CARE Note taking method with Audio Notetaker

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Who might this technique be useful for?: Anyone who experiences difficulties trying to focus in long lectures or struggles with multitasking, for example taking in information, processing it and writing notes all at once.

What study skills challenges can this app help you overcome?: Low focus, slow processing, difficulty multitasking and motor problems (e.g. writing notes).

What is the tool or study skills strategy?: The CARE (capture, annotate, review and engage) note taking method by Sonocent, using Audio Notetaker.

The following video tutorials are a great, comprehensive guide to using the CARE method of note taking. If you aren’t in the mood for listening to audio- they are fully subtitled, you can customise the subtitle settings (colour, size etc.) in the YouTube player by pressing Settings>Subtitles>Options on the bottom right of the video player.

The following guide has been written by Sonocent and there is more guidance on how to use Audio Notetaker on the Sonocent Website.

One point I would make before you begin making notes would be that I always prefer to import lecture slides first, (Sonocent have recommended you add them in step 2, Annotate, after recording audio). By adding lecture slides in first, you can then create a new section in the audio every time the lecturer creates a new slide, and the audio will then line up with the slides. If you add the audio first and then insert slides, it may take a while to re-jig the slides/audio into corresponding chunks. You can choose not to do this but I find it the most efficient way to create a comprehensive picture of my lectures.

If you have a learning support plan, it may include a recommendation that your lecturers and/or departments make slides available before lectures. This is so you can perform appropriate anticipatory work (like printing them off on coloured paper/ in an accessible format) before your lecture begins. I use this to make sure I have already downloaded and inserted the slides into a new Audio Notetaker project so when the lecture begins and I can record right next to them. If your department or lecturer has not done this already, you can politely request they do so. See my blog post: How to ask lecturers for access to material before lectures and seminars for advice. If they refuse, you can contact your disability advisor at the DDSS or your learning mentor for advice on how to work around this.

Step 1: Capture

Take a recording with your laptop or the free companion app. Or import audio files that you’ve already created.

The software displays each phrase of speech as a colored chunk. This makes it easy to navigate and edit your audio.

Step 2: Annotate

Highlight the moments from your recording that you will want to go back to.

Add slides and images right alongside the related audio.

And do it all as you record with a few clicks or keyboard shortcuts.

Step 3: Review

Listen back to the moments of your recording that you highlighted and enhance the sound quality with our Audio Clean-Up toolkit.

Type or record summaries alongside your original recording within the Text Pane.

So much useful information to refer to, all in the same place!

Step 4: Engage

Pull together the ideas and source material that you will draw upon for a piece of work. Export your audio, text and images as an album, text document, or video. You can also quickly share your projects with coursemates, colleagues, and teachers.

Other posts regarding Audio NoteTaker include:

More posts regarding Note Taking:

Thanks for reading,

Rachel