Life has become convenient when it comes to taking notes. Students and guests at lectures often bring their small laptop or tablet to take notes word for word. It is true that typing is faster than handwriting notes. However, writing notes compared to typing is more beneficial in the long run.
Writing Notes
Some students or lecture attendees might feel uncomfortable writing notes while others are typing every word on their laptop. But the student that writes notes is most likely to retain the information because they have to pay closer attention and be selective.
Writing notes is definitely a slower process but you get to write down the key points of the lecture. This means the student with the handwritten notes studies and focuses on the most important part of the lecture which is generally covered on a test or quiz. This also cuts down study time because the student doesn’t have as many notes to read through and narrow down.
Typing Notes
Most students are speed typists these days. They are capable of typing an entire lecture word for word. This is a great achievement and an asset for students. Some students prefer to have every word documented for study purposes. As mentioned before, it could also lengthen study time and cause a student to try to memorize unimportant information and details.
Having a laptop or tablet sitting in front of you during a lecture can also tempt a student to switch over to browse social media accounts. This causes the student to miss details of the lecture that are highly important. It can also cause the student to receive a lower overall grade for the semester due to lack of information.
Typing notes can also cause the student to become robotic and focus only on typing each word instead of actually listening and absorbing the information. Students that type their notes can actually cause more work for themselves in the long run. Imagine you are a student, typing notes at a lecture in a robotic state. You intend to read all of your notes and absorb the information later.
This might sound like a great idea, but your classmates that wrote down their notes are already ahead of you with retaining the information. They are also able to immediately discuss the information and ask the professor questions to clarify any misunderstanding. If you are not able to retain the information immediately during the lecture you will miss the opportunity to ask important questions. The next time you take notes, try the writing method to see if it helps improve your understanding of the specific topic. Begin your experiment and start writing your notes today!