Brainstorming with OneNote
Published: June 30, 2004
I've been experimenting with Microsoft OneNote 2003 on my Acer TravelMate C111 Tablet PC. OneNote is a note-taking program that's designed to turbo-charge the notes you take in meetings, when doing research, or anywhere else you want to jot down information. OneNote works well on laptop and desktop computers, but is a more powerful application when used on a Tablet PC.
OneNote can handle text that you write by hand or type. You can also drag pictures from the Web, add charts, link to other office documents, and record audio notes. Even if you don't own a Tablet PC, you can try out OneNote on your laptop or desktop by purchasing it at your favorite retail outlet or downloading the free 60-day trial version. For more information about OneNote 2003, see Crabby Introduces You to OneNote, Using OneNote on a Tablet PC, and Introducing Microsoft Office OneNote 2003.
In this column, I describe how OneNote works on a Tablet PC and how it differs from Windows Journal. And I also cover some of the OneNote features I find most useful when I need a brainstorming and research tool.
How Does OneNote Compare to Windows Journal?
If you own a Tablet PC, you're probably familiar with Windows Journal. Windows Journal is part of Windows XP Tablet PC Edition and is a tablet-only application. It lets you take handwritten notes on your tablet, then store and manipulate them. There's definitely some similarity between Windows Journal and OneNote.
One feature you might want is an import feature that lets you easily move notes you've taken in Windows Journal over to a OneNote page or folder. To do that now, you have to cut and paste. Chris Pratley, a Microsoft Program Manager for Office, has an interesting blog entry, OneNote and Journal, which explains why OneNote and Journal don't interoperate more seamlessly right now.
I think of Windows Journal as a spiral-bound note pad and OneNote as a three-ring binder. I was never a three-ring binder guy in school, but OneNote's digital version is winning me over. OneNote isn't just for tablets. It works on any Windows-based computer and wants a keyboard available to really shine. It's a powerful organization application that is also pen-enabled, which means it offers extra functionality when used on a Tablet.
OneNote Helps You Organize Ideas
OneNote is a great platform for creative thinking and organizing at the same time. For example, I drafted a book idea in the Baltimore Barnes and Noble using OneNote, as shown in Figure 1. I had my tablet in landscape orientation because that works better for me when "thinking" all over the page.
Figure 1: Draft of a book idea on home and small office networking.
To create this note page, I simply started writing on the page as the ideas came to me. After working for a while, I decided this page deserved a folder of its own, so I created a one called "Book Ideas." The ability to organize after the fact is great for those of us who don't always plan ahead. To create a folder:
1. | On the File menu, click New. |
2. | In the New task pane, click Folder. |
3. | Type a name for the folder. |
Sections in One Note appear as tabs above the title of the page. (Folder tabs have a folder icon to differentiate them from section tabs.) While I was working, I came up with ideas for other potential titles, so I gave them each a section of their own, as shown in Figure 2.
Figure 2: Organize your ideas into OneNote sections and folders.
In OneNote pages are marked by tabs along the right side of the OneNote window, as shown in Figure 3.
Figure 3: Each page has a titled page and two blank tabs for adding new pages.
I moved my Networking page into the Book Ideas folder. Networking, the name of this page, was translated from my handwriting in the page header's title area. The page header also contains the date and time I created the page. To move a page:
| • | Right-click the page tab, point to Move page to, and then click the appropriate option. |
As I write down my ideas, I have two options for a page of notes. By default, the page grows as I write in both height and width as needed. This is extremely cool for open-ended brainstorming when I don't want anything to interrupt the flow of ideas. Alternately, I can create new pages as I go, grouping them with the first page or naming them as I want. The combination of folders, sections, and pages provides plenty of organizational options available at the tap of a pen. Like Windows Journal, OneNote does handwriting recognition in the background so you can search your handwritten notes, but you can sort the search results using these folders and tabs as well by date.
Drag and Drop Handwriting
OneNote handles ink quite differently than Journal. In both programs, your ink strokes are grouped, so parts of a word or picture stay together if you select and move them. But OneNote goes a step further and decides whether the ink is handwriting or a picture. When the Ink is viewed as handwriting, OneNote will let you select, cut and paste, and even drag inked words into text paragraphs resulting in a mixture of type and handwriting on the same line! In my brainstorming, I wrote down several networking terms that OneNote recognized as separate paragraphs. I also wrote down "Admin Tasks," which really belongs in its own section.
Figure 4: OneNote groups six lines of handwriting into four paragraphs.
Note the gray bar above the objects and the light grey area around the ink. This shows how OneNote divided my handwriting. By tapping next to each separate paragraph, I can select it and drag one next to the other and combine them. When "WAN/LAN" comes up it bumps "Admin Tasks" out of the way just as you might expect in Microsoft Word. I can even select ink by dragging my cursor across the handwriting just as if it were text.
Figure 5: Rearranging notes by dragging into one paragraph.
By selecting and dragging, I can rearrange and edit my ink notes all I want. I can add sections and build an outline all in ink. If working in ink becomes too cumbersome, I can convert the handwriting to text and flesh things out with the keyboard.
OneNote sometimes groups your ink in unexpected ways. To limit your frustration as you work with ink in OneNote, turn on Show Ink Groups. This shows you how OneNote is grouping your ink as you write. After you watch this happen a few times, you'll learn how to get ink grouped when you want it grouped and separate when you want it separate. To turn on Show Ink Groups:
| • | On the Format menu, tap Show Ink Groups. |
Research in OneNote
In thinking about a Bluetooth section for the networking book, I decided to search the Web for news on the topic. The new Research service is found throughout Microsoft Office 2003. In OneNote I selected the handwritten word "Bluetooth" and tapped Research on the Tools menu. The converted handwriting appeared in the Search for field. Then I could browse away—nothing beats a tablet for browsing the Web.
Figure 6: Research results for book topic.
I can easily select any cool items I find in my Web browser and drag them to a OneNote page. All the text and images are copied there and a link is added so I can always go back to the original page. I can also drag Word documents, PowerPoint slides, or links to any file I want into my notes. Now you see what I mean about OneNote acting like a three-ring binder!
Figure 7: Drag Web pages directly from Internet Explorer to OneNote.
Flag Notes for Follow-up
After I copied the piece about the wireless keyboard, I made a quick note to ask a contact at Microsoft about borrowing a keyboard to test. With two pen taps I also flagged the idea for follow-up. To flag a note:
| • | On the Standard toolbar, tap the arrow next to the Note Flags button, and then tap the appropriate command. |
Looking back over my notes at the end of the day, I saw the flag and turned my handwriting into an Outlook task by clicking Create Outlook Task on the Format menu.
Figure 8: Create Outlook tasks directly from your handwritten notes.
Record Audio with OneNote
Although my networking book idea hasn't called for it yet, OneNote has a very slick audio recording feature. In addition to recording the audio track, it syncs your handwriting and typing while recording. When you play back the recording, your notes highlight one section at a time, indicating what you wrote at specific times. You can also click the speaker icon that appears to the left of what you wrote and make the audio jump to that point—a cool way to skip to just the quotes you want to use. This is a great tool to use when interviewing a subject.
After exploring how OneNote works, it's become my tool of choice for brainstorming and compiling research materials on my Tablet PC. Try it out yourself. If all these OneNote features weren't enough, the upcoming One Note Service Pack 1 (SP1) adds better integration with Microsoft Office, more options for inserting media, and some time-savers just for Tablet PC users. Check out the OneNote Service Pack 1.
 | Jeff Van West is the author of over a dozen books, CDs, and training curricula about computers, technology, and aviation.
Titles include Microsoft Tablet PC Quick Reference (Microsoft Press, 2002) and
Illustrator CS Hands-On-Training (Peachpit Press, 2004).
His multimedia training programs are used in North America, Europe, Australia, and Japan. An advocate of what he terms "appropriate technology," Jeff focuses on applying the best solution to accomplish the task, rather than using cool features just because they're there. He can be reached at Van West Communications.
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