# Programs to take notes for IB

This comes from the context of [Note taking (thinking of IB students)](/wKj6y-rySjejV7BupP9i1w) where I wrote differen types of notes to take. Here I'm going to explain different tools for having your notes.

This is not just for Computer Science but in general and also even if I think for IB students this can be use for whoever.

## Handwriting

Handwriting is still nice. Takes out easily distractions (no notification possible) and having the physical completion is nice (is difficult to state that you have long notes in digital but very easy with physical notebooks). Also for math/science you don't need complicated systems to write equations properly.

I personally still use this for my language studies and conferences. Also for meetings.

Some of my students still like the good ol' notebook and they like it.

## Google docs / word / libreOffice Writer.

For study notes they are not bad, but adding images is usually painful. If you use images, give them space so they don't disturb the rest of the notes. Be mindful of where are the files and create security back-ups. As I said I don't recommend these softwares for taking notes in class.

_screenshot of libreOffice Writer_

The advantadge is that many students _already have worked_ with google docs and/or word, so collaborating using this is usually easy. Specially google docs.

I suggest move to libreOffice since nowadays word and google docs are almost only online and finding the documents online gets messier and messier.

And libreOffice is free and open source so you're not going to get ads [from what you write](https://hipertextual.com/2025/02/microsoft-office-con-anuncios-gratis-pc-word-excel-powerpoint).

You can download libreoffice from here:
https://www.libreoffice.org/

## Notepad++/plaintext editor.

_Notepad++_

For taking notes in a meeting can be fine but probably not the best idea for doing the whole notes or class notes since you are very limited in how you take your notes. One option is, if you're familiar with markdown, write them in markdown and then import the information so you don't.

:::info
**Markdown**

If you don't know what is Markdown it's a way to write so you write _almost_ plain text but it gets easily formated so it gets nicer after. Here you can find more info https://www.markdownguide.org/getting-started/

:::

I like notepad++ beacuse you can have tabs and autosaving, but seems that windows notepad (finally) got it.

You can download notepad++ from here:
https://notepad-plus-plus.org/downloads/

## Focus editors like writemonkey


There are some editors similar to word but when you open them you don't have almost no User interface. It's nice to keep the focus but I usually miss from them that you don't have _almost any_ formating. They are more focused for writting without any other input. For some people could be a solution.

I have used this for some long essays, but I usually need to access other elements. Now that I'm more focused I need to check something in the internet while I'm still writing.

You can download writemonkey from here:
https://writemonkey.com/

## HackMD


HackMD is a web (this web, actually, when I'm writting this) where you can log in and create your notes.

I like that can be public and supports markdown. The linking system between notes, however is meh. By the time I'm writing this at least they have added folders. I love that they have support for Latex so including equations in nice formating is GREAT and you can write something $x^{x^x}$. Also being online first is something to take into consideration.

Some of my students use this options and they seem happy with it.

You can access here.
https://hackmd.io/

## Notion


Highly customizable. I tried to use it to organize classes and it was too customizable. Also I didn't like it that it was online first (so if Notion decides that it's changing the way you write you're screwed). It's nice that if I remember well it has some markdown support.

Nevertheless several of my students use it and seem to like it.

Has options to add formulas pretty quick.

You can access from here:
https://notion.so/

## Github (gitlab/codeberg)


You can use the markdown powers of the code pages for documentation. I actually use it with students for the [Paper 3 collaborative research.](https://github.com/d-prieto/2025IBComputerScienceCaseStudy) They allow to have github public pages. For having collaborative public systems of documentations I like it, either if they are code or research.

If not it's a bit messy. Unless you're confortable with git, then is great.

You can access from here:
https://github.com/

## Obsidian


I love obsidian and is the one that I'm using for my PhD. I love the linking system that you might have between notes and that you can integrate pdfs. I like that it's offline first. It requires a bit of understanding but it's amazing. Also it works with markdown.

When I use it for "note taking" when I have an online conference it's nice that I can just import markdown text that I took in plain text.

Also something that my architect mind cannot stop thinking about is the graph view where you can see al the links that you can have on your notes:

_I L O V E I T_

https://obsidian.md/

## Anytype


I've heard that it's a competition with a lot of templates to Notion. I like that it's European (Swiss) but I haven't tried it.

https://anytype.io/

## Tablet for handwritting

Remarkable. It's very similar to handwritting. (this comes from my students). Advantadges of being a file and being handwritting.