A note-taking app alongside Blackboard, Canvas, or any other Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) in a split-screen setup is an all too familiar arrangement for students in universities across the world. This is a popular way many students take notes, especially during online classes or when working with digital materials. The rationale behind this setup is that it allows students to view lecture slides or course materials on one side of the screen while taking notes on the other. However, this method is not ideal because it often leads to a cluttered workspace, requiring constant toggling between screens, which can be distracting and time-consuming. The divided attention can disrupt the flow of notetaking, making it difficult to capture all the necessary information accurately. 

As two university students who wanted to improve this, Dragos and I, the co-founders of Plato, set out to build a feature that, just like every other Plato feature, would enhance our experience as university students. We aimed to create a tool that would integrate the note-taking process directly into the learning environment, eliminating the need for a split-screen setup. 

This not only disrupted their focus but also made the process of reviewing and organising information more cumbersome. Recognising this, we designed Plato’s notetaking capabilities to simplify the process by seamlessly integrating within the platform. This allows students to take notes, reference materials, and organise information all in one place. The streamlined approach not only boosts productivity but also makes reviewing information far more convenient and efficient. 

Plato's notetaking tool is built around an intuitive interface that makes creating and referencing notes straightforward and efficient. As a student, you can easily link your notes directly to specific pages within lecture slides, making the study and revision process much easier. By simply clicking on a reference link in your notes, you can instantly view the corresponding lecture slide, making it easier to recall and understand information, even if it was noted a long time ago. This integration eliminates the need to constantly toggle between documents, resulting in a smoother and more focused note-taking experience saving time but also improving the retention and understanding of complex material 

The platform also supports a variety of input formats, including text and images, allowing you to capture information in the way that best suits their content and learning objectives. Whether you're annotating diagrams, summarising key points, or integrating images, Plato's notetaking tool ensures that all relevant information is easily accessible and well-organised.