Pen or keyboard? Whether you prefer to carefully craft handwritten notes or clack away at the keyboard of your laptop, there’s an answer to this age-old debate.
The most convenient way to take notes is electronically. Here are 4 reasons why you should take digital notes instead of paper notes.
1. Better Organization
When you take notes on your device, you have the ability to create the perfect organization system for your specific needs. You can place documents into color-coded folders, customize names for each folder, and alphabetize your completed works. Even if you are not savvy with structuring a perfect folder system, having digital notes prevents you from having a mess of papers and notebooks cluttering your space.
2. Efficient Note-taking
It can be difficult to follow along with professors that teach at a fast pace, and taking handwritten notes can make this challenge even greater. The average adult types at 40 words per minute, and writes by hand at a rate of 13 words per minute. Since it’s so time-consuming to take handwritten notes, digital notes are the best way for the busy student to keep track of lecture notes.
3. Easier Sharing
When you share a physical copy of paper notes with a peer or professor, there’s a chance that they might lose it. Taking digital notes makes it much easier to share your work with others whether you’re turning it in for a grade or you’re helping a classmate. You’ll never lose your original copy unless you permanently delete the material yourself, and you can share class content in seconds without having to make any contact.
4. Eco-Friendly
Approximately 34 billion sheets of paper are used annually in American schools, which is an immensely wasteful number. Most of that paper is discarded at the end of every school year or stored somewhere that it won’t be accessed. Taking notes digitally is a much more eco-friendly option. Less energy and resources are used creating products that will eventually be thrown away, and instead it’s directed toward long-lasting tech.
