But the implementation seems clumsy compared to Notebook Layout in Word, so, last year I set out to find a better and more modern note taking solution.

And while Office 2011 still works OK under macOS 10.12 Sierra, there’s no guarantee it will continue to work with future revisions of macOS.įor what it’s worth, in the current version of Office 365 you’ll find some of the old Notebook Layout functionality in the Microsoft OneNote app. Now for the bad news: While Notebook Layout is still available in my aging copy of Word 2011, it’s nowhere to be found in the current version (Office 365 v 15.32). Word 2011’s Notebook Layout view let me type notes while recording synchronized audio. And that is why, for more than a decade, I’ve relied on Notebook Layout documents for note-taking. These hybrid “Notebook Layout” documents, with synchronized text and audio, were perfect for note taking.

Then Microsoft Word added “Notebook Layout View,” which improved on the note-taking metaphor by allowing me to record audio and type notes into the same document. The audio was “synchronized” with the words I typed, so, if the speaker said, “Internet,” I’d type “Internet.” Later, I could quickly jump to that portion of the audio recording by clicking the speaker icon near the word “Internet.” But it meant hauling my laptop with me if I needed to take notes, and required spare batteries or electrical outlets for extended sessions. This worked well and was markedly better than handwriting, since I could always read my typed notes.

Middle School: Typed NotesĪt first I typed my notes into a word processor document. So, that’s what I did until about 20 years ago, when laptop computers became viable for taking notes.

But, nothing worked as well or as reliably as the old-school method of scribbling on a notepad. In the ensuing years, I have tried every new technology for note-taking, from pocket tape recorders to personal digital assistants including (but not limited to) the Palm Pilot and Apple Newton. My handwriting is awful I could only hope to decipher my scribbles. Long ago, when I was a student (and later as a cub reporter), I took notes by scribbling in a spiral-bound notebook. Everyone has to take notes at some time in their life.

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