Chronicles of a High School Student A day in the life of a student in the eyes of a teenager.
Tags: Education, High School Life, High School

Chronicles of a High School Student

A day in the life of a student in the eyes of a teenager. Õpet Follow Apr 23, 2018 · 5 min read

Entries from the students regarding the topic on the trend of Integrating Technology with Education through Pen and Paper, and Tablets

Pen and Paper or Tablet or Both?

Sharan Deepak Thakur

A laptop or good old-fashioned pen and paper for taking notes? Just as snail mail has given way to email, when it comes to taking notes, most business people today prefer to type than write by hand. The reasons are many and varied. Typing is more legible, it comes more easily and naturally, and is quicker for most than writing longhand.

But have we lost something? Is taking notes on a laptop or tablet dumbing us down?

Research has shown that the benefits of hand-written notes far outweigh those using an electronic medium. Educators discourage, sometimes ban, students from bringing laptops into the classroom for fear that their use will interfere with concentration and learning. On the face of it, the obvious concerns of using laptops are the distractions they pose that interfere with active listening. Social media are only a click away, be they Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn. However, avoiding these distractions by turning off the internet does not solve the problem. Studies have shown that students who use laptops for taking notes tend to transcribe the information without processing and analyzing the ideas in their own minds.

They “hear” the lecture but don’t “think” about it. This seems to be the one crucial difference in the two methods of notes taking: writing and typing. Those who use a keyboard can transcribe so rapidly that they are more prone to repeating everything verbatim. On the other hand, with writing by hand being slower, the listeners need to be more selective, and sift the information as they listen, writing down only those which is necessary, important, or relevant using their own personal code of markers and symbols. These notes later have to be decoded, reviewed and revised. Apart from aiding better comprehension, this method of mentally processing information is said to have the added benefit of assisting in long-term memory retention.

Pen and Paper, or Tablet, or Both?

Jiselle Casucian

As I study, I find that using all available resources efficient rather than putting one process on a pedestal. Tablets are the “now”. It’s what’s modern, and what I’m used to. I feel more comfortable typing my notes and reminders on my iPad because I’m confident that I can access it anytime I want. However, I’m also aware gadgets can be easily compromised. The device can run out of battery, or lose files, etc. This is why using a pen and paper is also necessary. I also think jotting down notes on paper, while more time-consuming than typing, helps in remembering a few details.

In today’s generation, we need to innovate and improvise. It’s important that all fields adapt, especially education. Students change with time, getting more and more informed and updated with technology. Because of this, I think education and learning technique should also evolve in time with the students.

Pen and Paper, or Tablet, or Both?

Nadine Deang

As a student living in the present generation, I choose to study using pen and paper and tablet. We need to use pens and papers because it’s the traditional way of learning — it can never die. We also need to use tablets because that is what’s efficient to use now-a-days.

I think it’s important we adapt to the changes of the generation today. I prefer to use all three of them because it’s practical.

Pen and Paper, or Tablet, or Both?

Germaine Roque

I am a student who grew up using pen and paper in school, but I have also tried using tablet in place of these. That being said, I have a grasp on the advantages and disadvantages of each of these, and I could say that the traditional way is more beneficial to students of today.

First, using pen and paper in school is more efficient and convenient. It is accessible to anyone, anywhere, anytime. The same could be said about tablets, but what about power outages and system failures? Pen and paper is free of that problem, in addition to being cheaper. Second, cheating is made very much possible by technology. Students are able to search answers online during exams and share their answers with their classmates through technology, without their teacher knowing. This is a hindrance to student learning and performance. Third, it serves as more of a distraction rather than a tool of learning. With the above reasons for tablets being disadvantageous, it is evident that they are capable of stop the right flow of learning rather than aid it.

Pen and Paper, or Tablet, or Both?

Eishika Dhar

Being a little orthodox, I will always choose pen and paper over tablet.

It is often seen that using any electronic devise over the usual and medieval method of taking down information by using pen and paper can be often distracting. In the 21st century, we are well aware that technology is at its peak and today’s generation is its most active customer. Research shows that tablets and laptops have a tendency to be distracting. It is easy to click over to Facebook in that dull lecture. A study also shows that the fact that you have to be slower when you take notes by hand is what makes it more useful in the long run.

These are two hypotheses as to why note-taking is beneficial. First, when a person is taking notes, processing occurs which improves learning and retention. Secondly, one tends to learn by being able to look back at your notes, or even notes of other people.

Typical lecture notes on a tablet causes more shallow processing of content, restraining the notes to a mere, shallow transcription, as the mind is in sleep mode. It is even seen that the sequential finger movements activate multiple regions of the brain associated with remembering and processing information. Writing by hand sets a strong intention, helps in planning, organizing and creates a clear form which leads to getting things done. Therefore, it is seen that much of the positives lie in the favor of using pen and paper over tablet or even both.

To find out more about Õpet, be sure to visit our social media sites below:

Official Website: https://opetfoundation.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/opetfoundation

Telegram: https://t.me/Opetfoundationgroup

Medium: https://medium.com/@opetbot

Bitcointalk: https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=3735418

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/OpetFoundation

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/opet-foundation/