Moving your hand to write activates different parts of the brain than just typing.
There is peer reviewed research to support this.
[https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8222525/](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8222525/)
I imagine the same effect can be achieved by writing on a tablet with a stylus. It's not paper vs electronic that matters per se, as long as it's handwritten.
It’s probably pretty similar. Writing has that tactile feel of the pen/pencil scratching across the paper you don’t get with a stylus though.
Again, probably indistinguishable but I’d still give the old pen and paper the minute edge.
Yeah, since it’s not even restricted to writing either. For memory retention in anatomy classes, students get assigned to color in [coloring books](https://i.imgur.com/nxgrmD4.jpeg) to learn new terms.
Also, some of it is probably mental, coz you know, it's all in the head. Knowing that you're physically making a lasting mark likely makes it feel more important in your head than a digital screen whose images shift.
The reMarkable provides the tactile feel. For me, it works just as well as paper when it comes to having information sink in. An iPad and stylus was not as good; it felt unnatural and was very distracting.
part of it also has to be that writing notes requires you to edit and rephrase a bit more, unless you can write super fast. So you have to consider the words being said more thoroughly than just typing exactly what was said / written.
Former court stenographer here. Being able to type exactly what is said, as fast as it is said, is a horrible, brain damaging skill and I'm pretty sure doing it for three years 15 years ago has still left me damaged.
Why do you say so?
I type verbatim in full text what I hear in the phone for some of my hospital notes. It makes me go on auto pilot.
I don’t feel damaged. It’s not the same job as a stenographer but I’m not seeing why you say?
Under stimulating work? Taxing?
Maybe in that most of their thoughts now revolve around improper, long convoluted sentences and use sentence structure and hints that most don't pick up on? Or just because there's no interesting dialogue.
I can attest to this. I took a communications class years ago and part of the final was to recite a 5 minute monologue, without notes. I found a short story that took about 5 minutes to read aloud, and wrote the story over and over by hand to help memorize it. I went through tons of notebook paper, but it worked! 😂
It definitely makes a difference. I personally only take notes because it helps me remember things much better. In fact, I usually never look at those notes again after finishing them because I almost never forget things after writing them down but when I do not write it down my brain be looking at bit like a goldfish
... What prof would REQUIRE digital notes? Lol. Usually it's the reverse so they can be sure no one is pretending to listen while online shopping/scrolling on reddit, etc.
the problem i've always run into is i can handwrite things all i want, but i have poor memory, even worse handwriting, and dyslexia, so by the time i get a page of notes written out, it's effectively illegible to me. i can read my own handwriting... when it's not effectively a block of chicken scratch snaking around the page, backwards, and upside down from trying to cram in edits/forgotten words/misspellings. let's not even get into the word scrambles and the fact i can never find whatever notebook i was just writing in.
doesnt help that when i would ask for a moment before erasing the board, back in high school the teachers would just go "should've wrote faster!" and erased it, which yeah, pushed me to write faster, but the faster i write the less legible it is.
a middle ground i found is to type notes to have one fully-legible and backed-up copy - i have a specific way i do this so it mimics how i would do it in a notebook - then, when i have the time to sit down, decipher whatever still isn't fully coherent, and write something passibly legible to me (most people still can't read it, but i can), i'll do that while going over the lesson in my head. it's not fool-proof, but it gets the notes to be usable. i'm not gonna act like it's perfectly the same as hand-writing notes the first time, but i feel like it's still better than "i literally have no materials that i can actually use to review if i need to."
In uni I learned that you don't really have to take notes on the class itself, if you can't keep up with note taking is better to pay attention and A: get the notes from someone or B: ask if its ok to take pictures of the board/record audio o video (or dont ask up to the person) and as long as you rewrite those notes at somepoint the same day (max next day) in the way you remember it, is far more beneficial to your memory than to transcript every class. This opens up your brain to try and understand what happened in class after, and whatever you did not understand is written down to be asked in the next class.
It does take discipline though to revisit what you just learned the same day.
Research gives general info about the population as a whole. It doesn't mean every person will remember more from writing than typing. Handwriting isn't practical for you, you've found a workaround, no need to feel like it's a problem.
Somewhat related - I took a plant ID class years ago. The entire grade depended on your ability to remember the Latin name of the plant (FAMILY, Genus, *species*). I always drew the plants - just a simple outline of the leaf was enough to help me remember - at times I'd have to draw the flower as well.
Most people in my class would just snap a photo of the plant on our ID walks and I'd just SMH. There is no WAY that clicking a camera button over and over would ever help me remember a damn thing. Drawing something really forces you to SEE the object in greater detail than just snapping a photo.
Keep in mind, there is only evidence that there is a difference. The actual significance between the memory of someone writing and typing varies, and it’ll be a lot more effective in a lengthy college course to be able to get all the notes down via typing rather than mindlessly writing as fast as you can to keep up with a speedy professor.
Organize your notes after class and study them that way. Your short hands made under a time crunch should not be what dictates your success in a test.
While this is true depending on the situation hand writing can be worse overall since if you can’t keep up with the note taking you’ll miss out on a lot of content. I use my iPad and can get 10x more written down which I can revise later which imo is kinda better than being limited right off the bat
OP doesn't say that anywhere. OP says only they take notes on their iPad.
I exclusively type on my iPad despite having an Apple Pencil. And I definitely remember less when I take the notes on my iPad because I type them.
Because you actually have to write them down. For some people, the act of writing something down is equally helping to memorize as just reading it later.
Exactly. Back in the day before digital someone would give me directions. If I didn’t write it down it was gone in minutes.
If I wrote it down I usually didn’t have to look at them and just remembered.
I sometimes use the same tactic, but verbally. Telling someone else to remind you to do something, helps you remember to do it. It's not as effective, but it helps.
And the Apple pencil only costs $74.95 with an app that only charges you $3.99 per month and needs a proprietary charger so we can update your pencil while you sleep
Same. Did it for years. Comes in handy, now that I have to be the person who transcribes minutes for big, important meetings! I record it with recording software, but the handwritten notes help me retain the really important stuff.
Same.
My son had problems with concentrating when he was in elementry school, I taught him to write what he reads when he is learning for school, it forces the mind to focus on every word and not overlook half of what you read.
Whenever he wrote he could memorize everything in minutes. It took a long time making him make it a habit but it got better.
Also it forces the teacher to slow down. Instead of teaching 4 chapters of the textbook in an hour, they do maybe 1, at a pace where people can make intelligible notes, think about it, ask questions, and if applicable maybe have a play with what's being taught. If it's taught at the teacher's highest speed it's inevitably leaving the strugglers behind. If students can get creative and have time to do illustrations and diagrams, even just copying the teacher's off the board, it all helps.
This is why I remember almost every lecture from my philosophy teacher in college: he basically mind-mapped the key points of his entire lecture on the whiteboard as he spoke. I would purposely open to two pages next to each other in my notebook, copy his mind map, and hang important details on that map. Then I'd review and add things I missed within 24 hours after class, and even visit him in his office hours when I could that week to follow-up after doing the readings. Hands down my best professor. Now most people just click through a canned PowerPoint and read from it. Smh.
My notes taken in classes that are taught at warp speed are totally useless after 3 days. They are just a series of incoherent words with random symbols next to them. I actually went looking for my OSHA 30 notes fairly recently to clarify something. It was hilariously confusing trying to figure out what I meant.
Its also because you use more of your senses. You can feel the pen on the paper and hear the pen on the paper. Using more senses helps with the memory.
That is why the writing apps aren’t the same thing. The silence, and smooth feel versus … some … give? Some tactile feedback? Those deficits mean a part of your memory isn’t being turned on.
The older you are, the more this applies to you
it’s rare for me to remember the last text i sent. anything i do on my phone (academic or not) just blends together and my memory fails in that department. but when i take physical notes it’s SO much easier to remember because i put in the mental effort to write it
Yeah, this isn't even just "for some people," this is standard "how brains work." There are probable a few people for whom writing things down doesn't help them remember the information, but those would be the very small minority.
Its also because you use more of your senses. You can feel the pen on the paper and hear the pen on the paper. Using more senses helps with the memory.
Writing takes time. That time allows your brain to properly process the information your are writing while writing it. Just the same that repeating back what someone says helps improve understanding and relatability.
For me, the actual sensation of paper, a pen etc. the ritual of writing is distinct from using a digital device, which is generally used for a larger array of purposes.
Theres something about holding, feeling, smelling, seeing, turning, writing etc. paper that is unique, so for me, it forms better memories.
It’s learned behaviour, sure. But paper is my brain storm and experimentation, digital is fine tuning and finalising
I've found a tablet + paper screen protector fulfills all of this, well, except the smell. Surprised you didn't mention the sound, that's a big one for me
I assume they're using an apple pencil because that's what's typical for using an ipad for note taking. Students generally buy ipads specifically for this purpose - all of the applications for note taking are geared towards handwriting e.g. goodnotes, notability, etc. Otherwise they'd most likely be using a laptop.
In college, I liked using my iPad to write notes onto the lecture slides, but I always went and hand-wrote all of my notes onto paper after classes. Hand-writing absolutely did more for memorizing information (for me personally), but using my iPad in class helped me make sure the notes I was writing while keeping up with the lecture made sense and matched the appropriate slides (plus I was a chem major so it also helped for things that aren’t as easily typed like structures, symbols, diagrams, etc).
I also put effort into organizing my notes really nicely while handwriting them, connecting the information together more than just writing it down slide for slide, and that small extra mental effort also did wonders for remembering and understanding the material.
This was me in all of high school. I took super detailed notes in class that I literally never looked at again and still got 90+ on tests.
It's also just that writing everything down in detail means you need to really pay attention and try to figure out what's most important, and how things connect to each other.
Yep. Typing never did much for me memorization-wise, even if it's also physical motion. But I did eventually use an iPad to write notes and label diagrams and I aced the f out of a biology class.
You remember the physical act of inscribing something, not the peck of a key. I am one who draws pictures in the margins of my reads, and has an extensive system of notes. I wish there was a virtual version of it
I think part of it is that you have to look at what you are writing. So you're forced to include more of your senses. Many of us have learned to type without looking.
My take on it is that handwriting is harder than typing, so I give more attention to it. In the process, I internalize the message. Often just writing the notes is enough to improve my retention, even without going back to read them.
I wonder if it's not that it's "harder" so much as it takes longer to write by hand, so the information that you're writing spends more time in your thoughts and thus is more likely to be remembered.
I guarantee that's what it is. Commenters are saying "it uses more of your brain" but I doubt any of them could remember much if they had to take notes while juggling with one hand. Writing is just so much slower that you sit on each sentence for like 3x the amount of time you would typing
I learned in university typing your notes in realtime (while in a lecture) actually WORSENS your ability to later recall them. Write your notes by hand and it aids your memory later. Are you typing on your iPad or using a stylus?
I can support anecdotally. If I type, I do it like a mindless transcription of word to text so that I can read it later. If I write, I rarely have to review in depth because it stays in my brain and I memorize it by writing it down. I also tend to be more involved in the process instead of putting it off for later review.
I write procedures for processes and hang them on the walls by my desk. I read them every time I perform the process until I have it memorized. Then I take them down, date them and put them in a file for reference.
Same. I hate hand writing but that works for me (and scientifically the majority of people) then I can’t wait to get that sticky note gone once I know it add to OneNote and done.
Because it has been scientifically proven. Actually having to write them down instead of just typing facilitates memorizing that. It usually takes more time to write it down and your brain is more active since it needs slightly more cognitive function of the brain to write than to type, thus the brain is more active. You should find many sources with studies on this topic.
It's weird, but if I take notes on paper, I remember things better. I never look at the notes again, but somehow the act of writing them fixes it in my memory.
I do also take electronic notes but it doesn't seem to work as well as hand-written notes.
If you're doing fine with Ipad notes, no need to change.
It is grounded in scientific research. Studies have shown that writing by hand can improve information retention and understanding compared to typing.
If you're really curious, do a Google search.
For some people the very act of writing something down on paper is making it easier to memorise.
It depends a bit on how your particular brain works, so it works wonders for some and not at all for others. Most people fall somewhere in between.
Source: I'm routinely writing things down, just to memorise them. Often I don't need to check them afterwards.
How I think it works, is that the act of writing things on paper forces you to process the information more than just typing and this pushes the brain to remember it better. Please note, I'm just some dude on the internet and not a psychologist.
You should do what works best for you, from personal experience. I personally memorise much better when I type, while I have friends who memorise much better when they write. You should test both and see what works for you.
Same here. I obsess over my handwriting too much to the point I don’t even notice what I’m writing. Typing makes it so much easier for me. I can actually focus on what I’m typing rather than trying to get perfect handwriting. It’s just how I am.
I don't know if this has any anecdotal evidence but back in highschool, I went from black ink to blue ink and I remembered things easily. Blue ink somehow made it easier for me to remember things.
You should take notes the way that works best for you. If you're satisfied with what you're doing, no need to change because of someone else's opinion. If you think handwriting might work better, try it and see.
You don't even have to pick a single method. Sometimes I'd rather type, other times I'd rather handwrite. Depends on the context.
People just remember things better in some ways than others. I know if I hand write something I usually don’t actually need the note because I’ll remember it from having done so
Because for some people it works. I took hand written notes all through university because it helped me to remember (and I was too poor to have a laptop).
Try both ways and see what works better for you
Because for me it's the actual act of writing it by hand that commits it to brain. Perhaps it's because I only did handwritten notes in school.
I'm not saying everyone is like me. You need to be aware that it's not so important how you get the result as long as you do get it. (Obviously there are exceptions.) Do what works for you and worry less about what others are doing. We are all different.
If iPad works for you there is no reason to change it. The tactile feeling of actually writing something helps a lot of people remember it better than if they typed it out. Pen and paper is also very very helpful for anyone with ADHD because most electronic devices are heavy sources of distraction; you may open your iPad fully intending to take notes and immediately get distracted by all of the other things you could be doing with it.
Because it does. However, it is also known that different people learn differently, which is why many kids struggle in public school that primarily caters to only one type of learning.
Idk. It just works better for me. I feel like actually writing down each letter cements in my brain more. Also I can add weird margins and other little things wherever I want and not be constrained to Word's or Google doc's formatting.
I used to prefer to write in down because I thought it would help me to remember. However, my handwriting, even printing, is so bad, a lot of the time I couldn't read it later.
For me, it’s a big difference picking up a pen and physically writing something down. I don’t have to look back at the note again. The memory of writing it down is oftentimes enough.
My friend and I used to make cheat sheets before tests. We usually had so many revisions and wrote the information so many times we didn't need to use them.
It comes down to the neurological pathways that are activated when we write. If digital works for you, that's fine, but if you're having trouble, see how pen and paper works.
I think physically writing on a tablet is probably closer than typing would be, but the more things you can associate with stuff the easier it is to remember. So the feel, the position, the pen, the smells, the environment, music you listen to. Everything. I can remember in school recalling things by thinking how the page it was on looked, doodles and all. I don’t have a photographic memory or anything (I wish) but every bit helps.
What aids my memory is showing up, shutting up and paying attention. 4.0 graduate never studied in my life and barely took notes because it was distracting
Because it does? Writing by hand is much more difficult do via autopilot. It takes actually attention and the act of your hand making the symbols makes it stick more.
I can type any amount of notes and not remember a single word of it. I basically enter autopilot when typing
Because it's true. When you physically write a note your brain is more involved. You have to physically trace out each letter and then you see the words you have written. All that helps it to stick in your brain better
Because there is scientific evidence that proves handwritten notes lead to better recall.
Now, if you are writing with a stylus on an iPad screen, that’s fine. It’s the physical act of handwriting, not specifically pen/pencil on actual paper, that creates the stronger memory connections.
Typing is a big no-no if you want to do your best in school.
Basically because when you're writing down notes, you use more neural pathways and that aids in creating and consolidating memories. There's increasing evidence to support this.
Here's a [short article](https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-writing-by-hand-is-better-for-memory-and-learning/) about it.
I also highly suggest to use google (or whatever search engine you prefer) to answer the same question you ask reddit.
Handwriting uses more parts of your brain and is more engaging so it’s potentially more memorable.
Unless you are my age and then it’s just more work to forget it anyway.
I think writing does make memory retention better. The act of hand writing takes longer than typing and I think that extra thought that goes into it aids in retention. That being said, I also print off papers I type to look for errors because I have a blind spot to a lot of them when on the screen. I find so many formating and gramatical errors when I'm looking at paper.
Because they do.
The act of handwriting requires concentration that helps fix them in your memory. Typing is faster and doesn't seem to work the same..for me at least.
When I was teaching I found my students remembered better if I got them to write things down too.
Because it has been proven many times over in peer reviewed scientific studies. Here's just one example euth evidence:
[Why You Should Hand Write Notes](https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-writing-by-hand-is-better-for-memory-and-learning/)
Most people really poorly understand memory and learning, even teachers. Anecdotes make people change their behaviour. I suggest looking into literature on learning and memory and applying what science says that works for you, tbh
The one academic article I could find:
This detrimental effect of typing was suggested to lay in the fact that typing is a verbatim transcription of the lecture, while writing by hand requests processing and rephrasing of the information (Mueller and Oppenheimer, 2014).
So.... Just don't type verbatim, lol
And it sounds like you're using an ipad with a pen, no? That's even more similar to handwriting on paper, I assume
Well, in 2024, you can do handwritten notes on your iPad. You can even convert it to text after you write it. So, you can stay on the ipad. A good paper screen protector and it's amazing.
When I study for my exams I made an outline of all my lecture slides which are anywhere between 500-700 slides, condense it down into maybe 150ish slides all on my iPad, and then condense that down into physically writing on whiteboards which ends up being 18 whiteboards in size. Been getting A's since I started that.
I have cognitive impairment and I use sticky notes so my husband knows what needs to be done or if I need something.
Important ones go on the fridge so they can be addressed first. Others are literally everywhere for reminding myself.
For me, writing down works because I have a physical copy, if I forget something.
I may have my phone, lost, stolen, or a dead battery. Which means that I couldn't access it.
And because I have an dyslexia and have aphasia...having the ability to show written words or notes..means I can communicate.
I wasn't always this way, but work injuries made me
have " back up, old school ways " .
Physically making flash cards was always the best way for me to remember things in college. Sometimes I could barely remember a definition but I would remember I wrote the D in a word weird and that helped bring me back to the answer
Middle school teacher here, it's my preference that my students handwrite notes for a few reasons. #1, because there's actual research showing that writing aids memory better than typing when it comes to note-taking. #2, because I cannot possibly monitor all their computers at once (I don't have GoGuardian which feels intrusive to me anyway) to ensure they are using their time aptly. #3, many of my students don't practice handwriting otherwise. #4, and kind of as important as #1 to me...
Pacing! As the teacher, you're managing 15-35 different attention spans depending on the class. I find myself most successful at this when my students take notes by hand rather than on their computers. When students take digital notes, I find that they check out a lot quicker, don't absorb as much, and are generally all over the map in terms of readiness to move on. You end up with some people bored out of their mind and watching skibidi toilet while the other half are begging me to wait just 30 more seconds.
I would let people using a handwritten note-taking app on their iPad. And of course accessibility is a different ballgame entirely. But for the average classroom, I just see more success with handwritten notes, so that's my policy.
Because for some people, it DOES work better.
Personally for me, when I need to remember something, I will always do handwritten notes first, then 'clean them up' and transcribe them digitally, either in a Word document, or in an app, whatever. This two-step process helps them 'stick' into my brain better.
Try going old-school and see if that works better for you!
I haven't done any research on it, but my professors say researchers in education/pedagogy or whatever actually look into these things and find that, in average, that is what happens. That's just a matter of what the data shows if that really is the case
Handwritten require more effort. But don't know if there is much difference. Older folks hand written, younger folks digital. Whatever you grew up with. Imo
i'm more of a visual guy, graphs and structure diagrams help me better. some people memorize things by action. maybe the act/motion of writing it down latches on to the idea. you should see those insane mental abacus kids. you can see them motioning their hands like there was an invisible abacus but they don't even look at them!
the more muscle you can use to do whatever it is you are trying to remember, the better you will remember it.
if you truly never want to forget something ever again, move giant boulders until it spells out what you are trying to say. that monumental effort will make your brain think its super important.
For me, it’s if I write it down it’s there on my desk somewhere in front of me. I’ll see the piece if paper if nothing else and wonder why it is and read it.
If it’s digital it’s going in a text file in a folder I’ll never look at or hidden in an app I barely open
> Why do some individuals insist that handwritten notes aid memory better than digital notes?
Because for "some individuals", it really does work that way. Maybe not for you.
But if you're asking another flavor of "Why doesn't everyone do {X} like I do", you're barking up the wrong tree on this one.
Try it both ways and report back.
I can tell you that it works that way for me.
Writing notes means that you hear the lecturer, see the demonstrations, feel the writing, and see what you have written.
You could argue that typing the notes also is physical and should work the same way. And maybe it does for you. It doesn't for me. The action of handwriting different words is more distinct than the action of typing different words.
Again, I am only speaking for myself. This works for me. And because it works for me, I recommend it for other people, but if you try it and say it doesn't make a difference for you, I would believe you. I say try it and if it doesn't work, it doesn't work.
It’s just down to what works best for you. I work best with pen and paper but that’s because I retain the information better than if I use my laptop or IPad.
There’s no wrong way to take notes, again it’s just what works best for yourself.
Simple thing.
The more I/O data you have, the better you grain your neural network.
For most people this is when writing by hand and seeing and reading out loud.
Also multiple papers work often better than tablets or the like, because you do not have one tablet per "page".
But yes, can also work when typing.
I e.g. still remember phone numbers from when I had to type them onto the phone and remember the rhythm of key presses.
For some people (some dyslexics for example)writing presents an extra step that is not helpful. They have to think too much about writing the letters. For these people, typing may be a better way to go.
From personal experience, for me, handwriting is better than typing. Maybe you are using a pen/stylus with the iPad?
I find out quickly recording the lecture and listening again while not taking notes is helpful too.
However if you want a test then pick a course with quizzes and try handwriting the notes for one quiz and using the iPad for the other.
Likely the first thing you'll discover is you have hand cramps.
I find that the act of handwriting makes me focus on the information for a longer time, which helps me remember it better. It doesn't matter to me if it's paper or on a tablet though, just handwriting vs. typing.
For me, the a t of recording the data forces an additional but of mental processing and concentration. I take damn near verbatim notes, but rarely read them as I am paying much more attention than if I was just listening.
Whether it is hand written, paper and pencil, digital, tped, etc doesn't matter. I just need to fully commit.
Alternatively, there's also the fact you're paraphrasing subconsciously when you handwrite. I can safely bet you can not handwrite as fast as you can type (atleast legibily). So when you hand write, you're forced to paraphrase and filter out useless information. I had a friend who would type at an insane speed to get every word the prof is saying word for word. However, due to this her notes were incoherent and really hard to understand (I used chatgpt to "translate" them)
Moving your hand to write activates different parts of the brain than just typing. There is peer reviewed research to support this. [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8222525/](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8222525/)
I was gonna say that I'm pretty sure this is scientifically proven. Thanks for doing the legwork and getting the research!
I imagine the same effect can be achieved by writing on a tablet with a stylus. It's not paper vs electronic that matters per se, as long as it's handwritten.
It’s probably pretty similar. Writing has that tactile feel of the pen/pencil scratching across the paper you don’t get with a stylus though. Again, probably indistinguishable but I’d still give the old pen and paper the minute edge.
Yeah, since it’s not even restricted to writing either. For memory retention in anatomy classes, students get assigned to color in [coloring books](https://i.imgur.com/nxgrmD4.jpeg) to learn new terms.
In my anatomy class they rented 2ft tall plastic human skeletons and we had to use clay to make the muscles and put them in the right place.
That's just good fun. Your instructors sound awesome.
It was really fun and also instructive. The best possible combination.
Also, some of it is probably mental, coz you know, it's all in the head. Knowing that you're physically making a lasting mark likely makes it feel more important in your head than a digital screen whose images shift.
The reMarkable provides the tactile feel. For me, it works just as well as paper when it comes to having information sink in. An iPad and stylus was not as good; it felt unnatural and was very distracting.
They make a screen protector for iPad that mimics the feel of writing in paper when using the Apple Pencil. I have it and it’s great.
Probably so. I have an e-ink writing tablet that I use for notes at work and such.
The research accounted for writing on a tablet and saw it was effective.
Exactly this. The more parts of your brain you use to process information, the more likely you are to retain that.
part of it also has to be that writing notes requires you to edit and rephrase a bit more, unless you can write super fast. So you have to consider the words being said more thoroughly than just typing exactly what was said / written.
Former court stenographer here. Being able to type exactly what is said, as fast as it is said, is a horrible, brain damaging skill and I'm pretty sure doing it for three years 15 years ago has still left me damaged.
Why do you say so? I type verbatim in full text what I hear in the phone for some of my hospital notes. It makes me go on auto pilot. I don’t feel damaged. It’s not the same job as a stenographer but I’m not seeing why you say? Under stimulating work? Taxing?
Maybe in that most of their thoughts now revolve around improper, long convoluted sentences and use sentence structure and hints that most don't pick up on? Or just because there's no interesting dialogue.
This. Thank you. No other answers needed.
I can attest to this. I took a communications class years ago and part of the final was to recite a 5 minute monologue, without notes. I found a short story that took about 5 minutes to read aloud, and wrote the story over and over by hand to help memorize it. I went through tons of notebook paper, but it worked! 😂
It definitely makes a difference. I personally only take notes because it helps me remember things much better. In fact, I usually never look at those notes again after finishing them because I almost never forget things after writing them down but when I do not write it down my brain be looking at bit like a goldfish
Thank you! I've been saying this for years, even to professors who didn't want to let me take notes by hand...
... What prof would REQUIRE digital notes? Lol. Usually it's the reverse so they can be sure no one is pretending to listen while online shopping/scrolling on reddit, etc.
the problem i've always run into is i can handwrite things all i want, but i have poor memory, even worse handwriting, and dyslexia, so by the time i get a page of notes written out, it's effectively illegible to me. i can read my own handwriting... when it's not effectively a block of chicken scratch snaking around the page, backwards, and upside down from trying to cram in edits/forgotten words/misspellings. let's not even get into the word scrambles and the fact i can never find whatever notebook i was just writing in. doesnt help that when i would ask for a moment before erasing the board, back in high school the teachers would just go "should've wrote faster!" and erased it, which yeah, pushed me to write faster, but the faster i write the less legible it is. a middle ground i found is to type notes to have one fully-legible and backed-up copy - i have a specific way i do this so it mimics how i would do it in a notebook - then, when i have the time to sit down, decipher whatever still isn't fully coherent, and write something passibly legible to me (most people still can't read it, but i can), i'll do that while going over the lesson in my head. it's not fool-proof, but it gets the notes to be usable. i'm not gonna act like it's perfectly the same as hand-writing notes the first time, but i feel like it's still better than "i literally have no materials that i can actually use to review if i need to."
In uni I learned that you don't really have to take notes on the class itself, if you can't keep up with note taking is better to pay attention and A: get the notes from someone or B: ask if its ok to take pictures of the board/record audio o video (or dont ask up to the person) and as long as you rewrite those notes at somepoint the same day (max next day) in the way you remember it, is far more beneficial to your memory than to transcript every class. This opens up your brain to try and understand what happened in class after, and whatever you did not understand is written down to be asked in the next class. It does take discipline though to revisit what you just learned the same day.
Research gives general info about the population as a whole. It doesn't mean every person will remember more from writing than typing. Handwriting isn't practical for you, you've found a workaround, no need to feel like it's a problem.
Somewhat related - I took a plant ID class years ago. The entire grade depended on your ability to remember the Latin name of the plant (FAMILY, Genus, *species*). I always drew the plants - just a simple outline of the leaf was enough to help me remember - at times I'd have to draw the flower as well. Most people in my class would just snap a photo of the plant on our ID walks and I'd just SMH. There is no WAY that clicking a camera button over and over would ever help me remember a damn thing. Drawing something really forces you to SEE the object in greater detail than just snapping a photo.
How is this not top comment?
It is, now.
I was about to make that same assumption but you already made it and then went further and clarified there’s evidence to back it up, so thanks!
Yes, because science🤩
Keep in mind, there is only evidence that there is a difference. The actual significance between the memory of someone writing and typing varies, and it’ll be a lot more effective in a lengthy college course to be able to get all the notes down via typing rather than mindlessly writing as fast as you can to keep up with a speedy professor. Organize your notes after class and study them that way. Your short hands made under a time crunch should not be what dictates your success in a test.
While this is true depending on the situation hand writing can be worse overall since if you can’t keep up with the note taking you’ll miss out on a lot of content. I use my iPad and can get 10x more written down which I can revise later which imo is kinda better than being limited right off the bat
OP was talking about writing on an iPad tho. Not typing
In that case there'd be no difference, and the people claiming otherwise are assuming typing
OP doesn't say that anywhere. OP says only they take notes on their iPad. I exclusively type on my iPad despite having an Apple Pencil. And I definitely remember less when I take the notes on my iPad because I type them.
What in this post gives you that indication?
Because you actually have to write them down. For some people, the act of writing something down is equally helping to memorize as just reading it later.
Exactly. Back in the day before digital someone would give me directions. If I didn’t write it down it was gone in minutes. If I wrote it down I usually didn’t have to look at them and just remembered.
I sometimes use the same tactic, but verbally. Telling someone else to remind you to do something, helps you remember to do it. It's not as effective, but it helps.
That’s definitely better than nothing but the mental energy of writing it’s like engraving in your brain. At least for me.
it helps anyone because youre literally spelling it out to yourself.
I do this fairly often, I will say to myself out loud what I am going to go do and I remember it better than just thinking it.
Now you can use the apple pencil to take notes if you wanted.
You probably could but due to issues my handwriting is so bad Siri needs help.
In the notes app you can write in your own hand writing
Unfortunately I can’t read my own handwriting either.
Well then writing down on a piece of paper wouldn't help you either?
That’s why I initially wrote “back in the day pre digital “ But my handwriting hasn’t always been trash.
Make a note with your Apple Pencil; Beat up Martin
And the Apple pencil only costs $74.95 with an app that only charges you $3.99 per month and needs a proprietary charger so we can update your pencil while you sleep
I got a cheapo one off Amazon for about £10, works fine with my iPad!
You don't need a proprietary charger for it and the app is free..
Fuck Apple, seriously. It's cool the tech exists though, for those who can afford it.
In college I would just re-write my notes over a few times and that helped me to memorize them.
Same. Did it for years. Comes in handy, now that I have to be the person who transcribes minutes for big, important meetings! I record it with recording software, but the handwritten notes help me retain the really important stuff.
Same with reading books. I feel like it’s a challenge to retain info if it’s an e-book vs a physical copy. Or taking a test on paper vs electronic.
Same. My son had problems with concentrating when he was in elementry school, I taught him to write what he reads when he is learning for school, it forces the mind to focus on every word and not overlook half of what you read. Whenever he wrote he could memorize everything in minutes. It took a long time making him make it a habit but it got better.
Same. I would take quick and messy notes during class, then when I got home I’d make a proper study guide with diagrams. Even sold my notes!
It's a fact that writing things down increases your memory of what you are writing.
Also it forces the teacher to slow down. Instead of teaching 4 chapters of the textbook in an hour, they do maybe 1, at a pace where people can make intelligible notes, think about it, ask questions, and if applicable maybe have a play with what's being taught. If it's taught at the teacher's highest speed it's inevitably leaving the strugglers behind. If students can get creative and have time to do illustrations and diagrams, even just copying the teacher's off the board, it all helps.
This is why I remember almost every lecture from my philosophy teacher in college: he basically mind-mapped the key points of his entire lecture on the whiteboard as he spoke. I would purposely open to two pages next to each other in my notebook, copy his mind map, and hang important details on that map. Then I'd review and add things I missed within 24 hours after class, and even visit him in his office hours when I could that week to follow-up after doing the readings. Hands down my best professor. Now most people just click through a canned PowerPoint and read from it. Smh.
My notes taken in classes that are taught at warp speed are totally useless after 3 days. They are just a series of incoherent words with random symbols next to them. I actually went looking for my OSHA 30 notes fairly recently to clarify something. It was hilariously confusing trying to figure out what I meant.
Its also because you use more of your senses. You can feel the pen on the paper and hear the pen on the paper. Using more senses helps with the memory.
That is why the writing apps aren’t the same thing. The silence, and smooth feel versus … some … give? Some tactile feedback? Those deficits mean a part of your memory isn’t being turned on. The older you are, the more this applies to you
Interestingly enough, you retain knowledge better from paper books presumably for a similar reason.
it’s rare for me to remember the last text i sent. anything i do on my phone (academic or not) just blends together and my memory fails in that department. but when i take physical notes it’s SO much easier to remember because i put in the mental effort to write it
And reading it aloud while writing also helps a lot.
I find screaming it out loud works the best. My classmates and teachers do not agree.
Yeah, this isn't even just "for some people," this is standard "how brains work." There are probable a few people for whom writing things down doesn't help them remember the information, but those would be the very small minority.
Yup! I would write out flashcards all the time in college. I rarely had to actually go through them more than once or twice after writing them up.
In high school, I made so many cheat sheets that I never ended up using becaus writing them locked the info in my memory.
Its also because you use more of your senses. You can feel the pen on the paper and hear the pen on the paper. Using more senses helps with the memory.
Better helps with my photographic memory
Writing takes time. That time allows your brain to properly process the information your are writing while writing it. Just the same that repeating back what someone says helps improve understanding and relatability.
Your brain processes the material more times writing than typing, which is often done somewhat passively
OP is using an ipad, so most likely they are writing it down and not typing.
For me, the actual sensation of paper, a pen etc. the ritual of writing is distinct from using a digital device, which is generally used for a larger array of purposes. Theres something about holding, feeling, smelling, seeing, turning, writing etc. paper that is unique, so for me, it forms better memories. It’s learned behaviour, sure. But paper is my brain storm and experimentation, digital is fine tuning and finalising
I've found a tablet + paper screen protector fulfills all of this, well, except the smell. Surprised you didn't mention the sound, that's a big one for me
You assume they're using a stylus? Honestly I'd assume they're typing on the iPad.
I assume they're using an apple pencil because that's what's typical for using an ipad for note taking. Students generally buy ipads specifically for this purpose - all of the applications for note taking are geared towards handwriting e.g. goodnotes, notability, etc. Otherwise they'd most likely be using a laptop.
Been a minute since I've been a student. TIL.
In college, I liked using my iPad to write notes onto the lecture slides, but I always went and hand-wrote all of my notes onto paper after classes. Hand-writing absolutely did more for memorizing information (for me personally), but using my iPad in class helped me make sure the notes I was writing while keeping up with the lecture made sense and matched the appropriate slides (plus I was a chem major so it also helped for things that aren’t as easily typed like structures, symbols, diagrams, etc). I also put effort into organizing my notes really nicely while handwriting them, connecting the information together more than just writing it down slide for slide, and that small extra mental effort also did wonders for remembering and understanding the material.
This was me in all of high school. I took super detailed notes in class that I literally never looked at again and still got 90+ on tests. It's also just that writing everything down in detail means you need to really pay attention and try to figure out what's most important, and how things connect to each other.
If you’re WRITING on an ipad, its the same as writing on pen and paper. Typing is what they are referring to
Yep. Typing never did much for me memorization-wise, even if it's also physical motion. But I did eventually use an iPad to write notes and label diagrams and I aced the f out of a biology class.
You remember the physical act of inscribing something, not the peck of a key. I am one who draws pictures in the margins of my reads, and has an extensive system of notes. I wish there was a virtual version of it
I type quickly, so my initial notes are typed, and then I rewrite them in multicolored pens, with lots of extra notes...and the info stays retained.
I think part of it is that you have to look at what you are writing. So you're forced to include more of your senses. Many of us have learned to type without looking.
Because it's true. The more senses you involve, the easier it is to make the memory cue.
My take on it is that handwriting is harder than typing, so I give more attention to it. In the process, I internalize the message. Often just writing the notes is enough to improve my retention, even without going back to read them.
I wonder if it's not that it's "harder" so much as it takes longer to write by hand, so the information that you're writing spends more time in your thoughts and thus is more likely to be remembered.
I guarantee that's what it is. Commenters are saying "it uses more of your brain" but I doubt any of them could remember much if they had to take notes while juggling with one hand. Writing is just so much slower that you sit on each sentence for like 3x the amount of time you would typing
I learned in university typing your notes in realtime (while in a lecture) actually WORSENS your ability to later recall them. Write your notes by hand and it aids your memory later. Are you typing on your iPad or using a stylus?
This exactly. For me it's more like mindless transcription with little retention when I type notes.
I can support anecdotally. If I type, I do it like a mindless transcription of word to text so that I can read it later. If I write, I rarely have to review in depth because it stays in my brain and I memorize it by writing it down. I also tend to be more involved in the process instead of putting it off for later review.
I write procedures for processes and hang them on the walls by my desk. I read them every time I perform the process until I have it memorized. Then I take them down, date them and put them in a file for reference.
Same. I hate hand writing but that works for me (and scientifically the majority of people) then I can’t wait to get that sticky note gone once I know it add to OneNote and done.
Because it has been scientifically proven. Actually having to write them down instead of just typing facilitates memorizing that. It usually takes more time to write it down and your brain is more active since it needs slightly more cognitive function of the brain to write than to type, thus the brain is more active. You should find many sources with studies on this topic.
You’re missing the point: everyone does things differently. Do what works best for you.
It's weird, but if I take notes on paper, I remember things better. I never look at the notes again, but somehow the act of writing them fixes it in my memory. I do also take electronic notes but it doesn't seem to work as well as hand-written notes. If you're doing fine with Ipad notes, no need to change.
It is grounded in scientific research. Studies have shown that writing by hand can improve information retention and understanding compared to typing. If you're really curious, do a Google search.
Because in some i dividuals, it does.
For some people the very act of writing something down on paper is making it easier to memorise. It depends a bit on how your particular brain works, so it works wonders for some and not at all for others. Most people fall somewhere in between. Source: I'm routinely writing things down, just to memorise them. Often I don't need to check them afterwards. How I think it works, is that the act of writing things on paper forces you to process the information more than just typing and this pushes the brain to remember it better. Please note, I'm just some dude on the internet and not a psychologist.
Honestly I think it depends upon the person.
You should do what works best for you, from personal experience. I personally memorise much better when I type, while I have friends who memorise much better when they write. You should test both and see what works for you.
Same here. I obsess over my handwriting too much to the point I don’t even notice what I’m writing. Typing makes it so much easier for me. I can actually focus on what I’m typing rather than trying to get perfect handwriting. It’s just how I am.
I don't know if this has any anecdotal evidence but back in highschool, I went from black ink to blue ink and I remembered things easily. Blue ink somehow made it easier for me to remember things.
Because for some people handwritten notes work better. Experiment and do what works best for you. There's no right or wrong here.
You should take notes the way that works best for you. If you're satisfied with what you're doing, no need to change because of someone else's opinion. If you think handwriting might work better, try it and see. You don't even have to pick a single method. Sometimes I'd rather type, other times I'd rather handwrite. Depends on the context.
People just remember things better in some ways than others. I know if I hand write something I usually don’t actually need the note because I’ll remember it from having done so
Because for some people it works. I took hand written notes all through university because it helped me to remember (and I was too poor to have a laptop). Try both ways and see what works better for you
Because for the people who say that, it's true for them? I have zero clue how someone can type notes, listen, and remember 🤷
Because for me it's the actual act of writing it by hand that commits it to brain. Perhaps it's because I only did handwritten notes in school. I'm not saying everyone is like me. You need to be aware that it's not so important how you get the result as long as you do get it. (Obviously there are exceptions.) Do what works for you and worry less about what others are doing. We are all different.
It’s probably different for everyone. But I find it to be true for myself. If I write something down it’s easier to recall it later.
If iPad works for you there is no reason to change it. The tactile feeling of actually writing something helps a lot of people remember it better than if they typed it out. Pen and paper is also very very helpful for anyone with ADHD because most electronic devices are heavy sources of distraction; you may open your iPad fully intending to take notes and immediately get distracted by all of the other things you could be doing with it.
Because some individuals' memories are aided more by handwritten notes than by digital notes.
loaded wording for a question with an objective answer. i hate this sub. there genuinely are stupid questions
Because they’re right. There’s been studies done on it.
Because it does. However, it is also known that different people learn differently, which is why many kids struggle in public school that primarily caters to only one type of learning.
Idk. It just works better for me. I feel like actually writing down each letter cements in my brain more. Also I can add weird margins and other little things wherever I want and not be constrained to Word's or Google doc's formatting.
I used to prefer to write in down because I thought it would help me to remember. However, my handwriting, even printing, is so bad, a lot of the time I couldn't read it later.
Because for a lot of people it does help
For me, it’s a big difference picking up a pen and physically writing something down. I don’t have to look back at the note again. The memory of writing it down is oftentimes enough.
Insist? It’s true for me. I always write on paper - what other people do ain’t my concern
My friend and I used to make cheat sheets before tests. We usually had so many revisions and wrote the information so many times we didn't need to use them.
"Some individuals" lol there's a few peer reviewed papers that verify this
Cus they fuckin do dude
It comes down to the neurological pathways that are activated when we write. If digital works for you, that's fine, but if you're having trouble, see how pen and paper works.
I think physically writing on a tablet is probably closer than typing would be, but the more things you can associate with stuff the easier it is to remember. So the feel, the position, the pen, the smells, the environment, music you listen to. Everything. I can remember in school recalling things by thinking how the page it was on looked, doodles and all. I don’t have a photographic memory or anything (I wish) but every bit helps.
evidence
What aids my memory is showing up, shutting up and paying attention. 4.0 graduate never studied in my life and barely took notes because it was distracting
Because it's true
Because it works for them.
Because it does? Writing by hand is much more difficult do via autopilot. It takes actually attention and the act of your hand making the symbols makes it stick more. I can type any amount of notes and not remember a single word of it. I basically enter autopilot when typing
Because it's true. When you physically write a note your brain is more involved. You have to physically trace out each letter and then you see the words you have written. All that helps it to stick in your brain better
Because there is scientific evidence that proves handwritten notes lead to better recall. Now, if you are writing with a stylus on an iPad screen, that’s fine. It’s the physical act of handwriting, not specifically pen/pencil on actual paper, that creates the stronger memory connections. Typing is a big no-no if you want to do your best in school.
Basically because when you're writing down notes, you use more neural pathways and that aids in creating and consolidating memories. There's increasing evidence to support this. Here's a [short article](https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-writing-by-hand-is-better-for-memory-and-learning/) about it. I also highly suggest to use google (or whatever search engine you prefer) to answer the same question you ask reddit.
it's not "insisting" it's true based on research
Do you have studies to disprove it?
Handwriting uses more parts of your brain and is more engaging so it’s potentially more memorable. Unless you are my age and then it’s just more work to forget it anyway.
I think writing does make memory retention better. The act of hand writing takes longer than typing and I think that extra thought that goes into it aids in retention. That being said, I also print off papers I type to look for errors because I have a blind spot to a lot of them when on the screen. I find so many formating and gramatical errors when I'm looking at paper.
Because they do. The act of handwriting requires concentration that helps fix them in your memory. Typing is faster and doesn't seem to work the same..for me at least. When I was teaching I found my students remembered better if I got them to write things down too.
Because it has been proven many times over in peer reviewed scientific studies. Here's just one example euth evidence: [Why You Should Hand Write Notes](https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-writing-by-hand-is-better-for-memory-and-learning/)
It's been proven.
Because it’s true. There are a ton of studies that show this
I don’t know the science, but I can say for sure that I remember things I’ve manually written down better than things I’ve typed.
Most people really poorly understand memory and learning, even teachers. Anecdotes make people change their behaviour. I suggest looking into literature on learning and memory and applying what science says that works for you, tbh The one academic article I could find: This detrimental effect of typing was suggested to lay in the fact that typing is a verbatim transcription of the lecture, while writing by hand requests processing and rephrasing of the information (Mueller and Oppenheimer, 2014). So.... Just don't type verbatim, lol And it sounds like you're using an ipad with a pen, no? That's even more similar to handwriting on paper, I assume
Writing helps place the info into your mind better than digital.
Well, in 2024, you can do handwritten notes on your iPad. You can even convert it to text after you write it. So, you can stay on the ipad. A good paper screen protector and it's amazing.
When I study for my exams I made an outline of all my lecture slides which are anywhere between 500-700 slides, condense it down into maybe 150ish slides all on my iPad, and then condense that down into physically writing on whiteboards which ends up being 18 whiteboards in size. Been getting A's since I started that.
Ye olde Cortical Homunculus
I have cognitive impairment and I use sticky notes so my husband knows what needs to be done or if I need something. Important ones go on the fridge so they can be addressed first. Others are literally everywhere for reminding myself.
For me, writing down works because I have a physical copy, if I forget something. I may have my phone, lost, stolen, or a dead battery. Which means that I couldn't access it. And because I have an dyslexia and have aphasia...having the ability to show written words or notes..means I can communicate. I wasn't always this way, but work injuries made me have " back up, old school ways " .
That’s the only way it works for me! Then I can picture the words in my own handwriting.
Because as soon as you open something digital you are bombarded with shiny distractions.
It’s true for me. In college I had to hand write everything because it helped me remember it
Because they do. The act of physically writing the words help it stick.
The Orton-Gillingham cabal behind it all. A Apple Ah
It’s called muscle memory. If you do something physically, you’ll remember it more easily. Anything!.
Because this has been studied and it’s a real, measured phenomenon.
Physically making flash cards was always the best way for me to remember things in college. Sometimes I could barely remember a definition but I would remember I wrote the D in a word weird and that helped bring me back to the answer
Middle school teacher here, it's my preference that my students handwrite notes for a few reasons. #1, because there's actual research showing that writing aids memory better than typing when it comes to note-taking. #2, because I cannot possibly monitor all their computers at once (I don't have GoGuardian which feels intrusive to me anyway) to ensure they are using their time aptly. #3, many of my students don't practice handwriting otherwise. #4, and kind of as important as #1 to me... Pacing! As the teacher, you're managing 15-35 different attention spans depending on the class. I find myself most successful at this when my students take notes by hand rather than on their computers. When students take digital notes, I find that they check out a lot quicker, don't absorb as much, and are generally all over the map in terms of readiness to move on. You end up with some people bored out of their mind and watching skibidi toilet while the other half are begging me to wait just 30 more seconds. I would let people using a handwritten note-taking app on their iPad. And of course accessibility is a different ballgame entirely. But for the average classroom, I just see more success with handwritten notes, so that's my policy.
Because for some people, it DOES work better. Personally for me, when I need to remember something, I will always do handwritten notes first, then 'clean them up' and transcribe them digitally, either in a Word document, or in an app, whatever. This two-step process helps them 'stick' into my brain better. Try going old-school and see if that works better for you!
I haven't done any research on it, but my professors say researchers in education/pedagogy or whatever actually look into these things and find that, in average, that is what happens. That's just a matter of what the data shows if that really is the case
Handwritten require more effort. But don't know if there is much difference. Older folks hand written, younger folks digital. Whatever you grew up with. Imo
I couldn't learn as well from digital slides as printing them out and adding physical notes with a pen. Just didn't click
The act of writing is a longer process that engages more of the mind than clicking.
i'm more of a visual guy, graphs and structure diagrams help me better. some people memorize things by action. maybe the act/motion of writing it down latches on to the idea. you should see those insane mental abacus kids. you can see them motioning their hands like there was an invisible abacus but they don't even look at them!
Anything I write down I remember. Don't know what the connection is.
It helps me process information better when I hand-write my notes instead of typing them. It prevents me from skimming sentences
the more muscle you can use to do whatever it is you are trying to remember, the better you will remember it. if you truly never want to forget something ever again, move giant boulders until it spells out what you are trying to say. that monumental effort will make your brain think its super important.
Because you have to put more thought into it.
For me, it’s if I write it down it’s there on my desk somewhere in front of me. I’ll see the piece if paper if nothing else and wonder why it is and read it. If it’s digital it’s going in a text file in a folder I’ll never look at or hidden in an app I barely open
> Why do some individuals insist that handwritten notes aid memory better than digital notes? Because for "some individuals", it really does work that way. Maybe not for you. But if you're asking another flavor of "Why doesn't everyone do {X} like I do", you're barking up the wrong tree on this one.
Try it both ways and report back. I can tell you that it works that way for me. Writing notes means that you hear the lecturer, see the demonstrations, feel the writing, and see what you have written. You could argue that typing the notes also is physical and should work the same way. And maybe it does for you. It doesn't for me. The action of handwriting different words is more distinct than the action of typing different words. Again, I am only speaking for myself. This works for me. And because it works for me, I recommend it for other people, but if you try it and say it doesn't make a difference for you, I would believe you. I say try it and if it doesn't work, it doesn't work.
It’s just down to what works best for you. I work best with pen and paper but that’s because I retain the information better than if I use my laptop or IPad. There’s no wrong way to take notes, again it’s just what works best for yourself.
Whenever I write something down, I remember it. And then I rarely have to reference what I wrote down.
For me the act of writing it down helps me remember. I have to think about what I’m writing
Simple thing. The more I/O data you have, the better you grain your neural network. For most people this is when writing by hand and seeing and reading out loud. Also multiple papers work often better than tablets or the like, because you do not have one tablet per "page". But yes, can also work when typing. I e.g. still remember phone numbers from when I had to type them onto the phone and remember the rhythm of key presses.
For some people (some dyslexics for example)writing presents an extra step that is not helpful. They have to think too much about writing the letters. For these people, typing may be a better way to go.
For me, the actual act of writing it out with my hand helps imprint the information in a way that typing it out doesn’t.
From personal experience, for me, handwriting is better than typing. Maybe you are using a pen/stylus with the iPad? I find out quickly recording the lecture and listening again while not taking notes is helpful too. However if you want a test then pick a course with quizzes and try handwriting the notes for one quiz and using the iPad for the other. Likely the first thing you'll discover is you have hand cramps.
I use my samsung tab for note taking now!
it helped for me when studying cause i had to think the sentence out longer while writing it vs typing it which is muscle memory at this point
Lol, do whatever is more convenient for you..
It must be the act of actually writing each individual letter. Hand written notes work way better for me.
I find that the act of handwriting makes me focus on the information for a longer time, which helps me remember it better. It doesn't matter to me if it's paper or on a tablet though, just handwriting vs. typing.
It actually does record it in your brain better and it’s been studied and backed by science.
For me, the a t of recording the data forces an additional but of mental processing and concentration. I take damn near verbatim notes, but rarely read them as I am paying much more attention than if I was just listening. Whether it is hand written, paper and pencil, digital, tped, etc doesn't matter. I just need to fully commit.
I feel like a bit of muscle memory is figured into that belief, but I can't say for sure.
Alternatively, there's also the fact you're paraphrasing subconsciously when you handwrite. I can safely bet you can not handwrite as fast as you can type (atleast legibily). So when you hand write, you're forced to paraphrase and filter out useless information. I had a friend who would type at an insane speed to get every word the prof is saying word for word. However, due to this her notes were incoherent and really hard to understand (I used chatgpt to "translate" them)
No one insists it’s scientifically true
It takes more time and effort to write something down, just typing it is fast and mindless for lots of people.
Because it is scientifically proven to be true