Microsoft OneNote- One of the Best Note-taking & Organization Software Available
Software Name: Microsoft OneNote Function: Note-taking, Organizing Cost: Free Compatibility: Android, iOS, PC, Apple Where To Get It: Google Play, App Store, Microsoft Store, Microsoft.com
A great way for students to keep their notes and important information together in one place. It can also serve as a journal for students with mental and/or emotional disorders. It’s never out of reach as long as the student has any device handy!
How does it work?
OneNote is a piece of Microsoft software that previously was only available to those who had purchased an office suite or subscription. As of 2016 it became freeware, open to anyone with a Microsoft account.
There’s so much going on with this software I’ll bullet it’s main features and explain as much as I can without this post getting excessively long!
Create as many customized notebooks as you’d like with name and color options
Customizable sections within notebooks can be added, removed, named and color coded
Sticky note section allows for quick notes and quick reference, perfect for shopping lists, reminders, and more
Password protection is available on whole notebooks or single sections for privacy of personal information or writings
All pages support multimedia note taking which means the user can type, add images, draw, add links, add videos, insert other forms of media and more all together on the same page
All notebooks and sticky notes are searchable so information is easy to locate
Notebooks sync across devices and only require the app, an internet connection and a login to be accessed anywhere and anytime
Users can record videos or audio directly in their notebooks using the camera and/or microphone on their device
Pages can be dated or named for ease of location within tabs
Page color, typing or drawing color can be easily changed, and you can even add “ruled” lines to your screen with the click of a button if it makes you more comfortable
Has all the same utility of Microsoft Word, files can be exported as word files, pdfs, etc. or can be printed
Below is the pathway to get to your notes which shows just how much you can do with this app and just how many options it gives you for organization. I used it to outline a book!
Here’s an example of the search & results which pulls up my notes from a Native American Literature course I took in undergrad.
This is the creation page for sticky notes.
And what they look like onscreen once saved.
What do you think of it?
I’ve been using OneNote since 2016 and have yet to find fault with it at all. It syncs files quickly and allows me to always have access to my files. I’ve used it for school, for work, for journaling (before my first BuJo), for keeping track of my volunteerism, for planning creative works, and more. It’s extremely flexible as a program, allows its user plenty of space to grow, and has yet to restrict me in anyway. I have a hard time finding anything you can’t do in OneNote that you might want to do.
Who is it for?
Everyone.
I say that very seriously. Anyone can use it and thanks to Microsoft’s hard work on making their software “play well” with accessibility apps, it can be used by those who utilize screen-readers, by those who use voice to text, and more. The fact that you can put audio and video files directly into the notes means it’s excellent for students who record their notes rather than write them, and the fact that it can be put on a multitude of devices means that it can be useful for those lacking fine motor control as well.
I think it would be particularly useful for students who need help organizing. Students can use their phone or tablet to take a photo of in-class handouts to never lose an important note again. It is constantly self-saving and records a history of deleted content for up to a week without dumping its content which makes it excellent for those who often forget to save, or who forget that they might need something later.
I think it would also be helpful for students with emotional or mental health concerns/ disorders because it doubles as a journal, but can be password protected to keep their thoughts and self expression as private as they want or need it to be.
Final Score?
10/10
I really love this app and software! I think it has some amazing utility for being an organizational tool and a way for students to have a note-taking tool with all the function of Microsoft word, but for the low, low price of absolutely free! The fact that it syncs across devices is also great, especially for students who have a device that they have to leave at school and one they have to leave at home. It’s also highly customizable and searchable which means that the student using it can really make their notebooks and sticky notes feel like their own. I don’t have anything negative to say about this app other than it takes a little time to explore all it’s features, but it’s very user friendly and easy to work with right out of the gate!
