I remember growing up and having adults all around me say “That thing is going to rot your brain,” in reference to some piece of technology, whether it be an iPod, laptop, or other personal device. Sometimes I look back and chuckle to myself thinking about this, and how technology has become such a commonplace in today’s classrooms. In today’s lecture hall technology is used everywhere from projecting the lesson at the front of the room, taking notes, doing assignments, and so much more.
However, with the presence of technology in the classroom ever rising, there has been large debate in the academic community whether or not technology belongs in the classroom. Many professors have begun to ban technology in their classrooms, having the belief that technology during class time is more disruptive than beneficial to students learning, although others still remain conflicted in this debate. In 2014, Richard Patterson and Robert Patterson surveyed 90 professors and found that forty-two percent of professors believed laptops decreased participation, while fifty-seven percent see laptops as a tool to enhance learning (Carter, Greenberg & Walker 2017). So now that we know professors are almost evenly split between these two sides, the question is why? What factors make digital note taking more beneficial, and what factors make longhand note taking more effective? Let’s discuss some previous research to find out!
Those in this debate that are on the side of laptops in the classroom seem to all be in agreement that laptops can offer various learning opportunities to enhance learning (Spallek & Von Bergmann, 2014). If you were to ask a student why they believe note taking via laptop is better, one answer you may receive is speed. It is much easier and faster to type out notes during a lecture than it is to write notes longhand. Research has shown that since laptop note takes are able to type notes so quickly, often their lecture notes are verbatim from what the professor has said rather than interpretive which has both its pros and cons (Stephens, 2017). In a study conducted by Kay and Lauricella, one of the benefits of digital note taking discussed was improved organization for students. By taking notes digitally, it is easier for students to keep related thoughts and ideas organized with the click of a button (2011).
The other side of this debate stands to argue that the use of laptops in classrooms can be disruptive for many reasons. The biggest argument on this side is that technology can be just flat out distracting. I think this is something we (students) can all admit to doing, or can at least say that we have seen someone else start surfing the web during a lecture. Additionally, there has been some research shown to back up claims that ditching your computer and picking up a pencil during lectures may be more beneficial for students. Researchers at Princeton University and the University of California found that students who wrote their notes longhand showed better encoding of information leading to better performance on tests compared to students who typed notes on a computer (Stephens, 2017).
So with this information in mind what do you think? Do you think it is worth taking fast and accurate notes if it means lowering performance of memory processing? Or do you think it’s best to write down the few important points in the lecture over the many and have better recall on these shortened notes? Comment your opinions down below!
References:
Carter, S. P., Greenberg, K., & Walker, S. M. (2017). Should professors ban laptops? How classroom computer use affects student learning. Education Next, 17(4), 68+.
Kay, R. & Lauricella, S. (2011). Exploring the benefits and challenges of using laptop computers in higher education classrooms: a formative analysis. Canadian Journal of Learning and Technology, 37(1), 1499-6677.
Spallek, H. & von Bergmann, H. (2014). Should laptops be allowed in the classroom? Two viewpoints. Journal of Dental Education, 78(12), 1580-1588.
Stephans, A. (2017). The benefits of hand-written versus digital notetaking in college lectures. Lexia: Undergraduate Journal in Writing, Rhetoric & Technical Communciation, 5.