Return to Assistive Technology Home
Note-taking Tools
Whether you prefer to take notes with pen and paper or digital note-taking, you will be taking plenty of notes during your academic career. Depending on your needs, you might benefit from note-taking software or an app to support you in processing and retaining the information you are taking notes on. Want more information on note-taking strategies to pair with your technology? Visit the DSC Note-Taking page.
Examples of Assistive Tech Solutions for Note-taking
Glean
Features
A web-based and mobile app that allows you to record and sync audio with typed notes.
- Records audio and syncs it with notes
- Available both online and offline with a cloud feature
- Records computer audio (such as audio from Zoom or a video) as well as audio from your microphone, with a feature for reducing background noise
- Ability to add notes and slides from a different source
- Creates an auto generated transcript
- Real-time captions
- Marks important parts of a recording using Quick Labels
- Built-in training videos
- Transcribes audio in multiple languages
- Supports handwritten notes with Scribble (best when used with a tablet, touchscreen laptop or external graphics tablet)
- Provides AI-generated quizzes and outline
Limitations
- Transcript is not created in real-time. Once a recording is finished, users can create the transcript, which can take a few minutes to process.
Otter AI
Features
A web-based and mobile app that records and transcribes audio in real-time across multiple devices.
- Highlights transcript as you record (or after), and exports highlighted sections
- Can upload audio from another source and have it transcribed
- Can upload images or take pictures while recording
- Can search transcription
- Free version available with limited features and recording time
- Improves transcription accuracy by uploading terminology
- Provides AI-generated summaries, outlines and action items
Limitations
- Need an internet connection for live transcription (can record while offline, and then transcribe once re-connected)
- Student notes are not part of this application
- Must export transcript to a program such as word for additional annotation
Otter is also found on our Speech-to-Text page for its AI-powered speech-to-text software allowing it to generate transcripts.
Other Tools
Note: None of the technology tools or resources below are offered or managed by the DSC. For more information on cost and system requirements, please visit the links to the websites for each tool.
- Mathpix Snip digitizes handwritten or printed text, and copies outputs to the clipboard that can be pasted into LaTeX editors like Overleaf, Markdown editors like Typora, Microsoft Word, and more. Students can sign up for 100 snips per month at no cost.
- Digital Note-taking Apps for iPhones & iPads to create typed and handwritten searchable notes, record and sync audio across multiple devices, and import PDFs, DOCs, PPTs, images, GIFs, etc. for easy annotation using annotation tools are listed below:
- OneNote is a free digital note-taking app for iOS and Windows devices with a web-based app available for creating typed/handwritten digital notes, recording audio and syncing it across devices, and importing PDFs, DOCs, PPTs, images, etc., for easy annotation.
- Audio Note is a simple digital note-taking app for Android and iOS devices that allows users to type and handwrite their digital notes and record audio and sync it with your notes with timestamps.
- Penultimate by Evernote is another digital note-taking app available for iPads. It allows you to create handwritten searchable notes and import PDFs, DOCs, PPTs, images, GIFs, etc., for annotation. You must have Evernote to sync notes across devices.
- Nebo is a note-taking app available for Apple devices, PCs, and Android devices that have features like handwriting recognition, PDF annotation, and handwriting to text conversion.
If you have questions about assistive technology, or anything on this page, contact dscetext@uci.edu.