Cornell System-Style Note-Taking Option

[jfwarrior 6]

I'm researching on the Cornell Note-Taking system now in hopes of improving my note-taking skills. I think it would be a good idea if Evernote created a note template where you could start typing in a Cornell-System note style.

[engberg 89]

Thanks for the suggestion.

[lawvol 8]

I would love this too, I have been using a workaround to create this configuration using a custom table, but it's buggy at best.

Would love to see the ability to add a separate column for "Cornell-style" notes

[pescao ma 0]

Evernote is wonderful note for me, I use it happily, but if it could integrate Cornell note taking template will be fantastic. My note method is based on cornell system. I hope that evernote consider it seriously. Thanks.

[GrumpyMonkey 4,319]

It would be interesting, but seems rather unlikley, because it would require a great deal of additional word processing features. Personally, I think the Cornell method is best-sutied for handwritten notes.

[Kato 0]

Yes, please set up education templates like they have for OneNote. Many of my students use macs and would prefer Evernote, yet, it doesn't offer any templates for students. The Cornell Method template would be particularly helpful.

[yikeouch 23]

I think the Cornell template is easy to get in evernote, just do this:
 

Open your Word.

Insert a table to make the template then set the auto adjust to fit the width.
Save the file as html. Open the file in browser. Copy the table, paste it on evernote.
You will get a template. Duplicate as many as you want.

But I think the Cornell System doesn't work well in Evernote for the notes are not page by page.
I recommand you use a three-column table.

[Sean Bennick 0]

A modified version of the Cornell System option would be great, perhaps a hotkey to assign keywords to the left column. I suppose you could just build a printer template that leaves a Summary area at the bottom to be filled in by hand based on what the page includes.

[Analyst444 182]

Until this topic thread, I had never heard of the Cornell Note-Taking System. I did a Google search on it and it seems that there is one standard form that seems to be the primary tool. It has three parts:

• Note Taking Area
• Cue Column
• Summary

I didn't pick up on any reason that the format is critical. In particular, I didn't pick up any great need to have the Cue Column to the left of the Note Taking Area. Assuming it isn't, I suggest that it would be an easy matter to construct a template in Evernote with those 3 parts from top to bottom of the Evernote Note screen. Give each part its title, some blank lines (maybe even a short list of blank bullets), and add a horizontal line after each part ("Insert Horizontal Rule" from the Format menu on Evernote for Windows). Save it as a template and create as many copies as you need.

 

What say ye?

 

Am I missing something important about the layout of the Cornell Note-Taking System form?

[GrumpyMonkey 4,319]

Until this topic thread, I had never heard of the Cornell Note-Taking System. I did a Google search on it and it seems that there is one standard form that seems to be the primary tool. It has three parts:

• Note Taking Area
• Cue Column
• Summary

I didn't pick up on any reason that the format is critical. In particular, I didn't pick up any great need to have the Cue Column to the left of the Note Taking Area. Assuming it isn't, I suggest that it would be an easy matter to construct a template in Evernote with those 3 parts from top to bottom of the Evernote Note screen. Give each part its title, some blank lines (maybe even a short list of blank bullets), and add a horizontal line after each part ("Insert Horizontal Rule" from the Format menu on Evernote for Windows). Save it as a template and create as many copies as you need.

 

What say ye?

 

Am I missing something important about the layout of the Cornell Note-Taking System form?

Actually, the format is the key, in my opinion. Without the column on the left, you lose the ability to skim through notes and recall main points. Separating the recall column from the notes in this fashion defeats the purpose.

[Sean Bennick 0]

Yeah, the format is key, the ability to have the keywords aligned with the notes about it matters and helps make connections easier to recall in my experience.

[Analyst444 182]

OK, given that the format is important, doesn't that say something about the way we each layout the information in some/many/most of the Notes that we create in Evernote?

[Sean Bennick 0]

It does, but an option to automate the system and format for truly Cornell Notes instead of having to tweak a table would make things simpler. At the moment, you can fake Cornell Style notes by doing a two column table and taking most of your notes in the right column, but to align things properly is a pain, you need to click over to the other column and hit enter a half dozen times or so to reach the same level.

[chirmer 567]

It does, but an option to automate the system and format for truly Cornell Notes instead of having to tweak a table would make things simpler. At the moment, you can fake Cornell Style notes by doing a two column table and taking most of your notes in the right column, but to align things properly is a pain, you need to click over to the other column and hit enter a half dozen times or so to reach the same level.

 

In setting up a basic template myself to play around (I used to use Cornell notetaking in college but haven't touched it in a few years), there are a few things you can do in your template to help you out with this and make an easily usable template.

 

1) Use a two-column table and keep your summary as regular text below. The less you have to mess with the table, the better.

2) Define your column minimum width by choosing/formatting each section's titles appropriately. For example, here's one I set up:

Notice I was able to dictate the width of the left column by how I set my one word header. Bold 24pt Helvetica set the width at something I felt was airy enough without taking up too much space from the right-hand column. Should I need more space, the column will adjust to bigger words, but most would probably stay below this width and thus be fairly easy to read.

 

3) You bring up a fair point about having to hit enter to enter keywords as you wish. You could, however, do this before you take your notes (such as when making your template), so that when processing them you can simply click to the left of the line with the word in your notes and input your keyword instantly. To do this, simply hit enter the number of lines you have in your notes - this puts a "line" in the table so that you can just click and type. Here's a video showing what I mean. What's nice about this is it also sets a nice-sized area in which you can start taking your notes - you won't start off with just one line in your table.

 

 

Downsides:

 

1) Your tables will adjust to whatever width needed (depending on left or right column content). This means if you take short sentence notes with each on its own line, your table might be less than attractive (say, with a wider left column than right).

2) You're stuck using a table. Ew. But hey, it works!

 

 

Upsides:

 

1) You get to use Evernote's fantastic search within your notes. This alone makes it worth the pain of using the table as opposed to the ease of handwritten Cornell Notes.

2) Yeah, Evernote's search (and saved searches, and tagging, and notebooks, and every other Evernote feature) is pretty much all you need for an Upside.

[Sean Bennick 0]

I agree this works, just thought that Evernote developing an option for this directly would be a great option.

 

Being able to do something like hitting <"ctrl" + ",/<" > to start your left column note and  <"ctrl" + "./>" > to end the left column note could add the note into an area that is collapsed unless you view Cornell. In the regular note view, it could be visible but highlighted in some way (different color and an icon possibly). 

 

EDIT: Forgot to add, if this were a template, they could set the CSS for printing so it contained a Summary area below the page to be entered by hand, or they could build in page breaks with a Summary area limited to a specific character count that you could enter once the Keywords and Notes sections were done.

[Analyst444 182]

Shawn, nicely designed. Nicely explained.

 

This is not the first topic on this forum that I read someone express the need for a template of some type. What we all need is a shared Evernote Notebook somewhere on the web that any / all of us could add templates to and make available to the rest of the community of Evernote users.

 

My presumption is that this is another one of those things that the Evernote Corporation would not want to do.

 

Is there anyone in this forum who has the knowlege, experience and the will to construct such a public, shared Evernote Notebook?

[GrumpyMonkey 4,319]

Shawn, nicely designed. Nicely explained.

 

This is not the first topic on this forum that I read someone express the need for a template of some type. What we all need is a shared Evernote Notebook somewhere on the web that any / all of us could add templates to and make available to the rest of the community of Evernote users.

 

My presumption is that this is another one of those things that the Evernote Corporation would not want to do.

 

Is there anyone in this forum who has the knowlege, experience and the will to construct such a public, shared Evernote Notebook?

 

I have one. Please see the website at the bottom of my signature (or just click here https://www.evernote.com/pub/mayo-christopher/public). I have templates there as well (http://www.princeton.edu/~cmayo/template.html). I would definitely recommend that people visit KustomNote too for some quality templates.

[Analyst444 182]

GrumpyMonkey - Thanks for responding and sharing. I linked to Christopher Mayo's public Notebook.

 

My request for someone to step on and build a public Evernote Notebook solely devoted to templates for Evernote for everyone in this Forum still stands.

[BoulderHiker 1]

I like the Cornell system not just for organization but also for the ability to quiz myself by folding over the page so that all I see are the headings. Thus, if there is a Cornell template made for this, I'd hope there would be some way to easily hide and reveal the left column.

[Wordsgood 526]

GrumpyMonkey, I just joined one of your Shared Notebooks and HAD to drop you a note.  Until now I thought I was in a small minority of people who really, really, like to make notes about absolutely everything.  You have me beat by light years!  I hereby officially bow to your obvious mastery!      

 

Best regards from a happily humbled fellow note freak,

 

Wordsgood 

[GrumpyMonkey 4,319]

GrumpyMonkey, I just joined one of your Shared Notebooks and HAD to drop you a note.  Until now I thought I was in a small minority of people who really, really, like to make notes about absolutely everything.  You have me beat by light years!  I hereby officially bow to your obvious mastery!      

 

Best regards from a happily humbled fellow note freak,

 

Wordsgood

Hi. Thanks so much for the kind words. I don't know how many of us obsessive note-takers there are out there, but Evernote is certainly a place where a lot of us gather

I am definitely not the master of note-taking, though! Gordon Bell and Jim Gemmell are more worthy of that praise. They have a book:

http://www.amazon.com/Your-Life-Uploaded-Digital-Productivity/dp/B005B1JVYO

They also have websites with more information like this one:

http://jimgemmell.wordpress.com

[Wordsgood 526]

Ah, you're too modest!  And thank for the websites.

[GiacomoLaw 134]

Here is a template: http://www.evernote.com/l/AfqcTSjcr9VGUpgy6GLjoxQYE4D8cz2XsrU/

[Rocket J. Squirrel 43]

@GrumpyMonkey

 

Thanks for the info on your shared notebook.  You wrote in August of last year that Evernote will no longer be supporting shared notebooks.  Apparently they still are.  Is it still the plan to discontinue this feature?  

[GrumpyMonkey 4,319]

@GrumpyMonkey

 

Thanks for the info on your shared notebook.  You wrote in August of last year that Evernote will no longer be supporting shared notebooks.  Apparently they still are.  Is it still the plan to discontinue this feature?  

 

I don't know. I haven't checked recently, but they seem to be still supporting it, and it has been nearly a year now, so I guess this is a feature they are planning to keep.

[GiacomoLaw 134]

Do you know what happened to your second notebook @GrumpMonkey ? The link does not seem to work: http://www.princeton.edu/~cmayo/template.html

[GiacomoLaw 134]

Shawn, nicely designed. Nicely explained.

 

This is not the first topic on this forum that I read someone express the need for a template of some type. What we all need is a shared Evernote Notebook somewhere on the web that any / all of us could add templates to and make available to the rest of the community of Evernote users.

 

My presumption is that this is another one of those things that the Evernote Corporation would not want to do.

 

Is there anyone in this forum who has the knowlege, experience and the will to construct such a public, shared Evernote Notebook?

This is my template notebook: https://www.evernote.com/pub/giacomolawrance/templates

[GrumpyMonkey 4,319]

Shawn, nicely designed. Nicely explained.

 

This is not the first topic on this forum that I read someone express the need for a template of some type. What we all need is a shared Evernote Notebook somewhere on the web that any / all of us could add templates to and make available to the rest of the community of Evernote users.

 

My presumption is that this is another one of those things that the Evernote Corporation would not want to do.

 

Is there anyone in this forum who has the knowlege, experience and the will to construct such a public, shared Evernote Notebook?

This is my template notebook: https://www.evernote.com/pub/giacomolawrance/templates

Hi. I'm afraid I couldn't access your notebook. My templates page is in my shared notebook and here:

http://www.christopher-mayo.com/?p=459

[GiacomoLaw 134]

 

 

Shawn, nicely designed. Nicely explained.

 

This is not the first topic on this forum that I read someone express the need for a template of some type. What we all need is a shared Evernote Notebook somewhere on the web that any / all of us could add templates to and make available to the rest of the community of Evernote users.

 

My presumption is that this is another one of those things that the Evernote Corporation would not want to do.

 

Is there anyone in this forum who has the knowlege, experience and the will to construct such a public, shared Evernote Notebook?

This is my template notebook: https://www.evernote.com/pub/giacomolawrance/templates

Hi. I'm afraid I couldn't access your notebook. My templates page is in my shared notebook and here:

http://www.christopher-mayo.com/?p=459

 

Yes, I deleted it, I prefer not having loads of notebooks. Sorry!