In every class I take, I can’t help but notice the rows of iPad screens all around me. It’s as if people decided one day to stop using notebooks all at once, and I just never got the memo. Writing things down on a piece of paper seems like a thing of the past. I’ve even had friends ask me for a pencil or pen whenever they have to write something down because they just never bother to bring one to college. Of course, there are those that prefer to stay loyal to the classic way of taking notes and carry their handy notebooks with them. And there are those that just sadly cannot afford an iPad or laptop. Personally, I usually alternate between my laptop and my notebook depending on the class, but I always wondered: What benefits do digital note-takers see over physical notes and vice-versa? So, I decided to ask some of my friends who I consider “iPad kids” what their opinions are, as well as my friends who just stick to paper. Here are their answers:
*I will be using fictional names*
Digital notes-taker
Isabel (totally against the use of paper)
Isabel’s digressing from paper notes completely since professor’s mainly use digital resources for their classes, such as powerpoint presentations, e-books, and whatnot, so, it makes it easier to comment and add to these documents as you take the lecture. Also, using an iPad keeps everything in one place, which is a major plus:
“I personally just use my iPad because I love the idea of having everything in one place. The double-screen feature helps a lot too. I can have my good notes app open while I go over class presentations, and take notes that way. Also, since all my classes usually have presentations, I take notes on the slides as the teacher explains the concepts. Something I couldn’t do on regular paper. It saves me a lot of time”.
Digital notes-taker and Physical notes-taker
Paula (alternates between the two)
Paula says that it depends; both have their pros and cons. While using an electronic device might speed up the process of taking notes during class, it can also be distracting; in other words, WhatsApp, game apps, among others can tempt you, which is why taking notes on paper can enhance focus and efficiency when studying:
“ I don’t really prefer one method over the other. I just do what feels right at the moment. Like, if I’m in class, I’ll use my iPad or laptop because I can take notes faster that way, but when I’m studying at home and I feel like a concept is not sinking in, I’ll usually look for a piece of paper and start writing away on it. Something about it just makes me absorb the information better. Also, when I feel like I’m getting distracted by other apps on my iPad or laptop, I quickly switch over to my notebook. So in conclusion, it just depends on what I’m studying, how hard the concepts are, and how focused I am at the moment.”
Physical notes-taker
Olga (just sticks to paper)
What’s the big idea of using an electronic note, anyway? Olga prefers to stick to pen and paper because she has more control over her notes:
“Although I get the appeal of using a laptop and/or an iPad, I’ve stuck with my notebooks because the transition from physical to digital just seems like a big hassle to me. I could never really wrap my head around how people made their notes look good on an iPad, and notes on a laptop just look too boring for me. In my notebook, I have better control over how the writing looks and I can make it look aesthetically pleasing by adding highlighting and color coding.”
My humble opinion
Since I don’t have an iPad, I usually alternate between my laptop and my notebook, although I usually just use my notebook for the most part. I’ll reserve digital note taking for study guides, or for classes that are very fast paced and require fast note-taking. For my other classes, where I just have to jot down important facts or random things the teacher says will come on the test, I use my notebook. I am interested in completely changing to digital note-taking, though. I wouldn’t have to worry about having to buy notebooks or contributing to the killing of trees anymore (yes, I went there), which is always a plus.
Conclusion
So, the consensus is, yes, digital notes are more popular amongst college students. Be it making mind maps on your iPad or writing to your heart’s desire on your laptop, digital equals faster, and fast means less time wasted. And for us college students, time is priceless. Of course, sometimes my “iPad kid” friends will have to resort to paper once in a while because no one can deny the fact that writing stuff down on paper always seems to make you remember stuff better, but they stay faithful to their preferred methods for the most part. Which makes me wonder… will digital note-taking prevail over physical note-taking in the future? Guess only time will tell!