As August is coming to an end and classes are starting up again, students will start buying school supplies. But with an increase in technology, materials for school are shifting away from paper and pens to laptops.
My sibling’s schools are changing from traditional writing tools to laptops for students. It brings up the question: which promotes higher learning and a more effective understanding of information?
While using a laptop is more convenient, using a notebook and pen provides a major advantage — less screen time. Fast advances in technology lead to rapidly increasing exposure to screens, which causes a lower performance in thought and language tests, according to WBZ CBS Boston. As I look around my classes now, more and more of my classmates are dedicating their time to a piece of technology rather than the professor.
Laptops encourage fast evolving technology by granting easy access to many tools, but it draws attention away from the front of the classroom. When students direct their focus on the keys and the screen, it allows for distractions like email notifications and text messages to pop up. A notebook eliminates these distractions, keeping attention where it is most important: the professor and the class.
By eliminating laptops in the classroom, it encourages active listening to the professor and more engagement in class. Instead of looking at a screen, students will be able to look up and take part in the class. In my classes, I have been able to express my ideas more clearly and quickly than my classmates typing their notes on a computer – people I’ve often caught writing emails instead of listening to the lecture.
Although technology makes it easier to take notes in class, it does not equate to a higher level of learning. In my experience, the traditional methods of note taking with a pen and notebook allow for a better sense of communication in class.
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