Laptop v. old school note-taking in class
I brought this up before in a similar post but given that there was a recent article about it in the New York Times I thought that it might be a good time to revisit the topic.
SO.... here we go
In this technology-driven world, it is easy to default to the latest technological advancements in an attempt to make our lives easier. One area in which this is true is the area of note-taking.
It is not uncommon to see a sea of laptops in any classroom these days rather than a simple pen and paper.
But is typing out a lecture in a verbatim manner with a laptop really the best approach to getting kick-as* grades?
OR, IN THE ALTERNATIVE, are there benefits to utilizing a good old fashioned pen and paper instead.
Let's take a look.
MINIMIZE DISTRACTIONS
It may be surprising, but a good old fashion pen and paper has some considerable benefits over a laptop.
One benefit is that a NOTEBOOK affords NO DISTRACTIONS. (Well unless you're a doodler...)
It is no secret that our devices have no end to potential distractions with endless social media accounts and communication platforms.
This, of course, is not the case with pen and paper. Approaching note-taking the old fashion way thus frees your mind from the constant notifications and at the end of the day makes you more productive.
IT'S THAT SIMPLE.
DISFLUENCY
Another benefit of good old fashion note-taking is something called DISFLUENCY.
DISFLUENCY is the act of breaking something down and making it your own. For example, interpreting a lecture session by directing your hand on a physical sheet of paper with a physical writing instrument forces you to rearrange the information and IDEAS so in the end they are more easily imprinted in your brain. The information is now YOURS....
Absorbing the information and putting it into your own words is what is referred to as a “disfluency.”
Charles Duhigg made the New York Times bestseller's list in 2016 with his book, Smarter, Better, Faster: The Secrets of Being Productive in Life and Business, and describes how disfluency positively affects learning in the context of the 2014 study mentioned in a predecessor post Put it in your own words (Part 1).
He states that "writing is more disfluent than typing, because it requires more labor and captures fewer verbatim phrases" [quoted by Dean Bokhari in "Disfluency: the secret to turning knowledge into power."]
SELECTIVITY
When writing on a computer, it is easy to take down more information more quickly.
This may seem like a good thing but it is possible to actually overload yourself with too much information.
Writing by hand is slower and requires you to be selective with what you record and ultimately helps you train your mind to be selective and to know what information is most vital.
Sometimes the old-fashioned way is still the best.
Even with all of the technological advancements today.
THE BOTTOM LINE
Pen and paper is still the best way to succeed in the classroom and help you truly excel as a student.
Just Sayin'