<p>I want to use my computer to record lectures and a folder with normal paper to write down my notes using just a pen and paper…is that possible? </p>
<p>I just don’t know how much space each classroom has. Can I open up my laptop and take notes in my notebook at the same time? Or should I opt to just get a normal recording device instead? </p>
<p>Also…
Do you think it would be possible to take notes in my laptop in Econ 010, MGMT 100, a writing seminar, and Spanish? I figure I have to write down my notes in Math, but what about my other classes? </p>
<p>Well, it really depends on the room that you are in…most of the desks attached to the chairs have pretty stingy desk space so you would probably have to take up two seats to do what you want. Probably, unnecessary, the recording lectures thing is overraated and really, not very practical.</p>
<p>In econ, probably handwritten since you will need to draw graphs and such that is hard to do on a comp. Really, minimal notes necessary for writing seminar.</p>
<p>Recording the Spanish lectures will not help. Atleast from my experience, the actual Spanish class is mainly exercises used to reinforce what is in the book [I’m talking about here lower level spanish classes- ie. what you take to fulfill the language requirement]. </p>
<p>In general, lecture recording is at the discretion of the professor. Most of mine have allowed it when asked [I’ve met one ‘no’], but I’ve basically only observed one person do it [and those were graduate level classes].</p>
<p>Thanks!
How hard would you say intro spanish generally is? I’m also possibly thinking about chinese instead so if anybody had some insights into either of those languages that would be great.
Also, I’m a bit confused about the use of Maple in Calc classes- particularly math 104. Is maple a calculator or is it something that we would use on tests and such? Do people even use it often enough for me to actually purchase it, or should I just find a computer at Penn that already has maple installed on it?</p>
<p>Maple is a computer program that is basically a graphing calculator on steroids. Its basically very similar to Mathematica but with a simpler interface that is easier to use.</p>
<p>You won’t ever use it in Math 104 so don’t bother buying it.</p>
<p>Yeah, I’ve heard that we won’t use it, but i looked at deturck’s website for math 104 in 2008 and apparently it was on some homework assignments. Is it only used in his class then?</p>
<p>I can’t comment on Chinese. I have taken Spanish and American Sign Language at Penn and the Spanish was much easier. I had some prior experience with Spanish (in high school), but hadn’t looked at anything in the language for four years before taking SPAN121 last semester[an accelerated 1 and 2, a class assuming you took spanish before]. I did extremely poorly on the placement exam but found the work doable [a book chapter a week]. </p>
<p>Any language is a lot of work [they really do immerse you in the language], although difficulty varies.</p>
<p>The only class that a recording could help you with is ECON. SPAN isn’t a lecture – they are very small classes designed to get you speaking Spanish. Writing Seminars don’t require note-taking, and MGMT is a hands-on course.</p>
<p>The professors in MGMT don’t let you use computers–not that there is anything to take notes on, anyway.</p>
<p>Also, just a note–you’re asking how hard Spanish classes are and then saying you’re considering taking Chinese instead–doesn’t make a lot of sense. While I’ve personally never studied Spanish, everyone says it’s pretty easy…everywhere. Most people find Chinese very difficult, since you have to learn characters and tones. If you’re actually interested in taking Chinese, go for it, but expect to put in a lot of time.</p>
<p>(For the record, I’m taking intro Chinese in the fall. As well as Japanese 411…not intro)</p>
<p>As for Chinese…I guess the most help you could get is if you have a good Chinese friend who is a native Mandarin speaker and can help you out in studying and such.</p>