Note Taking Devices for Students? 144
Gavin Scott asks: "I'm looking for solutions for a college student who needs an inexpensive mechanism for note taking in class. She suffers from a condition that makes writing notes out by hand slow and painful. One of the small sexy sub-notebook computers would be ideal, but at $1,500-$2,500 these are completely out of reach budget-wise. She has a perfectly good desktop system at home, so something that simply allowed typing in notes that could then be transferred to the PC would be ideal. I've considered things like a Palm-type device with an external keyboard, but I'm interested in knowing what other options people might suggest. Or any opinions on what kind of lightweight almost-laptop devices are good in, say, the sub-$500 range?"
Talk to the disabled students' office (Score:5, Informative)
As for hardware, I would recommend a laptop. They'd be of much greater use than a PDA would (from experience).
Dictaphone (Score:2, Informative)
never underestimate your calculator ;) (Score:3, Informative)
How about a used laptop? (Score:4, Informative)
Vocational Rehabilitation (Score:5, Informative)
I'd recommend a used Apple iBook (Score:5, Informative)
When I advertised on Craigslist (LA) [craigslist.org] for an Apple laptop, I got a PowerBook G4 (original model) for $600. However, for a student the iBook might be better because it's closer to being indestructible.
If you don't like Apple, any used laptop would probably do better than a PDA, even with a keyboard attachment. I used a color palm with the keyboard attachment for a while, and I found that the keyboard folded up on me whenever I tried to type! She would have similar problems, especially considering her health situation.
For a non-Apple laptop, the best quality is probably an IBM ThinkPad. Older ones are dirt cheap, and they will still run reliably and connect up to the mother ship to send back the notes.
If she wants something fuss-free, though, I really don't think you can beat an iBook.
Hope that helps.
D
eMate (Score:5, Informative)
The Apple eMate would be perfect (Score:4, Informative)
It can at least sync back to a mac, getting it to sync back to a PC shouldnt be a problem. They're SUPER cheap [ebay.com] on ebay.
Disability Program (Score:5, Informative)
many such devices (Score:4, Informative)
here's one i found quickly on google. http://www.calcuscribe.com/missing.html
AlphaSmart (Score:2, Informative)
For something with a bit more power than the 3000 but not a full Palm OS hybrid, you may be interested in the Neo [alphasmart.com], which is due to be released in September.
Mobilepro (Score:2, Informative)
Palm M100 (Score:3, Informative)
Another option would be to get one of the fancy Sony ones with cameras, whcih can also capture overhead screens.
--Dan
Alpha Smart! (Score:5, Informative)
It's used primarily (and geared toward) the K-12 education market for students exactly like the one you described.
They are excellent for notetaking and incredibly simple to use. The essential idea is that it's like a miniature word processor that will repeat your keystrokes once you plug it into the computer. Of course, you can edit what you're typing on the builtin LCD.
With the original Alpha Smart (not being produced anymore, but easily findable on Ebay) and the 3000 ($200 direct) interfacing with the computer is embarassingly simple. Simply plug the thing into ANY PC or Mac's keyboard (has ADB and PS2 -- the new ones also have USB), open Word, hit send, and it mimicks a keyboard typing the document. No software required.
That's $200, easily within your price range. I've used them in the school I work in, and find them to be an incredible tool for the students which need them.
If you want something more advanced, $400 will fetch you a similar device with a bigger screen powered by palmOS and 802.11 built in. I've never used them, but with alphasmart's reputation, I expect it to be just as good.
Oh yeah. Did I mention it's designed for K-12? They're durable as hell. I've seen them take a serious beating without being damaged. Thank god for no moving parts and shatter resistant plastic!
Model 100! (Score:3, Informative)
Check 'em out. Cheap, unbreakable, full-size keyboard.
retrobox (Score:3, Informative)
clicky clicky [retrobox.com]
Re:Alpha Smart! (Score:1, Informative)
As someone who has owned an Alphie I will say the 3000 has a spongier keyboard than the Dana because it has removable keys that need to pop out. As an advantage the keyboard can be completely rearranged to match Dvorak, left or right handed (only) Dvorak, or other international layouts. If this isn't a feature you're looking for you might consider spending a little extra for a Dana. The Dana has one of the nicest typing keyboards out there which is worth the relatively low 20 hours battery life versus the 3000's ~400-700 hours.
Re:Not to sound cynical... (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Get back to work!! (Score:3, Informative)
For anyone who happens to be reading this, my original rant was about people who go crazy trying to obfuscate their email addresses and have them fill out web-forms to contact them. I said I wasn't afraid to just put my email address (menscher@uiuc.edu [mailto]) online. (You may also reach me at: menscher@fnal.gov [mailto], dmenscher@yahoo.com [mailto], and, if you want to bypass SpamAssassin/ClamAV, at menscher@mail.physics.uiuc.edu [mailto]. )
Or, if you really like webforms, go to http://www.itg.uiuc.edu/people/ [uiuc.edu] and click the "send email" link by my name.
SpamAssassin and ClamAV are free and work well. Speaking of which, there's a release candidate for SA-3.0.0 available now. Go test it!
university-provided notes (Score:2, Informative)
i use an ipod with a griffin italk, it works fantastically. i'm told it's better than the belkin, particularly the inbuilt speaker. having a copy of the lecture, along with the notes i jot at the time, helps a lot when exam time comes, i find.