Academic Problems and Skills

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Handwritten notes require more thought than typed computer notes.

You cannot write as fast as you type, forcing you to process and summarize information more effectively.

Handwriting engages more senses, i.e., visual, motor, touch, and thought, than typing.

Handwriting notes is an important mental and physical therapy for aging.

Taking notes using keyboards instead of longhand has become common practice. However, while using a keyboard is fast and easy, learning psychology research suggests that laptop note taking is less effective for dexterity and memory than longhand note taking. Note taking by hand is also important because it has lifetime benefits for aging as well as for study and performance results. Note taking by hand vs. using keyboards is a worthy area of study for long term benefit.

In examining the differences, I found a number of studies (see references below) concluding that students who took notes on laptops performed worse on conceptual questions than students who took notes longhand.

Keyboard note takers tend to transcribe lectures and other........

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