Notion: A Game-Changer for Penn Students


Friday, February 9, 2024

Notion is an all-in-one workspace that allows users to create a personalized digital environment to enhance productivity and organize their academic journey. In this blog post, we will discuss how Penn students can be successful by using Notion. We have even included a sample Notion page! You can duplicate this Notion template and begin customizing to make it your own. We have also included useful YouTube videos, links, and add-ons to make your Notion personalized for you.

Feature #1: Customizable Task Management

One of the key features that makes Notion stand out is its customizable task management system. As a Penn student, you have multiple courses and responsibilities to juggle, both academic and non-academic. Notion allows you to create individual pages for each course, where you can organize your lecture notes, readings, and deadlines.

Not only can you manage your tasks efficiently, but you can also prioritize them based on importance and deadlines. Notion allows you to set up a kanban-style board where you can move tasks from “To-Do” to “In Progress” and finally to “Completed”. This visual representation of your tasks helps you stay focused and motivated, as you can see your progress in real-time. By having a clear overview of your tasks, you can allocate your time effectively and avoid procrastination.

Feature #2: Note-taking and Organization

Notion offers robust note-taking capabilities. With Notion, you can create organized and structured notes for your classes. You can use headings, bullet points, and checkboxes to structure your notes and make them easier to review and revise. Additionally, you can embed images, files, and even audio recordings into your notes for a more comprehensive and interactive studying experience, helping you keep everything in one place. With Notion’s search function, you can quickly find specific information within your notes, saving you valuable time when studying.

Feature #3: Time Management and Productivity

Notion offers various features to help Penn students effectively manage their time and boost productivity. You can create a personalized calendar to track your classes, assignments, and extracurricular activities. By visualizing your schedule and setting priorities, you can optimize your time and accomplish more with less stress.

In Conclusion!

Notion is a powerful tool that can revolutionize the way Penn students manage their academic journey. By leveraging Notion, you can stay on top of your academic goals while staying true to your personal ones. Please use the template we have included in this blog post to help you get the most out of Notion – you can just duplicate the template and begin using Notion!

Some other resources:

Rocketbooks and Frixion Pens!


Tuesday, April 10, 2018
Looking for an easy way to upload your class notes to your computer or cloud drives? Sick of wasting paper? Want a neat and easy way to stay organized?     

Then check out the Everlast Rocket Notebook and Frixion Pens! These tools were recently introduced to me by a student, and I wanted to make sure Penn students knew about them.

Picture1

Photo from getrocketbook.com

This notebook is reusable, syncs easily to your cloud drive, and works with any of the Frixion pens! It’s perfect for someone who prefers to take and save notes electronically, but that is in a class that requires them to take detailed notes on equations, pictures, or diagrams that don’t always format well in a traditional electronic note-taking devices or applications. It’s also great for those classes where your professors do not allow electronics!

Picture2

Photo from getrocketbook.com

How does it work?

  • Using one of the Frixion pens, simply write in the notebook like you would with any others.
  • At the bottom of the pages are icons where you can mark which cloud drive you want to send the notes to.
  • Using your phone, open the Rocketbook App and take a picture of your notes.
  • The phone and app will recognize the code at the bottom of your notebook page and will then send your notes to the proper electronic storage device.
  • After you have saved your notes, use a damp cloth to wipe the pages clean.
  • Give the pages a few minutes to dry, and then repeat the cycle!
Picture3

Photo from getrocketbook.com

Any drawbacks to using these tools?

  • The cost of the notebook on Amazon is $34, which is a bit hefty for one notebook. However, if this notebook is used properly, you won’t need to buy another notebook for a long time.
  • The notebook only works with Frixion pens. One is included with the first purchase of a notebook, but after that you will need to purchase more. Conveniently, these pens are erasable and not only work with Rocektbooks, but also with traditional paper.

Do you use the Rocketbooks? Let us know what you think!

Do you have any tools you would want to recommend to other Penn students?

Let us know and we can feature your ideas on our blog!

Disclaimer: Our Tech Tuesdays features are not an ad, we just like to highlight tools we think will be useful for Penn students!

By Staff Writer: Kelcey Grogan, Learning Specialist and Research Fellow