VS.
Technology has exponentially increased the ability to learn
in the classroom. Information can be
dispersed by teachers easier via the internet, and students can access
information faster than ever before. It
has now become common practice, even, for students to take notes during class
on some form of mobile technology, mainly iPads and laptop computers. Even here
at UT Tyler we have been doing
studies on the effects of the use of iPad as
assistive learning devices.
Specifically with
this post, I hope to lay out some positive and negative aspects of taking notes
in class on some form of technology to give you a good idea of what you’ll be
in for if you decide that you would rather take notes on your laptop than in
your notebook.
Pros:
·
Weight:
o
Your
back will thank you for only carrying around an ipad or Laptop, which will
weigh less than 2 pounds, instead of notebooks and textbooks. Rather than
packing your bag full of note-taking materials, all you need is your handy
dandy ipad or lightweight laptop and you can be on your way.
·
Speed
o
Keyboards are usually much faster than pens when
it comes to writing what the professor says.
Whereas it would take me a minute or two to copy down a slide from one
of my professor’s Power Points in class while writing, I could churn out the
entire slide in about 30 seconds while typing it. This means that you could have more time to
just listen to the professor talk and get any additional information that may
not be included in the slide, instead of focusing solely on what was in the
slide. The odds are that your professor
will not be just reading the slides to you and will be including extra things
about the topic, which means that speed is of huge advantage.
·
Ease of
Accessibility
o
Another major advantage to using tech for notes
would be the ease with which you can see everything relating to your class with
just a couple of clicks and a stable access to the internet. Additionally, if you're waiting for class one
day, but need to be studying for a test
in another class, having your laptop or tablet means that you could study even
you don’t have the class that same day.
·
Study
Easier
o
With a computer or tablet, you can organize your
notes in a way that makes sense to you if the professor teaches in a strange
order. You can also color code your
notes if that helps you, or even put them into tables to help remember terms
and key points. It is also extremely
helpful to be able to copy and paste large sums of information onto other word
documents for the creation of flash cards and things of that nature.
·
Cheap
textbooks
o
Textbooks are expensive. However, if you use some form of technology
for class readings then you will pay much less for your textbook, as eBooks
cost much less to produce and sell. The
textbooks are also much more accessible while on your computer or tablet, so
you can read them wherever you have your tablet.
·
Note-editing
o
It’s much easier to just backspace over a typo
than it is to mark out an entire word or even a sentence and re-write it. With technology, all it takes is a quick
movement of your cursor, and then a push of the backspace button, and you can
immediately fix mistakes in your note taking.
Cons:
·
Can be
harder to study with
o
Unlike a notebook, your computer or tablet will
have easy access to other forms of entertainment like Netflix, or
Facebook. For this reason, it can also
be harder to study with technology because of the distractions. If you get distracted easily and don’t have
much discipline, then paper is your best bet to passing your classes.
·
Technology
snafus
o
Technology is awesome, but it does have its issues. The internet won’t always work, sometimes
your tablet will not have enough battery, or will encounter software
issues. This is especially problematic
when you have a test the next day that you really need to study for. For that reason, some just prefer to play it
safe with pen and paper.
·
Cost
barriers
o
This one pretty much speaks for itself. College kids can’t afford technology most of
the time. A good laptop that won’t die
in a year will cost about $500, and a tablet will cost about 300-400
dollars. Compare this to a package of
pens that costs a few dollars, and a 97 cent notebook. The math speaks for itself.
Personally, I have taken notes with both forms, and they
both have their good and bad sides.
However, I have chosen the IPad as my primary medium of note taking
because of its light weight, and easy accessibility outside of the classroom. Not to mention the fact that there are TONS of
apps to write and organize notes with. Keep in mind, though, that not everyone is
the same. If you prefer pen and paper,
then by all means stick to it. Which do you prefer? Let me know in the comments!
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