Poster

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    i tend to not take as much as i need

    fair enough i write some points down.. but i can never remember what they mean on paper after the time has passed.
    i am faily competent at remembering things in my head though...
    note taking is something i wanted to improve on actually and you've only just reminded me!
    I'm sure there are some things out there (youtube etc)
     
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  3. BosonMichael
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    When I'm listening to a lecture, presentation, or sermon, I take notes on the points that I want to remember.

    When I study from a book, I don't take any notes at all. The information has already been collected into a written form for me. I thought about saying that I highlight things I want to remember... but I hardly ever do that.
     
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  4. greenbrucelee
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    This is similar to how I take notes. I do notes on a little pad for instance 1-126 = class A 127 = host class b = 128 - 191, 192 - 223 = class c

    coax = bnc

    Fiber optic = ST,SC

    In some books I highlight points but not much
     
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  5. BosonMichael
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    This is where the best study tools are worth every penny. Other than the 127 exception, I didn't need to memorize any of the ranges. All you need is a solid grasp of binary (which you should have before starting into networking). Consider:

    Class A has the first bit set to 0 (from 0 to 127)
    Class B has the first two bits set to 10 (128 to 191)
    Class C has the first three bits set to 110 (from 192 to 223)
    Class D has the first four bits set to 1110 (from 224 to 240)
    Class E has the first four bits set to 1111 (from 240 to 255)

    To the point of the topic, I guess what I'm saying is... it's more important to understand WHY something is the way it is rather than just memorizing and regurgitating information. Using the example above, it is much more useful to know what mechanism routers use(d) to figure out an address class than to memorize the actual numbers for each range. Knowing the logic behind the concept allows you to easily and quickly create the table wherever you need it (such as during an exam) without needing to resort to memorization:

    A: 0
    B: 10
    C: 110
    D: 1110
    E: 1111

    So you don't remember what you meant when you wrote something down, perhaps your problem isn't the note taking... maybe it's the angle that you are approaching your studies from. Understanding > memorization. :)
     
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  6. greenbrucelee
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    yeah I have the binary down too it's not that I am memorizing it incase I get a question on it, I just write it down so I can remember wether its the first octet or the first two or three etc
     
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  7. BosonMichael
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    BosonMichael Yottabyte Poster

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    True. Nothing wrong with learning both. But what I mean is, if SuperNova's problem is note taking, perhaps gaining a logical understanding of the topic will enable him to take fewer notes while still giving him all the relevant info he needs. :)
     
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  8. greenbrucelee
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    I see what you mean.

    When I took those notes for classes for the N+ I had them on two seperate side by side pages so I could learn both and then splice them together with my head if you know what I mean so if I did get a question that asked what class is starts with 192 or what 10 represents in the form of ip class then I would know.
     
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  9. Sparky
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    I make notes as I’m going along. When reading a book there will be parts that will just sink in immediately but there will be other parts that will need more work. I note them down and then follow it up from other resources.

    If you are writing too much then you are not note taking, you are probably copying the book! Try and keep things simple. For example write a subject title and then write some bullet points with shorthand notes beside them.

    If you read over it later and thing “WTF does that mean?” then you are not remembering the concepts when you are studying. Best to read over it again!
     
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  10. dmarsh
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    Totally agree, understanding why things are the way they are, how they were designed and operate, what the motives were for those decisions etc. I made this point in a recent post.

    I'm similar to BM, I never take notes from my books, afterall the informations already there, and I never mark up my books, unless there is totally incorrect information or really important errata etc.

    I don't subscribe to the writing something down helps you remember it, it doesn't. I left school with books full of stuff I had copied from the blackboard, I'm not the fastest writer, so all I had time to do was write it down parrot fashion, never learnt any of it...

    Theres lots of learning systems out there, but generally they use the same ideas, the mind is associative, it makes links between things, the more concepts and ideas you can link together into a coherent structure the better your chances. Also the more senses you use to record a memory, the more likely it is to stick. Also recall is triggered by the associations from memorisation, so a similar environment can help, for example if you revised while drunk, you may find you would score better in the exam if also drunk.
     
    Last edited: Nov 10, 2009
  11. Arroryn

    Arroryn we're all dooooooomed Moderator

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    I think Tony Buzan does a good introductory study book, which covers effective reading and note-taking - both of which critically have to work together for anything to sink in.

    For me? My study methods often keep changing, but that's because I'm always critically assessing what works.

    I'm coming to the conclusion at the moment that the first pass of a book, note-taking is always a no-no for me. I find it very counter-productive, and end up often going over the same ground over and over again.

    Once I've read through, I'll read through again, and the stuff that didn't really sink in, I'll start to scribble notes about.

    Once I've formulated my main weaknesses, I'll often look them up in a book. If I'm not taking the information on board, it may not be my own personal limitations, but the way in which the information is presented. So I'll look it up in another text on the matter to see how other authors put it. That is then normally enough for everything to start sludging together into comprehensibility!

    Tends to have worked for me so far, but as they say, horses for courses :biggrin
     
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  12. greenbrucelee
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    This is what I used to do with nearly copying the whole book when studying at school and college but eventually learned about taking short notes to keep it simple and concise
     
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  13. Sparky
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    Sparky Zettabyte Poster Moderator

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    Each to their own but many people who just read a book don’t take any of it in. Anyone can read a tech book but actually understanding the concepts is the most important thing. 8)
     
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  14. dmarsh
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    Thats my point, read and interpret the information, think about applications, what its trying to achieve and why, how is it useful, what are the shortcommings, are there alternatives etc.

    Reading a tech book isn't a passive activity, you are processing the information and trying to fit it into your understanding of the world. You can put the book down and go on the internet if you find a term you don't understand.

    Sometimes its good to take notes of things to google later, or write down pages with URL's on if on a train etc.

    Sure everyone learns differently, use what works for you, but I still don't see any real use for writing excessive notes. If you remember things because of physical action, do more labs and exercises.

     
  15. danielno8

    danielno8 Gigabyte Poster

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    When studying the CCENT i took about half a page of notes, then decided it was of no benefit.

    I just read until i understood what i was reading about.
     
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  16. supernova

    supernova Gigabyte Poster

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    Yeah i think i agree with all of you.

    I think that i am copying stuff because i am reading material for the first time and i lack confidence i my abilities to absorb information (which i know deep down is wrong) because i am dyslexic.

    agree with understanding the technical aspects rather than just remembering stuff.

    I come to the conclusion that basically its orders, defaults and locations which are my weak points and justify note taking. However, when i have a pc in front of me at work or i see options in an exam it seems to be okay.

    I find those dam ordered lists in the measureup exams very difficult, but okay with sims
     
    Last edited: Nov 10, 2009
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  17. supernova

    supernova Gigabyte Poster

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    Ahh the mind map guy i will take a look on amazon
     
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  18. soundian

    soundian Gigabyte Poster

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    I use my first pass of material to understand the concepts and the scope of the exam.
    I don't take much notes nowadays but it really depends on the book/author. With Meyers AIO, for example, it's sometimes hard to see the bones of the information because of the fleshed out explanations. Great for understanding the concepts but hard to revise with. I guess that's why he does the passport series as well.
     
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  19. BosonMichael
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    BosonMichael Yottabyte Poster

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    That's why I often recommend to use two study guides per exam. Although I like Mike's A+ AIO, I'd recommend getting study guides from different authors instead of two guides from the same guy. You can certainly get a "meaty" book and an "overview" book... but the purpose of getting two study guides isn't just to get a boiled-down overview of topics explained in the same way you've already heard them... the purpose is to get a fresh perspective on things. What one author describes poorly, another author may describe well (or in a manner that enables you to understand it - everyone's different).
     
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