Photo credit: Dongju Lee, The Voice staff writer
In the era of digitalization, many students in Mason Korea have shown a stronger preference to study with notes on PDF copies that they can read from their laptops. On the contrary, some professors tend to insist on writing handwritten notes in the classroom. Every semester, debates regarding this issue have increased, as some students strongly think that writing electronic notes on their tablets can be convenient while others think that handwritten notes are more effective while studying. The Voice interviewed professors and students on their perspectives about studying with digital or handwritten notes.
To begin with, students commonly think that E-books have many benefits since only a single sheet of paper on a laptop can replace hundreds of physical pages. Also, they claim that files can be easily modified and shared with others anywhere. “Typing notes is better because it is far faster than handwriting. If typing is uncomfortable when generating tables and graphs, you can simply use tablets since typing and handwriting are both available.” (Seongjun Park, Global Affairs 26’) Additionally, Yoojin Kye, a freshman studying Global Affairs, said “paper is vulnerable to water and heat, which is another disadvantage of handwritten notes.”
Yet, both students sometimes prefer hard copies and handwriting. One uses printed textbooks when the course is important for them, such as major subjects, and another one likes to handwrite notes since they believe it is more effective. Jeonghwan Seo, a sophomore student, prefers reading a physical copy because when reading e-books, it is harder to focus due to alarms and media, such as YouTube and Instagram.
Not surprisingly, it is not only a student issue. Professor Gyu Tag Lee, a professor at George Mason University Korea, also expressed great difficulty in concentrating on his work when working on the computer. He mentions, “I don’t allow to use laptops for the class based on my experience. We are [the] same.” Also mentioned, “if laptops are allowed, you will search for the answer on Google during class discussion. Then, you can’t practice the way to think.” He made clear why he prohibited his students from using laptops when taking open book exams: security. He was once a student too, so he can put himself in his students’ shoes.
Finally, Dr. Lee gave students advice, “you do not need to write down what you already know or understand; you should leave marks on important sentences, paragraphs, or pages in any way, such as indexing or setting up reference lists.” This is an advice that everyone can learn to adapt to.
So far, we have compared methods of learning. Each one has its advantages and disadvantages. There is no clear answer which is better. It depends on you. Depending on learning practices and whichever way your brain can absorb the most information, you should find the method that works best for you. The way to learn is just technique and practice, but what is essential is attitude.
Written by Dongju Lee |Staff Writer
Revised by Madison Sailakkham |Managing Editor
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