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Ask: Do you still find any benefits in using handwriting?

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Re: Ask: Do you still find any benefits in using handwriting?

#41

Post by wylee »

piqufoh wrote: post #25

Meetings! I always make sure I have a pen/pencil and notebook/piece of paper when I show up for an in-person meeting. Maybe it's just me, but if I'm trying to explain an idea to someone and they're busy tapping away at their keyboard it really bugs me. Are they making notes on what I'm saying? Or are they checking in on HN? Ditto for the rare occasion when I'm in a dull meeting with a laptop - it's really difficult f…

Agreed. I can't pay proper attention when I type notes on a laptop during meetings. And it would seem that other people can't either. I scribble notes on a notepad and then transcribe them after or create tickets from them.

I've noticed that people often get caught up editing and formatting while typing (especially when the screen is shared), whereas with notes, people don't worry so much about that, so it's easier to stay focused.

Re: Ask: Do you still find any benefits in using handwriting?

#42

Post by mmorris »

Like others have mentioned, I still do handwriting in a notebook, mainly because it's easier to sketch a diagram with a pen and paper than it is to do it digitally.

Pros of handwriting/pen+paper:

    - Extremely high "resolution" (can fit a lot of information in a small space)
    - Flexibility
    - Direct input: tools rarely "get in the way"
Cons of handwriting/pen + paper:

    - Editing is cumbersome
    - Storage/retrieval is annoying (no search!)
    - Sharing/collaboration is not as good as digital
I'm still dreaming of something like the Microsoft Courier Concept [0]. We've gotten a lot closer since the concept came out (e.g., the MS Surface), but I think we're still not quite at the point where a digital notebook can feel just like paper + pen.

[0]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UmIgNfp-MdI

Re: Ask: Do you still find any benefits in using handwriting?

#43

Post by sporkenfang »

For anything important, I take notes and draw by hand, and I don't print (never learned how to, due to a slightly unusual upbringing, and all previous attempts to learn have ended with a mash of cursive and unjoined lettering since I'm so damned slow at printing), I write in cursive. No tablet, as of yet, has been able to replicate the feel of pencil on paper in a pleasing fashion; nor (and this is the important part) can a filesystem replicate flipping through a notebook of engineering grid paper to get to the topic I want.

Also, despite ~20 years of typing practice, for coding and other reasons, my handwriting is still an order of magnitude faster than my typing (I can see how people who only print would have slower handwriting, though, certainly). I don't use shorthand or anything, just if I want to get my thoughts down fast and accompany them with a sketch and/or reference them later, they must be handwritten.

I'd never code on paper, however; that's a terrifying thought. I definitely take notes and whatnot if needed on paper or on a whiteboard while coding in a text editor, though.

Re: Ask: Do you still find any benefits in using handwriting?

#44

Post by kbutler »

mindcrime wrote: post #36
twothamendment wrote: post #32

Handwriting can have huge benefits. The NSA can't read it the instant you write it - in fact I don't think anyone can read mine except for me. I don't even need an key or passphrase to protect it.

in fact I don't think anyone can read mine except for me. I have an even better setup - nobody can read my handwriting, including me. So it's literally Write Only Memory. Not sure what the applications for this are though...

Often taking notes increases recall and understanding, rather than the value of simply having the notes. So the value is in the process of writing, rather than the written end product.

Re: Ask: Do you still find any benefits in using handwriting?

#45

Post by tboyd47 »

The main benefit to me is accessibility. I have a notepad I like to keep with me, so I can take and review my notes no matter where I am without lugging my computer around and fumbling with the power cord.

Writing things by hand is just generally more pleasant too. There's no pain involved with writing, while I've never found a setup for typing on a computer that doesn't cause some level of wrist or shoulder pain.

Re: Ask: Do you still find any benefits in using handwriting?

#46

Post by furyofantares »

If I'm trying to pay attention to something I'll use a notepad to jot down a tiny note about whatever happens to pop into my head so I can get back to paying attention without my wandering thoughts distracting me. People probably expect I'm writing down something related to the conversation/meeting but often it is unrelated, it's just a trick to keep my mind from exploring while I want to stay focused -- I often don't look at what I wrote down afterwards. I learned this trick from a therapist.

I also journal, but the benefit of handwriting there is the opposite of what you've described -- I think harder when typing because I exercise the ability to edit, which is counterproductive to my goals when journaling. I journal to gain an understanding of what's happening in my head, not to produce a work of lasting value, so just writing down what comes to mind instead of spending a bunch of effort trying to perfect my thoughts does a better job of capturing this.

Finally, I also use a notepad when trying to think through a particularly sticky problem. The free form nature is liberating and being able to be physically separated from a computer is useful in cases where I badly want to dive right into implementing the solution but need some space to make sure I fully understand the problem first.

Re: Ask: Do you still find any benefits in using handwriting?

#47

Post by loteck »

One strange benefit I have found for note taking on paper has nothing to do with technology or memory or privacy.

I have noticed that when I am discussing a project or issue with someone and I take notes about what they are saying, they feel notably more confident and happy with me, going so far as to report to my superiors how they appreciate that I'm doing it.

While I may or may not ever refer back to the notes I take, it clearly imbues the benefit of making the other party feel important. That's very useful to me.

We only get push-back on having laptops up during meetings; there seems to be a perception that it is distracting to the meeting. However, there are times when taking typed notes is superior to hand-writing (and vice-versa), researchers suspect. [0]

[0] http://www.fastcompany.com/3044907/work-smart/how-typing-is-...

Re: Ask: Do you still find any benefits in using handwriting?

#49

Post by PeterisP »

todd8 wrote: post #35

I've taken notes in many math, engineering, and computer science classes, and after that I've attended many design meetings, schedule meetings, and brain storming sessions. In these settings typing doesn't work well and there is a distinct advantage in having good diagramming and math notation skills. I find typing better for prose and prefer to program in a text editor. I've had this discussion several times with th…

Well, if low resolution touch screens are inappropriate for taking math notes past simple fractions, then surely that simply asks for a high resolution touch screens used with a stylus and some system that can convert my equation-like scribbles into proper LaTeX ?

I mean, the main point of digitized writing is not that it's easier and faster - sometimes it is, sometimes it isn't - but that in general you would need the end result to be in a proper, neat format that is useful for distribution, searching, analysis and automatical conversion for various needs; handwriting or pictures of handwriting can be useful for that only if/when it helps you to get to the final formatted non-handwriting end result faster than a keyboard and a mouse does.

Re: Ask: Do you still find any benefits in using handwriting?

#50

Post by n0us »

todd8 wrote: post #35

I've taken notes in many math, engineering, and computer science classes, and after that I've attended many design meetings, schedule meetings, and brain storming sessions. In these settings typing doesn't work well and there is a distinct advantage in having good diagramming and math notation skills. I find typing better for prose and prefer to program in a text editor. I've had this discussion several times with th…

I was the head tour guide at my boarding school and a question that came up with almost every single parent was "where are the smart boards?" They (falsly) assumed that adding technology to the learning experience in every possible place is a good thing. For one, the boards are very expensive and two, for something like an English class they add next to nothing. The only place I saw them being valuable was in the science classrooms but even then there was little if no advantage over using a projector and a whiteboard. Over use of tech can be distracting for the teachers as well, they had a pilot system of using tablet computers in conjunction with projectors in my Calc class and the professor just geeked out over all the colors he could show notes in and all the stuff he could do with it but it really distracted from the actual math. In college many of my classes forbade the use of laptops or highly discouraged it because a few students always just end up surfing Facebook which is distracting to everyone in the room. I found I always retained the information better when I took notes by hand.
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