CollaNote and Its Journey to Transform the iPad into Gen Z’s Digital Notebook
Inside the shift toward digital learning and the changing study habits of Gen Z students.
iPad is no longer simply a device for entertainment or creative work. For a growing generation of students, it is becoming part of everyday learning — from reading course materials and annotating PDFs to taking handwritten notes, managing assignments, and collaborating with classmates.
In a January 2026 feature, Kenh14 explored this changing study culture through iPad and CollaNote. CollaNote founder Nguyen Quoc Huy described one of the biggest shifts among Gen Z simply: learning has increasingly “moved onto devices.” Technology that was once considered a distraction in the classroom is now becoming a fundamental part of how students study.
Features across iPadOS make that transition easier. Students can multitask between learning apps, organize materials through Files, annotate PDFs with Apple Pencil, reduce distractions with Focus, and use Apple Intelligence tools to work with text more efficiently.
Turning iPad Into an Everyday Study Tool
Within this new learning environment, CollaNote is designed to turn iPad into something familiar: a digital notebook students can use throughout the entire learning process.
Students can handwrite and sketch naturally with Apple Pencil, annotate learning materials, organize notes, translate handwriting, review lessons with spaced-repetition flashcards, and collaborate with classmates in real time. AI tools, including AI Pen and an AI Assistant that can work offline, are designed to support students’ thinking rather than replace it.
The experience also extends across the Apple ecosystem. Students can start capturing information on iPhone, continue handwriting on iPad, and later organize their work on Mac without breaking their workflow.
For Huy, CollaNote’s role goes beyond replacing paper. He hopes it can eventually become an everyday learning essential — something students naturally bring to class.
Much like the Casio calculator became a familiar tool for previous generations, his vision is for an iPad with CollaNote to become part of the everyday study toolkit for the next one.
Source: Kênh 14 — "CollaNote Founder and the Journey to Turn iPad Into Gen Z’s “Digital Notebook” in Vietnam" Jan 30 2026 - https://kenh14.vn/nguoi-sang-lap-collanote-va-hanh-trinh-bien-ipad-thanh-so-tay-cua-gen-z-viet-21526013008263961.chn
