[nabs-l] class notes

Thu Feb 27 03:42:57 UTC 2014

Hi all,

There are certainly many variations on this, but like Lillie I was
always taught to take my own notes.  If the other students were doing
it, I was expected to as well.  Through elementary and into high
school I did this on a BrailleNote, and now that I am in college I use
a combination of devices depending on what it is I am trying to note.
If I am trying to take note of a lecture class, then I'll use my
laptop just because it is a little more convenient for me to keep
notes on my computer, since it goes with me everywhere.  There is one
class where I use my BrailleSense On-Hand for notetaking, and that is
because the portability of the NoteTaker makes it ideal for use in
field experience.  When I am taking note of a musical concept or
something someone is demonstrating to me with an explanation, I find
it best to record it with a BookSense or my IPhone's voice recorder
app.   I do have the option of using a volunteer notetaker for
classes, but I find it better to go without.  Plus, it allows me to be
independent in controling the quality of my notes, and make sure I
have them right away since I don't need to wait for anyone to email
them to me.  I find this way simpler and more effective in my case,
but then again I avoid a lot of accomodations that other blind
students use like scribes and readers like the plague, simply because
I like to be in control of my own learning and notetaking.

I guess the expectations I was held to in pre-collegiate schooling
have stuck with me, but I find it much more helpful to take my own
notes.  I am one of those people who remembers writing something down,
so actually typing my own notes helps me to remember and memorize the
information better.  Also, I like to put little metaphors in my notes
that other people might not necessarily put, which help me understand
concepts in a weird kind of way, so I like to take my own notes so
that that helpful comparrison is there for me.

It really depends on your learning style.  If you are an auditory
learner, then having a recording might be better for you.  If you are
a kenesthetic learner, then taking the notes yourself might be best.
Or, if you have a hard time dividing your attention between taking
notes and participating in class, see if you can get a notetaker
through your ds office.

On 2/26/14, justin williams <justin.williams2 at gmail.com> wrote:
> Everyone has to get their notes the best way they no how.  Trying to use
> someone elses methods or be super blind will result in a failing grade.
> Maybe there are certain flaws that are necessary to work out before getting
> a job, but many of the folks here are just learning how to spread their
> wings.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nabs-l [mailto:nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Carly
> Mihalakis
> Sent: Wednesday, February 26, 2014 9:20 PM
> To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list; National
> Association of Blind Students mailing list
> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] class notes
>
> Good afternoon, Arielle,
>
>          Why are you jumping on Minh when, hopefully you know that Minh I'm
> sure, would take his own notes should it make the most sense to do so I.E
> meet his needs. I think i saw somewhere that, material that is not
> accounted
> for, here upon the verbal plane, such as spellings and graphics need to be
> accessable to blind people. And, don't you know, whatever works best for
> the
> person?
> for today, Car
> 408-209-3239
>
>
>>Hi Minh,
>>When you say you need a notetaker because college is fast-paced, what
>>does this really have to do with blindness? Why is it that a sighted
>>notetaker can keep up better than you can? Or would you consider having
>>another blind person be your notetaker?
>>Is it that the sighted notetaker is copying stuff that stays up on the
>>projector after it's been verbalized? Or is there something about the
>>equipment you use that is slower than handwriting?
>>I'm not trying to offend, just trying to better understand the situation.
>>
>>Arielle
>>
>>On 2/26/14, minh ha <minh.ha927 at gmail.com> wrote:
>> > I honestly don't like it when people say students "should" or
>> > "should not" do something. I recognize that I am an individual and
>> > my learning styles differ from that of other students and I am in no
>> > place to judge others on the methods that they use to succeed. I'm
>> > sure that there are blind students out there who only use note
>> > takers for taking notes and still excel in their classes.
>> > Personally, I take my own notes, but there are classes that I need
>> > someone else to take notes for me such as foreign language and math
>> > because college is so fast paced that if I were to take my own notes
>> > in these classes, I would miss a ton of information. So I think
>> > students need to figure out what works for them and stick to that,
>> > instead of doing what works for someone else.
>> >
>> > Minh
>> >
>> > On 2/26/14, Kirt <kirt.crazydude at gmail.com> wrote:
>> >> I think there's a fair amount of research showing that people
>> >> remember things more when we actually write them down and in my own
>> >> life at least that seems to be very true. Therefore, one of the
>> >> main things that makes notes most valuable is the actual act of
>> >> writing. That being the case, it kind of boggles my mind how people
>> >> who ostensibly want us to be academically successful Will, by
>> >> paying people to pay attention for us, deprive us of one of the
>> >> most effective means of facilitating that success. Of course I can
>> >> see how there could be some specific exceptions, perhaps with
>> >> attention disorders and learning disabilities, but I think, for
>> >> most of us, taking our own notes gives us the best chance to
>> >> succeed.
>> >>
>> >> Sent from my iPhone
>> >>
>> >>> On Feb 26, 2014, at 3:56 PM, haley sumner
>> >>> <haleysumner at sbcglobal.net>
>> >>> wrote:
>> >>>
>> >>>
>> >>> Hey everyone,
>> >>> I am a junior in high school, and I, like the others, always take
>> >>> notes during my teachers' lectures. Often, my teachers will send
>> >>> me their powerpoint or outline that is being projected on the
>> >>> screen for the other students to see, so I will be able to follow
>> >>> along similar to my classmates. If the teacher mentions something
>> >>> that is not included in the outline or PowerPoint, I will add this
>> >>> information as needed. Like Sophie said, taking notes definitely
>> >>> keeps me focused, for if I didn't do this, I would easily get
>> >>> distracted and space off.
>> >>> HTH, :)
>> >>> Haley
>> >>>
>> >>>
>> >>>
>> >>>
>> >>> ------------------------------
>> >>>> On Wed, Feb 26, 2014 2:36 PM PST Sophie Trist wrote:
>> >>>>
>> >>>> I, too, take my notes using a braillenote. Someone said earlier
>> >>>> that taking notes distracts them from a lecture. For me, the
>> >>>> opposite is true.
>> >>>> Taking notes keeps me focused. If I don't take notes, I sometimes
>> >>>> space off and miss part of the lesson. What I do is, I take notes
>> >>>> based on the teacher's lecture. Then, I read the chapter to
>> >>>> reinforce the notes and cement my understanding of concepts I'm
>> >>>> having trouble with.
>> >>>>
>> >>>> ----- Original Message -----
>> >>>> From: Danielle Sykora <dsykora29 at gmail.com
>> >>>> To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
>> >>>> <nabs-l at nfbnet.org Date sent: Wed, 26 Feb 2014 16:19:23 -0500
>> >>>> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] class notes
>> >>>>
>> >>>> I am also a high school student and I take my own notes using a
>> >>>> laptop. I believe that students should take their own notes as
>> >>>> much as possible in order to develop the optimal understanding of a
> lesson.
>> >>>>
>> >>>> On 2/26/14, Lillie Pennington <lilliepennington at fuse.net> wrote:
>> >>>> I'm in high school, but thought I would comment. Accept for math
>> >>>> where my notes are brailled, I type my notes. If the teacher has
>> >>>> an outline posted, I will use that. I was taught that having my
>> >>>> notes done any other way was completely unacceptable.
>> >>>>
>> >>>> Sent from my iPhone
>> >>>>
>> >>>> On Feb 26, 2014, at 3:44 PM, "Steve Jacobson"
>> >>>> <steve.jacobson at visi.com
>> >>>> wrote:
>> >>>>
>> >>>> Sorry, I cannot help commenting even though I have not been a
>> >>>> student in a while.  We don't always know what other disabilities
>> >>>> someone may have that might affect their abilities to, for
>> >>>> example, multi-task, but learning to take notes is a skill that
>> >>>> will benefit one for their entire lives on the job.
>> >>>> One just isn't always going to have a scribe to take notes.  My
>> >>>> guess is that for at least a while, it is not easy for sighted
>> >>>> people to take notes and concentrate on lectures, either, but it
>> >>>> is an ability that can be developed in most cases.  Having
>> >>>> someone else take notes just means that one will need to develop
>> >>>> this skill later, when getting your job done might be on the line
>> >>>> rather than a grade.
>> >>>>
>> >>>> Best regards,
>> >>>>
>> >>>> Steve Jacobson
>> >>>>
>> >>>> On Wed, 26 Feb 2014 15:10:21 -0500, justin williams wrote:
>> >>>>
>> >>>> Except for a few instances, I have always taken my own notes;
>> >>>> maybe 99 percent of the time. That includes right now.  I use a
>> >>>> lap top, but I have used a notetaker in the past.  Hand written
>> >>>> notes must be typed in to a computer for you to do anything with
>> >>>> them; probably in Microsoft word.
>> >>>>
>> >>>> -----Original Message-----
>> >>>> From: nabs-l [mailto:nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of
>> >>>> Kierra Davis
>> >>>> Sent: Wednesday, February 26, 2014 2:06 PM
>> >>>> To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
>> >>>> Subject: [nabs-l] class notes
>> >>>>
>> >>>> --
>> >>>> Kierra Davis
>> >>>> Hello All,
>> >>>>
>> >>>> Just a quick question.
>> >>>>
>> >>>> I want to know how do you get notes for your classes? Do you take
>> >>>> them yourself? Do you have a note taker? Does the school pay
>> >>>> them, or are they doing it out of kindness? If they are
>> >>>> handwriting the notes, how do you get them into a format you can
>> >>>> access?
>> >>>>
>> >>>> I know this is more than one question, but I just want to know
>> >>>> how others are handling this situation.
>> >>>>
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>> >
>> >
>> > --
>> > "All men dream, but not equally. Those who dream by night in the
>> > dusty recesses of their minds, wake in the day to find that it was
> vanity:
>> > but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act on
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-- 
Kaiti