a learning secret don’t take notes with a laptop scientific american
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The old fashioned way works better Credit Szepy via iStock
Mind amp Brain raquo Mind Matters
A Learning Secret Donrsquot Take Noteswith a LaptopStudents who used longhand remembered more and had a deeper understanding of thematerial
By Cindi May | June 3 2014
ldquoMore is betterrdquo From the number of gigsin a cellular data plan to the horsepower ina pickup truck this mantra is ubiquitous inAmerican culture When it comes to collegestudents the belief that more is better mayunderlie their widelyshyheld view that laptopsin the classroom enhance their academicperformance Laptops do in fact allowstudents to do more like engage in onlineactivities and demonstrations collaboratemore easily on papers and projects accessinformation from the internet and takemore notes Indeed because students cantype significantly faster than they can writethose who use laptops in the classroom tendto take more notes than those who write outtheir notes by hand Moreover whenstudents take notes using laptops they tendto take notes verbatim writing down every last word uttered by their professor
Obviously it is advantageous to draft more complete notes that precisely capture thecourse content and allow for a verbatim review of the material at a later date Only itisnrsquot New research by Pam Mueller and Daniel Oppenheimer demonstrates thatstudents who write out their notes on paper actually learn more Across threeexperiments Mueller and Oppenheimer had students take notes in a classroomsetting and then tested students on their memory for factual detail their conceptualunderstanding of the material and their ability to synthesize and generalize theinformation Half of the students were instructed to take notes with a laptop and theother half were instructed to write the notes out by hand As in other studies studentswho used laptops took more notes In each study however those who wrote out theirnotes by hand had a stronger conceptual understanding and were more successful inapplying and integrating the material than those who used took notes with theirlaptops
What drives this paradoxical finding Mueller and Oppenheimer postulate that taking
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notes by hand requires different types of cognitive processing than taking notes on alaptop and these different processes have consequences for learning Writing by handis slower and more cumbersome than typing and students cannot possibly write downevery word in a lecture Instead they listen digest and summarize so that they cansuccinctly capture the essence of the information Thus taking notes by hand forcesthe brain to engage in some heavy ldquomental liftingrdquo and these efforts fostercomprehension and retention By contrast when typing students can easily produce awritten record of the lecture without processing its meaning as faster typing speedsallow students to transcribe a lecture word for word without devoting much thought tothe content
To evaluate this theory Mueller and Oppenheimer assessed the content of notes takenby hand versus laptop Their studies included hundreds of students from Princetonand UCLA and the lecture topics ranged from bats bread and algorithms to faithrespiration and economics Content analysis of the notes consistently showed thatstudents who used laptops had more verbatim transcription of the lecture materialthan those who wrote notes by hand Moreover high verbatim note content wasassociated with lower retention of the lecture material It appears that students whouse laptops can take notes in a fairly mindless rote fashion with little analysis orsynthesis by the brain This kind of shallow transcription fails to promote ameaningful understanding or application of the information
If the source of the advantage for longhand notes derives from the conceptualprocesses they evoke perhaps instructing laptop users to draft summative rather thanverbatim notes will boost performance Mueller and Oppenheimer explored this ideaby warning laptop note takers against the tendency to transcribe information withoutthinking and explicitly instructed them to think about the information and type notesin their own words Despite these instructions students using laptops showed thesame level of verbatim content and were no better in synthesizing material thanstudents who received no such warning It is possible these direct instructions toimprove the quality of laptop notes failed because it is so easy to rely on lessdemanding mindless processes when typing
Itrsquos important to note that most of the studies that have compared note taking by handversus laptop have used immediate memory tests administered very shortly (typicallyless than an hour) after the learning session In real classroom settings howeverstudents are often assessed days if not weeks after learning new material Thusalthough laptop users may not encode as much during the lecture and thus may bedisadvantaged on immediate assessments it seems reasonable to expect that theadditional information they record will give them an advantage when reviewingmaterial after a long delay
SEE ALSO
Energy amp Sustainability 5 Steps to Feed the World and Sustain thePlanet | Evolution Parrot Fish Poop Makes Beautiful Beaches | Health The ConflictedHistory of Alcohol in Western Civilization | Space Dark Matter Particles Interactwith Themselves | Technology Timeline The Amazing MultimillionshyYear History ofProcessed Food | More Science The Flavor Connection
Wrong again Mueller and Oppenheimer included a study in which participants wereasked to take notes by hand or by laptop and were told they would be tested on thematerial in a week When participants were given an opportunity to study with theirnotes before the final assessment once again those who took longhand notesoutperformed laptop participants Because longhand notes contain studentsrsquo ownwords and handwriting they may serve as more effective memory cues by recreatingthe context (eg thought processes emotions conclusions) as well as content (egindividual facts) from the original learning session
These findings hold important implications for students who use their laptops to
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Solve Innovation ChallengesThe SUDEP Institute Challenge EmpoweringPeople with Epilepsy
Deadline Jul 13 2015 Reward $15000 USD
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Deadline Jun 14 2015 Reward $15000 USD
Vehicles traveling in remote regions or throughrugged terrain have unique durability requirementsand often experience delays in obtain
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ADVERTISEMENT
Latest from SA Blog Network
How is Creativity Differentially Related toSchizophrenia and AutismBeautiful Minds | 8 hours ago
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Share this Article
access lecture outlines and notes that have been posted by professors before class Because students can use these posted materials to access lecture content with a mereclick there is no need to organize synthesize or summarize in their own words Indeed students may take very minimal notes or not take notes at all and mayconsequently forego the opportunity to engage in the mental work that supportslearning
Beyond altering studentsrsquo cognitive processes and thereby reducing learning laptopspose other threats in the classroom In the Mueller and Oppenheimer studies alllaptops were disconnected from the internet thus eliminating any disruption fromemail instant messaging surfing or other online distractions In most typical collegesettings however internet access is available and evidence suggests that when collegestudents use laptops they spend 40 of class time using applications unrelated tocoursework are more likely to fall off task and are less satisfied with their education In one study with law school students nearly 90 of laptop users engaged in onlineactivities unrelated to coursework for at least five minutes and roughly 60 weredistracted for half the class
Technology offers innovative tools that are shaping educational experiences forstudents often in positive and dynamic ways The research by Mueller andOppenheimer serves as a reminder however that even when technology allows us todo more in less time it does not always foster learning Learning involves more thanthe receipt and the regurgitation of information If we want students to synthesizematerial draw inferences see new connections evaluate evidence and apply conceptsin novel situations we need to encourage the deep effortful cognitive processes thatunderlie these abilities When it comes to taking notes students need fewer gigsmore brain power
Are you a scientist who specializes in neuroscience cognitive science or psychologyAnd have you read a recent peershyreviewed paper that you would like to write aboutPlease send suggestions to Mind Matters editor Gareth Cook a Pulitzer prizeshywinning journalist and regular contributor to NewYorkercom Gareth is also theseries editor of Best American Infographics and can be reached at garethideas ATgmail dot com or Twitter garethideas
ABOUT THE AUTHOR(S)Cindi May is a Professor of Psychology at the College of Charleston She exploresmechanisms for optimizing cognitive function in college students older adults andindividuals with intellectual disabilities She is also the project director for a TPSIDgrant from the Department of Education which promotes the inclusion of studentswith intellectual disabilities in postsecondary education
Rights amp Permissions
CommonObservations | June 9 2015
Being Lactose Intolerant in the Land of Cheeseand ChocolateFrontiers for Young Minds | June 9 2015
Cancer Spending Higher in US Than in Europeshyshyand So Is Cancer MortalityCross-Check | June 8 2015
News From Our Partners
Certain Heartburn Drugs Linked to IncreasedRisk of Heart Attack
MERS Viruss Ability to Jump from Animals toHumans Puzzles Scientists
Apple Challenges Spotify with Streaming MusicService
NASA Pinpoints Earths Future Hotspots
We Create Chemistrysponsored by BASF
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Science Jobs of the Week
Medical Oncologist amp Clinical Investigator in CancerImmunotherapyInstitut Curie
Professor In StatisticsUniversity of the Western Cape
Postdoctoral Position In Biomolecular NMRInstitute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona)
More jobs from Naturejobscom raquo
Recommended For You
1 These tiny scorpions would like to perform an important inspection ofyour old book collection 9 months ago blogsscientificamericancomScientificAmericancom book scorpions
2 Blue Zones What the LongestshyLived People Eat (Hint Itrsquos Not SteakDinners) 2 months ago blogsscientificamericancom ScientificAmericancom
3 Anomalous Events That Can Shake Onersquos Skepticism to the Core 8months ago scientificamericancom ScientificAmericancom Mind amp Brain
CommentsOldest shy Newest
June 3 2014 807 AMMindAfterMath
In general I agree with this but I found that over time taking notes with a laptop is much morebeneficial In particular in grad school (mathematics) we went into more detail on a lot of thesubjects that were covered in undergrad but having those notes in a saved place that I could referto later helped me to be able to go back (instead of having to go through a library of journals fromold notes probably written in pencil)
Also when my notes are written on laptop I have a much bigger chance of doing things like sharingthem or doing more advanced things about them like trying to make QA flash cards or other typeof programs
I will say though that I think taking notes is extremely more beneficial than a professor passingout a lecture notes overview as an excuse to move faster in the class
Report as Abuse | Link to This
June 3 2014 924 AMmpopcorn
what taking notes on a laptop with a digital or active pen
Report as Abuse | Link to This
June 3 2014 939 AMjtdwyer
In short succinctly restating discussion points provides for better comprehension and retention ofthe information presented This approach is most naturally followed when taking handshywrittennotes rather than typed notes
In my own experience I have always found it useful to restate complex information presented inmeeting to verify that it has been properly understood Also I often took some rough notes duringmeetings to facilitate comprehension although I very rarely referred to them later shy and foundthem difficult to decipher when I did
The laptop issue is likely superfluous shy if analytical listening techniques are properly used
I suspect that handwritten notes taken in shorthand would produce similar results to typeshywrittennotes
Report as Abuse | Link to This
June 3 2014 958 AMWillRoun
When I did my MBA i would record the lectures and then found that I didnt have time to re listento them Copying the blackboard points and making summaries worked best
Report as Abuse | Link to This
June 3 2014 102 PMamaryrose
More Comments
You must sign in or register as a ScientificAmericancom member to submit a comment
Ive always preferred longhand to typing notes specifically for the summarizingsynthesizingquality (unconsciously until very recently) I would find my notes very fast and loose withinformation after the face (essentially they were close to useless to studying after the fact) but thebest way to secure the information at the point of entry
There is a situation I DO wonder about shy when youre in a lecture youre incapable of summarizingyoure pretty much guaranteed going to have to learn the material again on your own ve triedverbatim copying but it really isnt possible with longhand unless you ask the lecturer to stopUsually in these situations Ive stopped taking notes since it becomes impossible to summarizeand impossible to copy verbatim I wonder how typedshynotes would fair across the board if point ofinformation entry familiarity (if that makes sense) could be accounted for
Report as Abuse | Link to This
June 3 2014 116 PMSnicker-Snack
I used to take notes on a Newton Personal Digital Assistant which involved handwriting with astylus on an LCD the Newton being able to recognize handwriting and convert into digital text as ifI had typed it on a keyboard I would think that medium would involve the same types of cognitiveprocessing as paper and pencil
Report as Abuse | Link to This
June 3 2014 329 PMplswinford
1 Did differentlyshycapable students take different types of notes
2 If a student was handed pseudoshynotes at the beginning of the lecture would the student be ableto develop a better mentalshymap of the material throughout the lecture
Report as Abuse | Link to This
June 3 2014 612 PMWayne Williamson
Darn I was going to suggest WillRoun idea to record It still seems to me that if you have a tabletrecording both the sight and sound with you making comments(notes) along side that it would beuseful for review as well as studying for tests and exams
Report as Abuse | Link to This
June 3 2014 1130 PMmamift1
This makes sense in a way Handwriting is an ability that emerged over many generations and overtime has evolved specific neural pathways in the brain And since the invention of the book for thelongest time in human history handwriting was the only way to pass information from generationto generation Most likely whatever neural pathways that are engaged with handwriting also bywhatever yet unknown mechanism also enhance learning
Report as Abuse | Link to This
June 4 2014 403 AMdenizozut
Great work and great summary of it Taking not by hands is learners attitude taking note by laptopor similar device is a postponers attitude in general of course That is what I think It worries menot to be able to use the hand notes later compared to laptop notes but going over much shorterhand written notes to write them down on laptop for future reference is the way to go Of coursefor tedious work or tedious job meetings where writing down some information is crucial and alsofor later reference laptop and apps become useful Thanks again for the article and comments
Report as Abuse | Link to This
YES Send me a free issue of Scientific
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the subscription If I like it I will be billed
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notes by hand requires different types of cognitive processing than taking notes on alaptop and these different processes have consequences for learning Writing by handis slower and more cumbersome than typing and students cannot possibly write downevery word in a lecture Instead they listen digest and summarize so that they cansuccinctly capture the essence of the information Thus taking notes by hand forcesthe brain to engage in some heavy ldquomental liftingrdquo and these efforts fostercomprehension and retention By contrast when typing students can easily produce awritten record of the lecture without processing its meaning as faster typing speedsallow students to transcribe a lecture word for word without devoting much thought tothe content
To evaluate this theory Mueller and Oppenheimer assessed the content of notes takenby hand versus laptop Their studies included hundreds of students from Princetonand UCLA and the lecture topics ranged from bats bread and algorithms to faithrespiration and economics Content analysis of the notes consistently showed thatstudents who used laptops had more verbatim transcription of the lecture materialthan those who wrote notes by hand Moreover high verbatim note content wasassociated with lower retention of the lecture material It appears that students whouse laptops can take notes in a fairly mindless rote fashion with little analysis orsynthesis by the brain This kind of shallow transcription fails to promote ameaningful understanding or application of the information
If the source of the advantage for longhand notes derives from the conceptualprocesses they evoke perhaps instructing laptop users to draft summative rather thanverbatim notes will boost performance Mueller and Oppenheimer explored this ideaby warning laptop note takers against the tendency to transcribe information withoutthinking and explicitly instructed them to think about the information and type notesin their own words Despite these instructions students using laptops showed thesame level of verbatim content and were no better in synthesizing material thanstudents who received no such warning It is possible these direct instructions toimprove the quality of laptop notes failed because it is so easy to rely on lessdemanding mindless processes when typing
Itrsquos important to note that most of the studies that have compared note taking by handversus laptop have used immediate memory tests administered very shortly (typicallyless than an hour) after the learning session In real classroom settings howeverstudents are often assessed days if not weeks after learning new material Thusalthough laptop users may not encode as much during the lecture and thus may bedisadvantaged on immediate assessments it seems reasonable to expect that theadditional information they record will give them an advantage when reviewingmaterial after a long delay
SEE ALSO
Energy amp Sustainability 5 Steps to Feed the World and Sustain thePlanet | Evolution Parrot Fish Poop Makes Beautiful Beaches | Health The ConflictedHistory of Alcohol in Western Civilization | Space Dark Matter Particles Interactwith Themselves | Technology Timeline The Amazing MultimillionshyYear History ofProcessed Food | More Science The Flavor Connection
Wrong again Mueller and Oppenheimer included a study in which participants wereasked to take notes by hand or by laptop and were told they would be tested on thematerial in a week When participants were given an opportunity to study with theirnotes before the final assessment once again those who took longhand notesoutperformed laptop participants Because longhand notes contain studentsrsquo ownwords and handwriting they may serve as more effective memory cues by recreatingthe context (eg thought processes emotions conclusions) as well as content (egindividual facts) from the original learning session
These findings hold important implications for students who use their laptops to
Most Popular
Harsh Critical ParentingMay Lead to AnxietyDisorder Symptoms
Why Almost EverythingDean Ornish Says aboutNutrition Is WrongUPDATED With DeanOrnishs Response
Beautiful Mind JohnNashs SchizophreniaDisappeared as He Aged
The Myth of FemaleViagra
Has Maternal MortalityReally Doubled in the US
Solve Innovation ChallengesThe SUDEP Institute Challenge EmpoweringPeople with Epilepsy
Deadline Jul 13 2015 Reward $15000 USD
Sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP) is theleading cause of death in young adults who haveepilepsy and cannot control their sei
Create Accessories to Enhance the DrivingExperience
Deadline Jun 14 2015 Reward $15000 USD
Vehicles traveling in remote regions or throughrugged terrain have unique durability requirementsand often experience delays in obtain
Powered By
ADVERTISEMENT
Latest from SA Blog Network
How is Creativity Differentially Related toSchizophrenia and AutismBeautiful Minds | 8 hours ago
Support PaleoArt with the Jurassic WorldChallengeSymbiartic | 16 hours ago
75shyMillionshyYearshyOld Dinosaur Soft TissueSuggests Ancient Organic Preservation May Be
Share this Article
access lecture outlines and notes that have been posted by professors before class Because students can use these posted materials to access lecture content with a mereclick there is no need to organize synthesize or summarize in their own words Indeed students may take very minimal notes or not take notes at all and mayconsequently forego the opportunity to engage in the mental work that supportslearning
Beyond altering studentsrsquo cognitive processes and thereby reducing learning laptopspose other threats in the classroom In the Mueller and Oppenheimer studies alllaptops were disconnected from the internet thus eliminating any disruption fromemail instant messaging surfing or other online distractions In most typical collegesettings however internet access is available and evidence suggests that when collegestudents use laptops they spend 40 of class time using applications unrelated tocoursework are more likely to fall off task and are less satisfied with their education In one study with law school students nearly 90 of laptop users engaged in onlineactivities unrelated to coursework for at least five minutes and roughly 60 weredistracted for half the class
Technology offers innovative tools that are shaping educational experiences forstudents often in positive and dynamic ways The research by Mueller andOppenheimer serves as a reminder however that even when technology allows us todo more in less time it does not always foster learning Learning involves more thanthe receipt and the regurgitation of information If we want students to synthesizematerial draw inferences see new connections evaluate evidence and apply conceptsin novel situations we need to encourage the deep effortful cognitive processes thatunderlie these abilities When it comes to taking notes students need fewer gigsmore brain power
Are you a scientist who specializes in neuroscience cognitive science or psychologyAnd have you read a recent peershyreviewed paper that you would like to write aboutPlease send suggestions to Mind Matters editor Gareth Cook a Pulitzer prizeshywinning journalist and regular contributor to NewYorkercom Gareth is also theseries editor of Best American Infographics and can be reached at garethideas ATgmail dot com or Twitter garethideas
ABOUT THE AUTHOR(S)Cindi May is a Professor of Psychology at the College of Charleston She exploresmechanisms for optimizing cognitive function in college students older adults andindividuals with intellectual disabilities She is also the project director for a TPSIDgrant from the Department of Education which promotes the inclusion of studentswith intellectual disabilities in postsecondary education
Rights amp Permissions
CommonObservations | June 9 2015
Being Lactose Intolerant in the Land of Cheeseand ChocolateFrontiers for Young Minds | June 9 2015
Cancer Spending Higher in US Than in Europeshyshyand So Is Cancer MortalityCross-Check | June 8 2015
News From Our Partners
Certain Heartburn Drugs Linked to IncreasedRisk of Heart Attack
MERS Viruss Ability to Jump from Animals toHumans Puzzles Scientists
Apple Challenges Spotify with Streaming MusicService
NASA Pinpoints Earths Future Hotspots
We Create Chemistrysponsored by BASF
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Science Jobs of the Week
Medical Oncologist amp Clinical Investigator in CancerImmunotherapyInstitut Curie
Professor In StatisticsUniversity of the Western Cape
Postdoctoral Position In Biomolecular NMRInstitute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona)
More jobs from Naturejobscom raquo
Recommended For You
1 These tiny scorpions would like to perform an important inspection ofyour old book collection 9 months ago blogsscientificamericancomScientificAmericancom book scorpions
2 Blue Zones What the LongestshyLived People Eat (Hint Itrsquos Not SteakDinners) 2 months ago blogsscientificamericancom ScientificAmericancom
3 Anomalous Events That Can Shake Onersquos Skepticism to the Core 8months ago scientificamericancom ScientificAmericancom Mind amp Brain
CommentsOldest shy Newest
June 3 2014 807 AMMindAfterMath
In general I agree with this but I found that over time taking notes with a laptop is much morebeneficial In particular in grad school (mathematics) we went into more detail on a lot of thesubjects that were covered in undergrad but having those notes in a saved place that I could referto later helped me to be able to go back (instead of having to go through a library of journals fromold notes probably written in pencil)
Also when my notes are written on laptop I have a much bigger chance of doing things like sharingthem or doing more advanced things about them like trying to make QA flash cards or other typeof programs
I will say though that I think taking notes is extremely more beneficial than a professor passingout a lecture notes overview as an excuse to move faster in the class
Report as Abuse | Link to This
June 3 2014 924 AMmpopcorn
what taking notes on a laptop with a digital or active pen
Report as Abuse | Link to This
June 3 2014 939 AMjtdwyer
In short succinctly restating discussion points provides for better comprehension and retention ofthe information presented This approach is most naturally followed when taking handshywrittennotes rather than typed notes
In my own experience I have always found it useful to restate complex information presented inmeeting to verify that it has been properly understood Also I often took some rough notes duringmeetings to facilitate comprehension although I very rarely referred to them later shy and foundthem difficult to decipher when I did
The laptop issue is likely superfluous shy if analytical listening techniques are properly used
I suspect that handwritten notes taken in shorthand would produce similar results to typeshywrittennotes
Report as Abuse | Link to This
June 3 2014 958 AMWillRoun
When I did my MBA i would record the lectures and then found that I didnt have time to re listento them Copying the blackboard points and making summaries worked best
Report as Abuse | Link to This
June 3 2014 102 PMamaryrose
More Comments
You must sign in or register as a ScientificAmericancom member to submit a comment
Ive always preferred longhand to typing notes specifically for the summarizingsynthesizingquality (unconsciously until very recently) I would find my notes very fast and loose withinformation after the face (essentially they were close to useless to studying after the fact) but thebest way to secure the information at the point of entry
There is a situation I DO wonder about shy when youre in a lecture youre incapable of summarizingyoure pretty much guaranteed going to have to learn the material again on your own ve triedverbatim copying but it really isnt possible with longhand unless you ask the lecturer to stopUsually in these situations Ive stopped taking notes since it becomes impossible to summarizeand impossible to copy verbatim I wonder how typedshynotes would fair across the board if point ofinformation entry familiarity (if that makes sense) could be accounted for
Report as Abuse | Link to This
June 3 2014 116 PMSnicker-Snack
I used to take notes on a Newton Personal Digital Assistant which involved handwriting with astylus on an LCD the Newton being able to recognize handwriting and convert into digital text as ifI had typed it on a keyboard I would think that medium would involve the same types of cognitiveprocessing as paper and pencil
Report as Abuse | Link to This
June 3 2014 329 PMplswinford
1 Did differentlyshycapable students take different types of notes
2 If a student was handed pseudoshynotes at the beginning of the lecture would the student be ableto develop a better mentalshymap of the material throughout the lecture
Report as Abuse | Link to This
June 3 2014 612 PMWayne Williamson
Darn I was going to suggest WillRoun idea to record It still seems to me that if you have a tabletrecording both the sight and sound with you making comments(notes) along side that it would beuseful for review as well as studying for tests and exams
Report as Abuse | Link to This
June 3 2014 1130 PMmamift1
This makes sense in a way Handwriting is an ability that emerged over many generations and overtime has evolved specific neural pathways in the brain And since the invention of the book for thelongest time in human history handwriting was the only way to pass information from generationto generation Most likely whatever neural pathways that are engaged with handwriting also bywhatever yet unknown mechanism also enhance learning
Report as Abuse | Link to This
June 4 2014 403 AMdenizozut
Great work and great summary of it Taking not by hands is learners attitude taking note by laptopor similar device is a postponers attitude in general of course That is what I think It worries menot to be able to use the hand notes later compared to laptop notes but going over much shorterhand written notes to write them down on laptop for future reference is the way to go Of coursefor tedious work or tedious job meetings where writing down some information is crucial and alsofor later reference laptop and apps become useful Thanks again for the article and comments
Report as Abuse | Link to This
YES Send me a free issue of Scientific
American with no obligation to continue
the subscription If I like it I will be billed
for the one-year subscription
Advertise
Special Ad Sections
SA Custom Media andPartnerships
Science Jobs
Partner Network
International Editions
Travel
Use of Cookies
About Scientific American
Press Room
Site Map
Terms of Use
Privacy Policy
Contact Us
Subscribe
Renew Your Print Subscription
Print Subscriber CustomerService
Buy Back Issues
FAQs
copy 2015 Scientific American a Division of Nature America Inc
All Rights Reserved
Subscribe Now
Share this Article
access lecture outlines and notes that have been posted by professors before class Because students can use these posted materials to access lecture content with a mereclick there is no need to organize synthesize or summarize in their own words Indeed students may take very minimal notes or not take notes at all and mayconsequently forego the opportunity to engage in the mental work that supportslearning
Beyond altering studentsrsquo cognitive processes and thereby reducing learning laptopspose other threats in the classroom In the Mueller and Oppenheimer studies alllaptops were disconnected from the internet thus eliminating any disruption fromemail instant messaging surfing or other online distractions In most typical collegesettings however internet access is available and evidence suggests that when collegestudents use laptops they spend 40 of class time using applications unrelated tocoursework are more likely to fall off task and are less satisfied with their education In one study with law school students nearly 90 of laptop users engaged in onlineactivities unrelated to coursework for at least five minutes and roughly 60 weredistracted for half the class
Technology offers innovative tools that are shaping educational experiences forstudents often in positive and dynamic ways The research by Mueller andOppenheimer serves as a reminder however that even when technology allows us todo more in less time it does not always foster learning Learning involves more thanthe receipt and the regurgitation of information If we want students to synthesizematerial draw inferences see new connections evaluate evidence and apply conceptsin novel situations we need to encourage the deep effortful cognitive processes thatunderlie these abilities When it comes to taking notes students need fewer gigsmore brain power
Are you a scientist who specializes in neuroscience cognitive science or psychologyAnd have you read a recent peershyreviewed paper that you would like to write aboutPlease send suggestions to Mind Matters editor Gareth Cook a Pulitzer prizeshywinning journalist and regular contributor to NewYorkercom Gareth is also theseries editor of Best American Infographics and can be reached at garethideas ATgmail dot com or Twitter garethideas
ABOUT THE AUTHOR(S)Cindi May is a Professor of Psychology at the College of Charleston She exploresmechanisms for optimizing cognitive function in college students older adults andindividuals with intellectual disabilities She is also the project director for a TPSIDgrant from the Department of Education which promotes the inclusion of studentswith intellectual disabilities in postsecondary education
Rights amp Permissions
CommonObservations | June 9 2015
Being Lactose Intolerant in the Land of Cheeseand ChocolateFrontiers for Young Minds | June 9 2015
Cancer Spending Higher in US Than in Europeshyshyand So Is Cancer MortalityCross-Check | June 8 2015
News From Our Partners
Certain Heartburn Drugs Linked to IncreasedRisk of Heart Attack
MERS Viruss Ability to Jump from Animals toHumans Puzzles Scientists
Apple Challenges Spotify with Streaming MusicService
NASA Pinpoints Earths Future Hotspots
We Create Chemistrysponsored by BASF
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Science Jobs of the Week
Medical Oncologist amp Clinical Investigator in CancerImmunotherapyInstitut Curie
Professor In StatisticsUniversity of the Western Cape
Postdoctoral Position In Biomolecular NMRInstitute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona)
More jobs from Naturejobscom raquo
Recommended For You
1 These tiny scorpions would like to perform an important inspection ofyour old book collection 9 months ago blogsscientificamericancomScientificAmericancom book scorpions
2 Blue Zones What the LongestshyLived People Eat (Hint Itrsquos Not SteakDinners) 2 months ago blogsscientificamericancom ScientificAmericancom
3 Anomalous Events That Can Shake Onersquos Skepticism to the Core 8months ago scientificamericancom ScientificAmericancom Mind amp Brain
CommentsOldest shy Newest
June 3 2014 807 AMMindAfterMath
In general I agree with this but I found that over time taking notes with a laptop is much morebeneficial In particular in grad school (mathematics) we went into more detail on a lot of thesubjects that were covered in undergrad but having those notes in a saved place that I could referto later helped me to be able to go back (instead of having to go through a library of journals fromold notes probably written in pencil)
Also when my notes are written on laptop I have a much bigger chance of doing things like sharingthem or doing more advanced things about them like trying to make QA flash cards or other typeof programs
I will say though that I think taking notes is extremely more beneficial than a professor passingout a lecture notes overview as an excuse to move faster in the class
Report as Abuse | Link to This
June 3 2014 924 AMmpopcorn
what taking notes on a laptop with a digital or active pen
Report as Abuse | Link to This
June 3 2014 939 AMjtdwyer
In short succinctly restating discussion points provides for better comprehension and retention ofthe information presented This approach is most naturally followed when taking handshywrittennotes rather than typed notes
In my own experience I have always found it useful to restate complex information presented inmeeting to verify that it has been properly understood Also I often took some rough notes duringmeetings to facilitate comprehension although I very rarely referred to them later shy and foundthem difficult to decipher when I did
The laptop issue is likely superfluous shy if analytical listening techniques are properly used
I suspect that handwritten notes taken in shorthand would produce similar results to typeshywrittennotes
Report as Abuse | Link to This
June 3 2014 958 AMWillRoun
When I did my MBA i would record the lectures and then found that I didnt have time to re listento them Copying the blackboard points and making summaries worked best
Report as Abuse | Link to This
June 3 2014 102 PMamaryrose
More Comments
You must sign in or register as a ScientificAmericancom member to submit a comment
Ive always preferred longhand to typing notes specifically for the summarizingsynthesizingquality (unconsciously until very recently) I would find my notes very fast and loose withinformation after the face (essentially they were close to useless to studying after the fact) but thebest way to secure the information at the point of entry
There is a situation I DO wonder about shy when youre in a lecture youre incapable of summarizingyoure pretty much guaranteed going to have to learn the material again on your own ve triedverbatim copying but it really isnt possible with longhand unless you ask the lecturer to stopUsually in these situations Ive stopped taking notes since it becomes impossible to summarizeand impossible to copy verbatim I wonder how typedshynotes would fair across the board if point ofinformation entry familiarity (if that makes sense) could be accounted for
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June 3 2014 116 PMSnicker-Snack
I used to take notes on a Newton Personal Digital Assistant which involved handwriting with astylus on an LCD the Newton being able to recognize handwriting and convert into digital text as ifI had typed it on a keyboard I would think that medium would involve the same types of cognitiveprocessing as paper and pencil
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June 3 2014 329 PMplswinford
1 Did differentlyshycapable students take different types of notes
2 If a student was handed pseudoshynotes at the beginning of the lecture would the student be ableto develop a better mentalshymap of the material throughout the lecture
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June 3 2014 612 PMWayne Williamson
Darn I was going to suggest WillRoun idea to record It still seems to me that if you have a tabletrecording both the sight and sound with you making comments(notes) along side that it would beuseful for review as well as studying for tests and exams
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June 3 2014 1130 PMmamift1
This makes sense in a way Handwriting is an ability that emerged over many generations and overtime has evolved specific neural pathways in the brain And since the invention of the book for thelongest time in human history handwriting was the only way to pass information from generationto generation Most likely whatever neural pathways that are engaged with handwriting also bywhatever yet unknown mechanism also enhance learning
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June 4 2014 403 AMdenizozut
Great work and great summary of it Taking not by hands is learners attitude taking note by laptopor similar device is a postponers attitude in general of course That is what I think It worries menot to be able to use the hand notes later compared to laptop notes but going over much shorterhand written notes to write them down on laptop for future reference is the way to go Of coursefor tedious work or tedious job meetings where writing down some information is crucial and alsofor later reference laptop and apps become useful Thanks again for the article and comments
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June 3 2014 807 AMMindAfterMath
In general I agree with this but I found that over time taking notes with a laptop is much morebeneficial In particular in grad school (mathematics) we went into more detail on a lot of thesubjects that were covered in undergrad but having those notes in a saved place that I could referto later helped me to be able to go back (instead of having to go through a library of journals fromold notes probably written in pencil)
Also when my notes are written on laptop I have a much bigger chance of doing things like sharingthem or doing more advanced things about them like trying to make QA flash cards or other typeof programs
I will say though that I think taking notes is extremely more beneficial than a professor passingout a lecture notes overview as an excuse to move faster in the class
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June 3 2014 924 AMmpopcorn
what taking notes on a laptop with a digital or active pen
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June 3 2014 939 AMjtdwyer
In short succinctly restating discussion points provides for better comprehension and retention ofthe information presented This approach is most naturally followed when taking handshywrittennotes rather than typed notes
In my own experience I have always found it useful to restate complex information presented inmeeting to verify that it has been properly understood Also I often took some rough notes duringmeetings to facilitate comprehension although I very rarely referred to them later shy and foundthem difficult to decipher when I did
The laptop issue is likely superfluous shy if analytical listening techniques are properly used
I suspect that handwritten notes taken in shorthand would produce similar results to typeshywrittennotes
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June 3 2014 958 AMWillRoun
When I did my MBA i would record the lectures and then found that I didnt have time to re listento them Copying the blackboard points and making summaries worked best
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June 3 2014 102 PMamaryrose
More Comments
You must sign in or register as a ScientificAmericancom member to submit a comment
Ive always preferred longhand to typing notes specifically for the summarizingsynthesizingquality (unconsciously until very recently) I would find my notes very fast and loose withinformation after the face (essentially they were close to useless to studying after the fact) but thebest way to secure the information at the point of entry
There is a situation I DO wonder about shy when youre in a lecture youre incapable of summarizingyoure pretty much guaranteed going to have to learn the material again on your own ve triedverbatim copying but it really isnt possible with longhand unless you ask the lecturer to stopUsually in these situations Ive stopped taking notes since it becomes impossible to summarizeand impossible to copy verbatim I wonder how typedshynotes would fair across the board if point ofinformation entry familiarity (if that makes sense) could be accounted for
Report as Abuse | Link to This
June 3 2014 116 PMSnicker-Snack
I used to take notes on a Newton Personal Digital Assistant which involved handwriting with astylus on an LCD the Newton being able to recognize handwriting and convert into digital text as ifI had typed it on a keyboard I would think that medium would involve the same types of cognitiveprocessing as paper and pencil
Report as Abuse | Link to This
June 3 2014 329 PMplswinford
1 Did differentlyshycapable students take different types of notes
2 If a student was handed pseudoshynotes at the beginning of the lecture would the student be ableto develop a better mentalshymap of the material throughout the lecture
Report as Abuse | Link to This
June 3 2014 612 PMWayne Williamson
Darn I was going to suggest WillRoun idea to record It still seems to me that if you have a tabletrecording both the sight and sound with you making comments(notes) along side that it would beuseful for review as well as studying for tests and exams
Report as Abuse | Link to This
June 3 2014 1130 PMmamift1
This makes sense in a way Handwriting is an ability that emerged over many generations and overtime has evolved specific neural pathways in the brain And since the invention of the book for thelongest time in human history handwriting was the only way to pass information from generationto generation Most likely whatever neural pathways that are engaged with handwriting also bywhatever yet unknown mechanism also enhance learning
Report as Abuse | Link to This
June 4 2014 403 AMdenizozut
Great work and great summary of it Taking not by hands is learners attitude taking note by laptopor similar device is a postponers attitude in general of course That is what I think It worries menot to be able to use the hand notes later compared to laptop notes but going over much shorterhand written notes to write them down on laptop for future reference is the way to go Of coursefor tedious work or tedious job meetings where writing down some information is crucial and alsofor later reference laptop and apps become useful Thanks again for the article and comments
Report as Abuse | Link to This
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More Comments
You must sign in or register as a ScientificAmericancom member to submit a comment
Ive always preferred longhand to typing notes specifically for the summarizingsynthesizingquality (unconsciously until very recently) I would find my notes very fast and loose withinformation after the face (essentially they were close to useless to studying after the fact) but thebest way to secure the information at the point of entry
There is a situation I DO wonder about shy when youre in a lecture youre incapable of summarizingyoure pretty much guaranteed going to have to learn the material again on your own ve triedverbatim copying but it really isnt possible with longhand unless you ask the lecturer to stopUsually in these situations Ive stopped taking notes since it becomes impossible to summarizeand impossible to copy verbatim I wonder how typedshynotes would fair across the board if point ofinformation entry familiarity (if that makes sense) could be accounted for
Report as Abuse | Link to This
June 3 2014 116 PMSnicker-Snack
I used to take notes on a Newton Personal Digital Assistant which involved handwriting with astylus on an LCD the Newton being able to recognize handwriting and convert into digital text as ifI had typed it on a keyboard I would think that medium would involve the same types of cognitiveprocessing as paper and pencil
Report as Abuse | Link to This
June 3 2014 329 PMplswinford
1 Did differentlyshycapable students take different types of notes
2 If a student was handed pseudoshynotes at the beginning of the lecture would the student be ableto develop a better mentalshymap of the material throughout the lecture
Report as Abuse | Link to This
June 3 2014 612 PMWayne Williamson
Darn I was going to suggest WillRoun idea to record It still seems to me that if you have a tabletrecording both the sight and sound with you making comments(notes) along side that it would beuseful for review as well as studying for tests and exams
Report as Abuse | Link to This
June 3 2014 1130 PMmamift1
This makes sense in a way Handwriting is an ability that emerged over many generations and overtime has evolved specific neural pathways in the brain And since the invention of the book for thelongest time in human history handwriting was the only way to pass information from generationto generation Most likely whatever neural pathways that are engaged with handwriting also bywhatever yet unknown mechanism also enhance learning
Report as Abuse | Link to This
June 4 2014 403 AMdenizozut
Great work and great summary of it Taking not by hands is learners attitude taking note by laptopor similar device is a postponers attitude in general of course That is what I think It worries menot to be able to use the hand notes later compared to laptop notes but going over much shorterhand written notes to write them down on laptop for future reference is the way to go Of coursefor tedious work or tedious job meetings where writing down some information is crucial and alsofor later reference laptop and apps become useful Thanks again for the article and comments
Report as Abuse | Link to This
YES Send me a free issue of Scientific
American with no obligation to continue
the subscription If I like it I will be billed
for the one-year subscription
Advertise
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SA Custom Media andPartnerships
Science Jobs
Partner Network
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Subscribe
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copy 2015 Scientific American a Division of Nature America Inc
All Rights Reserved
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YES Send me a free issue of Scientific
American with no obligation to continue
the subscription If I like it I will be billed
for the one-year subscription
Advertise
Special Ad Sections
SA Custom Media andPartnerships
Science Jobs
Partner Network
International Editions
Travel
Use of Cookies
About Scientific American
Press Room
Site Map
Terms of Use
Privacy Policy
Contact Us
Subscribe
Renew Your Print Subscription
Print Subscriber CustomerService
Buy Back Issues
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copy 2015 Scientific American a Division of Nature America Inc
All Rights Reserved
Subscribe Now