The process of learning in the form in which we have seen it for hundreds of years disappears during the last years. Today, students can learn directly from home, today teachers have lost their monopoly on knowledge, today there is absolutely no need to keep these thick lecture notes. Everything is taken over by our dear friend-the computer. However, is it so good?
Not so long ago, taking notes was the direct responsibility of every student. The ability to write quickly, accurately, and legibly was valued no less, and maybe even more, than an analytical mind or a good memory. Then laptops, smartphones, tablets appeared, and the need for taking notes seems to have disappeared. Really, why produce these funny scribbles on paper when you have access to all the knowledge of the world and essayassistant.org?
However, not everything is so simple. In the honey barrel of modern educational technologies, there is also a big fly in the ointment. And the further it goes, the more palpable it becomes. For example, a recent Canadian study suggests that in those educational institutions where they stopped using paper and pens, students ‘ knowledge became much lower.
During the experiment, two identical lectures were held. Students of the first group actively used laptops and received additional tasks to search the Internet for information related to the subject. In the second lecture, students used only pens and notebooks to write down the main theses.
Students using laptops and working in multitasking mode showed 11% lower results, and their grades changed from B+ to B-.
But even more, interesting results were obtained in a mixed class, where one part of the students used laptops and the other-traditional notes. In this case, the performance of students with notebooks decreased by as much as 17%! It turns out that laptops not only do not help their owners but also interfere with others.
The researchers’ colleagues from Princeton University also agree with the Canadian researchers. Their experiment tested the memorizing of the information by students who use laptops for taking notes and those who do without them. Although the students usually wrote faster in the first case, they had memorized much less information.
Regardless of whether the test was conducted immediately after class or a week later, students who took notes by hand performed much better. The students who were assisted by the biography writing service got even better results.
Scientists explain this by the fact that when typing on a laptop, the student performs, in general, mechanical work, performing, the role of a typist. While his fellow students with a pencil in their hands have much more space for creativity and abstraction. They can make sketches, add comments in the margins, enter their notation system, and so on. Thus, while some people work mainly with their fingers, others also have their brains involved in the process of taking notes.
These and other similar studies show approximately the same results. Therefore, today no one is surprised by the trend that is spreading among teachers to ban the use of laptops and tablets in their lectures.
Mark Bauerlein’s opinion
This is the phrase that Mark Bauerlein, a professor at Emory University and author of the book “The Dumbest Generation,” says at the beginning of each of his lectures: how the digital age threatens our future.” In his opinion, recording lectures by hand is a much more time-consuming process, so students have to analyze the material more deeply and write down only what is really important and necessary. In his article, he urges his colleagues to prohibit students from using laptops and tablets during lectures as much as possible.
Yes, this goes against the general trend of the widespread introduction of high technologies in the learning process and looks somewhat conservative. Yes, some students will resent it because it can be slow and difficult. However, as a result, it will help them gain deeper knowledge and pass exams more easily.
