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Ask HN: Why are students taking handwritten notes? Typing is much more efficient

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Re: Ask HN: Why are students taking handwritten notes? Typing is much more efficient

#3
post #2

Many claim that writing notes by hand helps in retention of the material.

I was going to say the same. If I really want to learn and understand something, I write it out. Typing doesn't have the same retention benefit.

Re: Ask HN: Why are students taking handwritten notes? Typing is much more efficient

#4
- Fewer distractions from other things on the computer

- digital becomes harder if you want to sketch things or write formulas (some friends in uni could type LaTeX as as fast as the lecturer could write on the blackboard, I certainly couldn't)

Re: Ask HN: Why are students taking handwritten notes? Typing is much more efficient

#7
During my physics undergraduate, it was for two primary reasons

1) Writing is more efficient when taking notes in real-time for maths notation

2) Better rentention of knowledge from the act of writing vs typing

Now as I teach, more students use tablets to take notes. But they're still writing, not typing

Re: Ask HN: Why are students taking handwritten notes? Typing is much more efficient

#8
I disagree and am not sure what you mean by "efficient". I have never liked typing notes, be it in school or at work. Handwriting flows much better for me and I also find reading through notes, or just finding them, on paper easier.

I still usually show up at meetings with only a notebook and a pen... (added bonus: no-one asks me to connect to Teams/whatnot because they have a problem)

Re: Ask HN: Why are students taking handwritten notes? Typing is much more efficient

#9
post #4

- Fewer distractions from other things on the computer - digital becomes harder if you want to sketch things or write formulas (some friends in uni could type LaTeX as as fast as the lecturer could write on the blackboard, I certainly couldn't)

And even if you type the LaTeX perfectly, when the lecturer draws something around some terms or an arrow or some other doodle, now you'd better be quick with your TikZ too! Even more so in something like engineering where you have to draw all sorts of diagrams, sometimes all mashed up together.
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