Research has shown that students who take notes with a pen and paper
tend to remember what they write, better than students taking notes on a
computer or similar device.
The brain is a complex thing, which we are learning more about all
the time. It would appear that the tactile actions involved with writing
each letter and moving the hand in a different way for every letter, is
going to lodge in a person's memory better than the physical action of
tapping keys.
When you tap keys, your eyes may be seeing something different for
each letter; but your finger is doing exactly the same action for each
letter -just doing it in a different location.
When you write a letter with a pen, your fingers are not only in a
different location, but also moving in a different way. Writing with a
pen is in this way more complex; and when there is greater complexity,
the brain is processing more information.
Computers may have enabled us in many ways; but there are potential down sides. This is one. Can you think of any others?