Short version:
I was wondering if anybody have some tips to share regarding note taking techniques and note taking tools? I`m looking to incorporate a better way of taking notes into my study routine for grammar.

Long version:
I feel like I could gain a lot from taking proper notes from my grammar lessons with my teacher. Right now I think I forget a lot of details that I am taught, because my notes are difficult to navigate and thus I tend not to review them systematically.

My study routine for grammar is basically to read up on a grammar point in Kanzen Master, then write 5 sentences on Lang-8.com and receive corrections. Then I discuss the corrections I don`t understand with my teacher on Skype. After each lesson I add the example sentences from Kanzen Master to an Anki production deck. Basically it`s based on the approach devised by Michael Panda http://www.michaelpanda.com/how_to_pass_...-_part_ii/

Currently, I`m taking notes while talking to my teacher on Skype. I write in a hard cover notebook, with a horizontal line across the page for each lesson. I just scribble down a couple of points in a notebook as I see fit. The notes I write are both about the specific grammar points I`m studying, but also other types of errors that gets pointed out on Lang-8 as well as my teachers recommendations regarding vocabulary.
It`s easy to do it like this while chatting away but afterwards it`s not easy to find stuff again (because everything is simply written chronologically in the hard cover notebook). Furthermore I don`t have a clear format for writing my notes.

So, I was hoping that someone on this forum might have some ideas on how to do better note taking:

• What would be a good way of formatting the actual way notes are written?
  
• What would be a good way to organize notes, so they are easy to find again?
  
• What would be a good way to systematically utilize notes to get details about grammar and all those small teachings I learn solidified in my mind?
  

I`m aware that various software solutions like Evernote and Onenote, but I`m thinking it might be difficult to write notes on the computer when having to juggle input method (Japanese and English) while also using Skype and copying stuff in from Lang-8. Paper could be fine if I had a good system for handling it, but I guess search ability gets easy with a software solution. Any thoughts on this?

Thank you for any input!

Well this might seem strange but you can format your paper notebook to make it easily searchable. You can do what many science students do for their classes and make it like a laboratory notebook format. Not in the exact same way but the following: a Table of Contents at the front (topic and page number), numbered pages and at the end leave a few pages empty for an index.

The index portion isn't typical for a laboratory notebook but by something I learned from reading "Mindhacker: 60 Tips, Tricks, and Games to Take Your Mind to the Next Level". I'll post sites that you can read further on the topics I presented.

More info: http://web.mit.edu/me-ugoffice/communica...ebooks.pdf

http://www.thetechnicalgeekery.com/2013/...per-notes/


In regards to software, I love Onenote! I could go in and on as to why but then it would be way off topic so I'll end it at that xD

Thanks for the links!

Is there anything about OneNote you find especially good for studying Japanese?

The only one Japanese specific would be the OCR feature. Here is an example of someone using the OCR feature with English text.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=exqXN9srLYA

Here is my screenshot of an example I did with an article from NHK EASY site with this article.

http://imgur.com/IMB2xV4

Article: http://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/easy/k1001041...21000.html

I removed the furigana using a chrome extension called NHK Easy Furigana Toggle (only works on that site), then I took a screen clip of the text and copy/pasted into Onenote. I did the exact procedure as the person in the video.

I have to add that Japanese won't be in Onenote for clipping so you will have to add it. The directions to do so are here: http://www.omeratay.com/onetastic/?i=off...fing-tools

There was a thread about note taking tools, maybe you'll find it useful.
http://forum.koohii.com/thread-6624-post...#pid118259