Livescribe 3 Pro Edition Smart Pen Review

Here is a review of what I think about the Livescribe 3 Pro Smart Pen

It cost around $200, and can be purchased here

I also buy the three subject notebooks tear the paper out and put it in a binder. This allows me to organize my notes.

The only unsatisfactory thing I have to say is the app for the pen can be very slow.

Here is the link to my review of the Livescribe Pen

Hope you enjoy! Any questions let me know! 

How I Organize my Desk For Studying

I've been in college for four years, I've changed my desk around plenty of times. But I've FINALLY got it the way I want it.

So I have a before picture of my desk which I like to call a "Organized Mess"...

Nothing really had a place, I just put stuff where ever it fit. I bought the Desk at Office Max for around $250 I believe. 

Now.... 

I put everything in its own little place. I'm a very organized person, so to get the place I spend about 85% of my time during school clean was a must. I used stuff I had laying around in storage to help get it to work for me. 

1. My Wall Calendar..

I bought this at Hobby Lobby for around $11 (with a 40% off coupon). 

I write down all my due dates for school, doctors appointments, days I work. I then cross it off when I'm done. I will eventually take those clips and write down #1, #2 for things I need to do in what order. 

Heres the calendar filled out with my school things. 

2. Shelf organization.. 

This is my favorite thing about this desk.

The first shelf (to the left)... has all my bill, college, and a small random notebooks and folders. 

The middle one has my binder I plan on using for this Fall, along with a clipboard. 

Last one has my wedding binder, an my 5 subject notebook I use to write random stuff in. 

The top shelf has receipts, one of my books for the Fall, and my iPad. The bottom shelf has all my school books for this Fall. 

I also have an assignment book where I keep track of all my homework (bottom right corner). 

3. The drawer on this desk is honestly a POS. But I really don't open it a lot so I deal with it. 

4. My Filofax sit here so their easy to grab. The small one is my Budget/ Finance keeper. The big red one is well my everyday planner. 

I also have a coaster, so my drinks don't cause a ring on the desk. 

5. Since I don't use my drawer a lot I have this desk organized (I got it from Target). I put my everyday things here; scissors, pens, pencils, glue, post-its, stapler, tape, highlighters, etc. Then I have my post it organizer I got from Big Lots. I also have my Staedtler Pens, which I must say, are the BEST pens ever. Kind of in the picture I have my cuticle oil and hand lotion. 

6. This index card holder of course holds all my index cards. I study with them, so I have a TON! Also bought from Target. 

7. The desk has four of these shelves, the top one pictured has all my Filofax/planner items in it. Such as stickers, my sticker maker, all my avery labels, etc. The bottom one (sorry I thought I had a better picture) has all my extra notebooks and folders, along with my paper cutter, and hole punch. The drawers I bought from Michaels a long time ago. The two shelves not picture hold my DVD player and child books. 

I love having this new desk I can spread all my homework out, and I just feel more productive with everything organized. 

If you have any questions, just ask. 

Five Ways I Take Notes in College

Starting my fourth year of college (I graduated with two associates degrees in May 2015) I've wrote notes in almost every way possible.

The way I write notes really depends on the class (duh). 

In my Social Psychology class, I wrote in 4 different ways until I figured out what was best. 

Types of Lecture I've had:

1. Goes along with Powerpoint

2. Just rambles 

3. Writes random stuff all over the white boards

4. Makes you write your own book notes then goes over stuff later in class. 

Hand Writing:

1. I bought a Cornell note book (here) when on sale these are the best deal. Original price is around $8. I use the same pen when I write in this notebook, because it writes fine and is really smooth (here is the type of pen).

I have a key when I write notes: 

Definitions have bullet points in the cue column

and arrows in the note section.

They are also highlighted yellowed if on a test, then blue if on final.

Powerful words have a circle around them 

~ Are the studies done

< Title of Powerpoint Page > 

I only do this for the Cornell System. However I plan on doing this, this coming Fall for notes also. 

 * I don't always use the summary part 

2. I also take notes by hand on normal college rule.. these notes are following a powerpoint so for this...

1. I < title the powerpoint slide> if the same slide goes on for three more slides, I don't rewrite it I just keep going under that titles. 

2. I number each slide and skip a line between each slide. 

3. I use different colored pens for definition, studies, and then just the rest of the writing. 

Having so much paper left over I've decided to do this type of note taking for my Fall 2015 semester. I will only change, one thing, I plan on incorporating the Key I use for the Cornell system.

3. Note taking from the BOOK....

I write my own notes going along with the book, leaving space in-between. Then when I get in class I write in whatever the Professor talks about. 

                    

Using Technology 

1.  I have an iPad that I use to follow along with Powerpoint during class. I only take my Macbook Air when I have projects. I hardly ever type my notes, you learn better if you have to physically write them.

I took these notes because I missed a day, lucky another student in the class had the notes and emailed them to me and I just added on to his.

* I recommend becoming friends or hope that a person who types notes will share them with you if you miss a day. 

I used my iPad when I took online classes, I haven't used my iPad for note in along time. But I might pick it up again this semester. 

Extra Way:

I once had a Professor who gave us the Powerpoint online. We had so many Powerpoint's (I filled a 3 inch ring binder FULL with all of them) I just decided to print them out in outline format and wrote my notes in. I ONLY used this for this one class. 

Then during my education class the Chapters were so short, my Professor printed out the Powerpoint's and gave them to use to write in whatever we wanted. 

Over all the type of note style I do depends. I usually go through each type of note taking, during the first week till I figure out which one will work best. Although, the Fall 2015 semester I plan on sticking with hand written while using my Key. I find I learn best using this method. 

Hope you enjoyed. Leave your own advice in the comments. 

Organizing Your College School Binder

I'm getting ready to start my 4th semester of College, and you could say I've tired every kind of organization tick out there to keep me on set ahead of homework. And I have finally found something I really like and I hope you do to. 

Reason's why I like this system.
1. EVERYTHING is with me at all times. (I have time in between classes each day so this allows me to work on other homework instead of just that days)
2. I can keep better track of everything, instead of having stuff in all different kinds of notebooks or folders.

Well now lets get started to achieve this Organization Binder 
Supplies Needed
1. 3 inch Ring Binder
2. Four Pocket Hole Folders (I have 4 classes, but wanted another one for extra papers)

3. I have a 5 subject notebook (I use college rule) for all my education classes, and a assignment notebook (I bought mine at Wal-Mart for like $3, I can't fine this one anywhere now) I would just trade out of the other single notebooks for that day. 

*If I new I had homework in math but it wasn't math day I would just simply take that math notebook with me to school to do it during my breaks. 

4. Notebook Paper, I use college rule

 5. Flag/ Tabs (I bought the ones in picture at Wal-Mart, I can't find them online they were about $4-7 and you can get big or small tabs I have the big ones here, but the one linked would work also, and a Fine Point Sharpie

Now to Get Started 

           First I decorated my 3 Inch Ring Binder to do this I get out my craft suit case and get my paper     cutter, paper, and Elmer's Craft Bond Glue 

I used my scrap book paper and picked some of my favorite papers

These are the ones I liked

After measuring and cutting I have this as the finish product. 

Of course I added some picture. 

The side of it


The back of the binder is the same yellow bumble bee color as the front 

Then I have The Finished Inside Product 

              1st. I have my class Schedule (upper left hand corner, I actually have a printed copy now)

2nd. I have the Red Assignment Book

  I love this assignment book, because you can write down the class- assignment- when its due- and it even has a place to √ it off when you've completed that homework                       

3rd. I have Notebook Paper, this is just to jot down anything last minute 

 

4th. Each class has a folder one side of the folder says HOMEWORK the other say Paperwork

Just a close up of the tabs I have Biology, Math, Education, Geography, and then an extra folder to keep misc stuff in. I also have the class in order for which day of the week they come.

To make these tabs I just wrote the name of the class, then I paper clip it to the folder and use clear tape, to tape the BIG part of the paper clip inside the folder, so the tab doesn't fall off. 

And last I'm a Education Major and this 5 subject notebook has all my education classes in it. I keep this in my binder at all times, because I like having it with me. You could use a 5 subject notebook for all subjects if you'd like. But I like having a separate notebook for each class itself (besides education of course) 

And thats it, I love this binder system because I no longer have to hunt for anything anymore. I'm a very organized person and this just gets me excited about learning because in college I believe its very important to get EVERYTHING. 

Organizing your School Supplies

       Have you ever found yourself sitting in class and realize          your forgot your homework or pencil? 

       I have many times but once I entered college I new "oh I forgot my homework at home" wouldn't cut it. So I find myself to be more organized then I ever had before. 

       The run down, I have four classes one on Monday/Wednesday, and three on Tuesday/Thursday (one class is a night class)

       Here we go steps to how I managed all my books, school supplies and homework with 4 different classes. (Not by any means am I stating you have to be organized, to succeed in college.  I'm stating that I'm that type of a person- everything has a place and it belongs in the place.



Step 1:
       Having one class on M/W I didn't need to carry everything from my T/TH classes so I separated every book with it's own individual bag. 

As you see here (left to right)                                                                                                                 On M/W English is my only class so I use my pink Victoria Secret Bag.

Then in the middle I have a cheetah back pack with my speech and math textbook. These textbooks are my morning T/TH classes and are 15 minutes apart during the day; therefore, they share the same bag.  

And last, I have my Target bag (I got on clearance for $9, amazing) which has my Physical Science text book this is my night class on T/Th so it of course has its own bag. 

I love this system because I don't have to worry about taking textbooks/notebooks out and putting different ones in. I'll have the right bag with the homework and textbook I need that day.

        
       *Each class also has its own spiral notebook I don't label them, because they also are in the assigned bag with the right textbook. Yet, for my speech and math bag I have different color notebook and I just remember the color for that class.*

Step 2: 
       Next, I arrange all my school supplies- Pens, pencils, highlighters, post it notes, erasers, lead, white out, and pencils bags. ( I traded out the pink one for a cheetah one because it match my backpack better.)

(arranging all my school supplies with the pencil bag I carry them in)

       Once I have arranged everything I decided what class needs what. 
Each class gets the usual- Pens, pencils, highlighters, post it notes, index cards, colored pens. 
Although in my math class, I don't need a pen because I hate working on math in pen it's easy to mess up and you can't fix it. Thats why I keep a eraser and extra pencil for my math class.

                                                               (Putting post it notes and index cards together.)

        For my Physical Science class I highlight a lot in books yet, these are used so I don't really want to write in them so I have 1in by 1in post it notes so I can write little reminders and stick them to a curtain page throughout out my textbook. I also have white out for when I mess up in my notes. 

*Along with all the usual school supplies I have index cards I'm a big flash card person and you never know when you'll need them.*


Step 3:
       Last organizing everything together. 

                                                                    English Class              

                                                                Speech and Math 

                                                                 Physical Science 


                                       ~EXTRA STUFF TO HELP ALONG THE WAY~

       I write in colored pens I feel my notes stand out better then normal blue/black ink and my notes don't seem so boring when I'm reading back through them. I also use the cornell method for taking notes. I believe this is the easy and most organized way to take notes. 

       The best studying idea I have! I am horrible at math, I always forget formulas. When I had finals I was searching trying to find what would be on the final through mountains of old assignments. That's why I got this small notebook for each assignment I have I write down problems/ formulas from the math lesson that day. I label each page with the date, what lesson in the book it came from, page number (from my text), and what question it was. This way when I later have a problem related to my past ones I can easily find it. 
       With the blue one I have for english to remember all the little rule of writing I already have it filled with lessons I learned in my past english classes. 
       Keeping everything organized- you can use a simple planner like this one from target. Or just a assignment organized which lets you write down the date assigned, homework topic and the due date. I know Wal-Mart has one for around $6 but I couldn't find it online to tag this post. 
       My favorite thing to organize my entire life, work, appointments, school events, and school assignments is my NOOK HD I bought a notebook app which I use to write down important things yet, I use the calendar app (already on the nook) to keep track of assignments and anything else I might forget. 


I hope everything I shared made some impact on your school organization!