Student-Best way to use class handouts in OneNote?

[OneDave]

My profs give us packets of mixed text/graphic paper handouts, ~100 pages per
term, to "help" us take notes by writing on the handout pages during lecture.
I'd like to have all of the handouts for each class in OneNote so that I can
take notes on them there. Would it be best to scan each page & insert into a
OneNote page? As an image? As a background?
Ideally, I could cut & paste sections of the handout page while I'm taking
notes to create space for notes, highlight portions, ink over them, etc.
Anyone have suggestions I could try? What scan file formats should I use?

 

[Chris H.]

Tell the professor you use OneNote, and ask if he can furnish you a floppy
or CD with the forms already on it. If you scan each page, you're only
going to have a large graphic.
--
Chris H.
Microsoft Windows MVP/Tablet PC
Tablet Creations - http://nicecreations.us/
Associate Expert
Expert Zone -

 

[OneDave]

The class handout pages are mixed B&W images, graphics, and text (fonts from
6 to 12 pt) on each page and are not in a digital file.

Unfortunately, the prof retired in 2001 (at 130 years old, I think) and is
just teaching this term on an emeritus basis. I asked the admin who is
responsible for copying the handouts for us to see whether I could get a soft
copy. She explained that the originals are scraps of paper (some copies of
copies) scotch taped to yellowing sheets of plain paper (okay, obviously it's
a chemistry class...) and that she didn't think the resolution and condition
of the originals would support improved scans as either graphics or text.
I'll never get searchable or OCR-able text out of it.

The best I've come up with so far is to scan the 100 pages of handouts into
an Adobe Acrobat pdf file. I can then use Acrobat Reader to view each
handout page on my tablet screen. Then I find the page, or even a figure
taped onto part of the page, that correlates to the prof's lecture. Still in
Reader, I enlarge my screen view somewhat and then select and copy the item
of interest to the Clipboard. Then I switch to OneNote and past the
figure/page onto a OneNote page and set it as the background. (It seems
better to enlarge the selection in Reader and then copy it to OneNote than to
copy unenlarged from Reader, paste into OneNote and then drag the graphic
object handles to enlarge--much better resolution in the end result.)

This approach lets me space the individual figures from a handout page on my
OneNote page with variable white space around/under it, so I can use my
tablet pen to write on and near it. As the figure or topic changes in
lecture, I can go back to the open Reader file and grab the next chunk of
relevant material for my OneNote.

Requiring rapid location, cut, paste, etc. in Reader while trying to take
notes on OneNote seems like a real kluge to me. As you point out, it only
results in an image file, too. I don't think OneNote can even search those
images, right? Is there a better way? Certainly other students have been
faced with lecture handouts before, right?

 

[Chris H.]

It really sounds like the school needs to create the files/templates for use
other than the method they're using. With the current setup, you're
basically creating each document as you need it. That's really a shame, but
you're doing well with what is available. Maybe you could work with the
admin and the school IT section to get a good master copy created.
--
Chris H.
Microsoft Windows MVP/Tablet PC
Tablet Creations - http://nicecreations.us/
Associate Expert
Expert Zone -

 

[Ben M. Schorr - MVP]

My profs give us packets of mixed text/graphic paper handouts, ~100
pages per
term, to "help" us take notes by writing on the handout pages during
lecture.
I'd like to have all of the handouts for each class in OneNote so that
I can
take notes on them there. Would it be best to scan each page & insert
into a
OneNote page? As an image? As a background?
Ideally, I could cut & paste sections of the handout page while I'm
taking
notes to create space for notes, highlight portions, ink over them, etc.
Anyone have suggestions I could try? What scan file formats should I
use?

Well, it sounds like they've put you in a tough position. I'd probably
scan each page as a .JPG and insert them as background images in OneNote -
then you can write on top of them. As you insert each one, jot down a few
keywords on that page that will help you search and find the page.

It'll be a lot of work, but without a digital copy your choices are pretty
limited.


--
-Ben-
Ben M. Schorr, MVP-OneNote/Outlook
Operations Coordinator
Stockholm/KSG - Honolulu
Microsoft OneNote FAQ:
http://home.hawaii.rr.com/schorr/computers/onenotefaq.htm

 

[Erik Sojka (MVP)]

Ideally you should ask the professor for the electronic originals - if
they're Office docs you can then Insert as Picture for note taking, or if
they're another format, you can print into ON with one of the printing
Power Toys.

 

[OneDave]

Thanks, Erik, but the originals started life as hard copy. Each page (of 100
in the handout) contains scraps of paper scotch taped to the paper. The
scraps are themselves photocopies of graphics and various sized text. (I
looked at the hard-copy original & saw that some of the original quality was
also pretty poor.) The photocopy shop that scanned the original into their
copy machine file had to adjust settings for each page to try to retain or
enhance what they could of the original page. They then ran off sets of the
'conditioned' document from that file for us students. Bottom line: the
material was not created this century & did not start out as soft copy. I
think the best I can do to get a soft copy file is to scan them into a file
myself. JPG and PDF both seem to work as described yesterday.

My current question is what suggestions the experts have for best
incorporating the scanned pages into OneNote for subsequent note-taking in
lecture sessions. What I have gleaned so far is that setting the images as
background is the best approach. Ben M. Schorr - MVP suggested that I
hand-write or type some text that has key words for the scanned page near
each inserted image/page. This would allow some searching to get close to
the OneNote page that contains that scanned page. A good idea. Especially
since I might actually break out chunks of each original page and insert them
individually into the OneNote page background.

Do you (or anybody) have any other suggestions that might enhance my OneNote
abilities given the unfortunate (low-quality hard-copy) condition of the
original handout pages?

 

[Erik Sojka (MVP)]

Did the copy shop retain the master that they made from which they made the
multiple copies?

If you can do some multipage scanning (either to TIFF, PDF, or MDI files)
you may be able to print them using the Power Toy found on
www.analogreality.com. The scanner you use would have to have a multisheet
feeder for it to be really worth the time spent. Hand-scanning each sheet
seems like it would be a huge drag.

1) scan paper originals to one or more TIFF/PDF/MDI files.
2) "Print" those electronic files into OneNote using the Power Toy.
3) Start notating.