Technology has changed the way we do many things, but has it changed the way students take notes in college? There are many different reasons why you might want to bring your laptop to class and write your notes, but there are also several reasons why you should stick to the traditional pen-and-paper method. Of course, there is no right or wrong way to take notes, just more effective ways.
Traditional handwritten notes can help people really understand what is being said during the conference. The physical method of writing the words has been proven to help students remember what the lesson was about. Also, if a person simply sits in a class holding a pen with a sheet of paper in front of them, their natural instinct is to start using that pen, hopefully for note-taking, not doodling. Doodling is a very common distraction for people who take handwritten notes. People who have taken handwritten notes sometimes write with different colored pens, highlighting, underlining, or formatting to make it easier for them to remember what the lecture is about.
Sure, you could do almost all the same things when you write your notes on a laptop, but is it that efficient? For many people, the distraction is no longer just doodling, it’s a game like solitaire, talking with friends, or surfing the Internet. Some students actually take fewer notes when they bring their laptop to class instead of just a pen and paper. When you write your notes, you are only passively listening, therefore you are not absorbing the information as well. Also, unless you have a wonderful schedule, or just take notes as paragraphs, sometimes you spend most of your class time trying to get the format right. Many students also find it frustrating that if the instructor shows a graph, chart, or table, it is more difficult to incorporate and record in their notes. However, some students find that keeping all their notes on their computer helps them keep everything organized.
So what is to be done? Many students prefer all handwritten notes or all typed notes, but some find that combining the two is just as good. One thing you can do if you like to use your computer to keep everything organized, but just like writing your notes by hand, you can always copy them later. This can actually be a great study tactic because you’re going over your notes a second time when you write your handwritten notes. Or, if organization isn’t your problem, you can write your notes in class, and any graphs or charts can be handwritten and saved to a corresponding file. Some instructors, especially for online classes, will write their lecture notes or slideshows and post them online. Use this to your advantage, you can save and print a copy, then take notes on it.
If you want to get more high-tech into your note-taking, you can always get an iPad or tablet of some kind to take your notes on. Most of these tablets give you the option of typing or handwriting your notes. Your handwritten notes can remain in your handwriting or be transferred to text. This allows you to not only write or write notes, but also digitally copy any chart or graph, and you can stay organized just like you would with your laptop. Regardless of the format of your class, online or traditional, you will still need to take notes. So, handwritten, typed, or mixed?
