General Question

What notetaking method do you recommend for this class? (see details)
I am making an outline for a class that is very heavy on details.
Normally, my outlines would be a simple bulleted list of notes. e.g.: (this is by no means complete)
Negligence
A. A duty of care
B. Breach of duty
—>Res Ipsa
—>Negligence per se
C. Causation
—>Proximate cause
——->Palsgraf case
D. Damages
My professor likes to illustrate concepts. He would put at least one, sometimes two or more, charts on the board every class. So far, I have been copying those charts by hand.
Now, I am in the process of making a typed outline. A typed outline makes it that much easier for me to find stuff. It is also more organized, as I would often summarize ideas learned in class.
How should I include my hand drawn charts into my typed notes? I have several options that I could think of:
1. I can scan the charts. The problem with this is that some charts are poorly drawn and might not scan well. Another problem is that I would have to use the scanner, which is attached to the main network, but not to my computer. So, I would have to scan each chart, and then grab the charts from the main network. This is a hassle.
2. I can use Visio. Problem with this is that some charts might be rather big. Besides, I think Visio’s font is too small. If I wanted to make the font bigger, I think I would need to go and manually change the text in every box. I am not aware of a way that I could change the defaults for Visio.
3. I can leave the handdrawn charts as is. The problem with this is that I would have two sets of notes and misplacing or losing one of the sets (especially the handdrawn charts) could prove disastrous.


15 Answers
Answer this question
This question is in the General Section. Responses must be helpful and on-topic.