Something like a note taking program, but wait a minute … note taking programs already exist. It would be better to just use one program to consolidate all this information into one repository. They might keep references to scientific papers or other publications in a reference manager like Mendeley or EndNote. If the information naturally has more structure like a plan for a piece of writing or planning some sort of event then they may well use an outliner or the outline function built into a word processor or even a mind mapping program. They might use text editors or word processors to keep random thoughts or useful bits of information they might have cut and pasted from the internet. This is not the most efficient way of doing things.
Another problem with this approach is that because they use a variety of different programs to store their information they are constantly switching between applications in order to find what they want. This can become a mess if it is not well managed, it is easy for information to become misplaced (not lost, merely not easy to find). They usually use several different applications for storing this information. Many people keep bits of information that they think they might need in the future.
On the other hand, there are reasons why it’s a flexible and popular way of writing, and many students still find pen and paper a trustworthy, equally efficient note-taking method.I would firstly like to point out that I have no connection whatsoever with any software company. Perhaps a lack of typing knowledge is one reason why pen and paper is still holding on despite the immense popularity of hand-held, Internet-based devices. In other words, excellent typing skills mean there’s no difficulty keeping up with the lecturer’s pace. What’s more, the average university lecture speed is approximately 100 words per minute, well within a good typist’s capabilities. When a person is able to type efficiently and accurately, there’s no chance of getting wrist fatigue or cramped fingers. It could be the case that if students have above average typing skills, then the few disadvantages of soft copy note-taking wouldn’t bother them as much. These and other reasons are often enough to make students opt for the traditional note-taking method. The battery might die, a power outlet might not be available nearby, and some laptops are too heavy to carry around campus. Those in favor of hard copy note-taking mention their device’s unreliability and heaviness as important drawbacks that discourage them from regularly using those devices to take notes. Finally, they contend that hand-writing notes might interfere with the student’s efforts to keep up with the lecturer. They say that using pen and paper takes longer, so causes fatigue or cramping in the fingers and wrist. Those in favor of soft copy note-taking complain that taking notes with pen and paper might leave them with illegible information from too-hasty writing. Surprisingly, the same benefits were mentioned by people who prefer digital note-taking to pen and paper.Ī look at the disadvantages of each method sheds a bit more light into the dilemma between soft and hard copy note-taking. The benefits of soft copy note-taking are numerous, but here are the three main points:Ģ) Information processing and understanding In order to focus on the notes and not the device, these students opt to take notes with pen and paper instead. This rationale is in fact corroborated by previous studies which claim that the many uses of computers and laptops make it difficult for students to dedicate their attention to the class at hand. They explained that their preference is for hard copy because the act of taking notes is essentially simpler. While many people switch between note-taking on a tablet and note-taking with pen and paper, a study by Julie Berkovatz and Erica de Guzman reveals that many students still prefer taking notes in hard copy – that is, using pen and paper.Ĭiting the reason for their preference, the research participants said that “soft copy” (taking notes on a mobile device) is a distracting experience that doesn’t let them focus on the note taking task as much as they should. How do you take notes? Do you reach for your Moleskin notebook or your smartphone?ĭespite the increasing popularity and affordability of devices like tablets, smartphones, and laptops, traditional pen and paper note taking is still going strong.