How to Learn: Laptop or Paper?

I asked my son Matt if he wanted to take a laptop into class for the purpose of taking notes.

One might expect a high-tech college kid to jump at what might be construed as an offer of a new techno-toy.

His surprising answer: "No".

He said that keyboard entry was not fast, easy and flexible enough. (PS - his keyboard skills are plenty fast). Only a small percentage of his classmates use a laptop in class.

"Tablet PC?", I asked?

"Classic example of unperfected technology", said he.

"Even if you ignore handwriting recognition and just save the scribbles as images", I persisted, heedless of the increased cost my line of questioning could lead to.

"Then why not just use paper?" he shrugged.

Educators are trained that better learning results from the involvement of as many senses as possible.

Thus, combining reading (sight) with lectures (hearing) and hands-on experiences (touch) should result in solid learning.

Causing the student to act upon and synthesize the information will result in learning which lasts forever.

As for my own experience, as much as I love technology, I have not been able to effectively use laptops in business meetings.

My keyboard skills are too slow, and the medium is too restrictive to keep up with a freewheeling meeting.

For Matt, too, a laptop can't quite deliver the three dimensional experience of writing with a real pen in hand, scribbling fragments of ideas in bunches cannected by circles and arrows.

No computer can fully replicate the rich experience of flipping through pages in a real paper notebook, each page with its own personality, crinkling in your hand. As we turn our notebook pages, our brains are integrating a multi-layered three dimensional experience.

Useless-looking doodles in the margin can become hooks which help our minds give the information structure and relationship. Sequence of the pages adds more structure, creating a corresponding sequence index in our minds.

No waiting for page loads, no grasping for filenames, no power cords. A real, tactile, immediate, always available, truly portable experience. Bound in a chronological sequence.

Golly! Maybe some things are better undigitized!

---

Like this article? Bookmark it at Del.icio.us

---

Mark Meshulam offers
keyboard shortcuts,
small business articles,
web master resources, and a powerful
email reminder system, all at
www.poingo.com

---

To receive these postings hot off the keyboard,
subscribe to poingology, the newsletter