It is now common to see many students bring their laptops or tablets to boring classes, in the name of taking notes. But to some, using your laptop to take notes is more appropriate than carrying around papers and tattered books. A laptop can help you organize all your notes and categorize them by each unit and is easy to store even after you have passed the class.
Technology these days has made things so much easier for students that there is no reason not to have notes from your classes on soft copy. In fact, it is easier to read through your notes when they are in slides. The content can be compressed and it only gives you the necessary points. Plus it is easier to add additional notes and share your notes with your study group. This is perfect for last minute reading but it may not increase the depth of knowledge you might amass as a result of the reading sessions.
But for most students, writing class notes on notebooks is the norm and is the tradition. It is faster especially for students who can’t type fast. It has been proven that writing your notes increases your memory, which of course is very important when exam time rolls up and all you can remember is what you wrote in class. So if you are a tactile learner, your best bet on doing well in your exams is to write your notes.
Your power to retain the information you have written is further enhanced if you write notes in your own words instead of reproducing the lecturer’s notes word for word. This is because it allows you to put it in words you are more likely to remember and understand.
Why not do both?
There are definitely some classes that are better suited for handwritten notes while others are better approached with a different strategy like using a laptop or tablet. But it is also important to know what type of learner you are. This will improve how efficient you are in class and consequently affect time spent during your study sessions.
You can find out more about your learning style by taking a quiz by following this link:
http://www.brainboxx.co.uk/a3_aspects/pages/vak_quest.htm