After I was in faculty, in 2002, laptops weren’t actually commonplace but. Most college students took notes by writing with pen and paper. In the present day, most college students take notes with laptops, tablets, cell telephones, or different digital gadgets. The times of pen and paper appear to be fading. Some college students even wait till the tip of sophistication and use their cell telephones to take an image of the whiteboard, so in impact, they don’t seem to be absorbing any of the knowledge as a result of they “can simply take an image of it and take a look at it later.”
Is it simpler to take notes on an digital gadget?
I feel that largely is dependent upon choice. I kind sooner than I write, however I nonetheless want to take notes on paper.
Based on researchers at Princeton College and the College of California, Los Angeles, college students who take handwritten notes usually outperform college students who typed them.
Writing notes assist college students study higher, retain info longer, and extra readily grasp new concepts, based on experiments by different researchers who additionally in contrast note-taking methods.
Whereas most college students can kind sooner than they write, this benefit is short-term. Because the WSJ factors out, “after simply 24 hours, the pc observe takers usually forgot materials they’ve transcribed, a number of research mentioned. Nor have been their copious notes a lot assist in refreshing their reminiscence as a result of they have been so superficial.” So whereas it could take a bit longer to seize the notes by hand, extra doubtless than not, you’ll retain the knowledge longer in the event you put pen to paper.
As I train English Composition on the College of Oklahoma, I’d additionally prefer to say that whereas I discover this to be true for myself, each pupil has a distinct studying fashion. Typed notes are a lot better than no notes in any respect. Some college students detest writing by hand and I perceive that. Every thing in our world has gone digital from telephones to cable tv so it is smart, even when I don’t prefer it, that college students gravitate extra in the direction of digital note-taking than pen and paper.
Whereas I wish to see extra college students take notes by hand, I definitely gained’t require it. Some college students are navigating studying disabilities, anxieties, and different impediments that make taking notes digitally extra advantageous.
I think about the identical is true for different areas as effectively: as a substitute of typing assembly notes, what would occur in the event you wrote them by hand? Would you keep the knowledge longer? Maybe, and maybe not; once more, I feel this is dependent upon your particular person studying fashion.
I wish to recommend that in case you are one of many extra “electronically-minded” writers, use a flashcard app, or one other finding out instrument that will help you assessment your classroom notes or assembly notes to make them “stick” a bit higher. Whereas I discover this sort of analysis intriguing, in the event you get pleasure from taking your notes electronically, I wouldn’t change my methodology primarily based on this.
If it’s working for you, hold doing it. Don’t thoughts me, I’ll be over right here, writing all the things down with pen and paper.