Is it better to take notes on paper or iPad? The method I was taking notes for years was not to take notes using a notepad. However, the iPad has developed over the past many years as a note-taking choice.
Now there is great disagreement over whether digital iPad notes or traditional paper notes are superior.
In addition, like anything in the universe, each note has its benefits and downsides. If you have one or plan to invest in the iPad, you should take notes on an iPad, have just one device every day, you want the possibility to share your notes, to add pictures, diagrams and charts to your notes, and/or you want endless customization options.
If you enjoy the sense of pen and paper, you don’t want interruptions, you want to use your favorite stationery while making a note or you like to organize your items into a binder, you should also write notes on paper.
In this context, I am talking about all the pros and cons of taking notes on iPad vs paper.
Is It Better To Take Notes On An iPad Or Paper?
Writing on an iPad takes so long to get used to it. It can initially feel somewhat odd to take handwritten notes on an iPad, as the surface is glass, smooth and slippery.
You may nevertheless improve your writing experience with a paper-like screen guard on your iPad.
The Pros Of Digital Note-taking
Portable
iPad is generally tiny, portable, and fits everywhere as normal on your notebook. There are various digital notebooks available for a single iPad.
Editable
You may simply update your text several times and add several images with note-taking tools like a Note shelf. Cut, copy, undo, redo and resize tools make it much easier and quicker to compose notes.
Sharing Features
Due to ease of sharing and backup, the iPad is better than a tablet or laptop. With an iPad, you may simply share your notes and keep them secure on the cloud, google drive, etc.
Recording
You can connect any image, capture PDFs, and record your lectures easily in note-taking tools like a Note shelf. You may also bookmark and instantly access any topic.
The Cons Of Digital Note-taking
Cost-ineffective
Compared to other devices, iPads are relatively costly. However, if you invest in this high technology gear, you can undoubtedly boost your productivity.
Limits Natural Writing Skills
It’s hard to gain a sense of natural writing on a digital notebook. It takes someone a little time to become acclimated to the Apple pencil. Note shelf is however one of the applications which give a more natural handwriting experience.
Distractive
An iPad cannot limit us to single-tasking, ongoing pop-ups, and notifications on the iPad. However, you can simply overcome this by postponing notifications as necessary.
The Pros Of Handwriting Notes
Can Use Stationery
If you take note of paper, you can shine your loving side. You can use any style, highlighters, and markers that you like. Do fantastic calligraphy using various brush styles, or keep it simple with writing blocks using your trustworthy ballpoint.
No Disturbance From Social Media
An iPad allows you to take many customized notes, on the one hand, but on the other, it may be a tremendous distraction. Taking paper notes removes this difficulty.
Natural Handwriting
The feeling of writing with pen paper can’t beat anything. The sensation of writing a notebook on paper is better than a computerized notepad.
Easily Accessible
You can quickly select a random notebook and start writing your ideas or thoughts at any time.
Eco-friendly
As digital screens can do, notebooks are not harmful to your eyes. If you have weak eyes, this is a healthier option.
The Cons Of Handwriting Notes
No Editing Feature
Once you’ve written something with a pen, you can’t edit it easily. You can’t cut, copy, or delete any content in notebooks.
Numerous Notebooks
According to your subjects, you require different paper templates. You cannot get them in one notebook thus you have to carry many notebooks.
Accessibility
It’s not easy to flip through a complete notepad. If you are looking for a specific topic, you must go through the whole notebook, unless you have a simple accessibility mechanism such as indexing or bookmaking.
Who Should Use Paper For Note-taking
If for one thing, you are cost-conscious. As previously said, the costs between paper and iPad writing are important. In addition, if you like writing on paper or don’t like writing in glass, paper is probably better for you.
Some people also like particular types of styles or pencils or paper, and they probably should choose paper for them.
Who Should Use iPad For Note-taking
Well, anyone who owns an iPad supporting Apple Pencil already. Also, anybody who wishes to archive their writings or wants them to be easy to share with others.
The capacity to access information quickly or arrange objects within a page is also a major feature that the iPad offers for some users.
Which Is The Best Note-taking Method For You?
The Outline approach is one of the greatest and most popular methods for academics. It helps you systematically organize your notes, which saves you a lot of time to review and modify further.
Note-Taking Best Practices For Students
Note Down Important Facts
If you have a teacher that makes notes on the board that is a bonus. If not, note down the class’s main points.
Compare
Keep your notes available when you accomplish your tasks for reading. Compare what you wrote to what the readings say – you can add as you read to your notes.
Practice
If you hurriedly write down notes, you may not be able to read them when it is time to prepare for an exam.
Look through your notes when you arrive home and if necessary recopy them. It also helps you know and remember what you wrote by copying them.
Organize
Keep notes for each subject in one spot so that when the time comes to test, you can quickly find it all. This could mean that a notepad or piece of a notebook is kept in the classroom for each subject.
Digital Notes vs Paper Notes: Benefits of Taking Notes by Hand
You may have questions about digital notes vs paper notes, which is better for you. As more institutions extend online education programs and more educators include interactive learning trends in their courses, it is only logical that students also use computers and other digital devices to enhance their learning experience.
While a computer or laptop could serve to enhance learning by enabling students to research, communicate and cooperate efficiently, such devices might not be as useful in note-taking.
Note-taking methods have evolved alongside technology throughout the years. Word processing tools, personal digital assistants, digital notebooks, note-taking applications, audio recordings, voice-to-text programming, and other technology, have added handwritten notes if not replaced.
How Do You Choose The Best Method To Type?
Research suggests generally that taking notes manually enables you to remember the subject more than entering those notes on a computer. For example:
An experiment on recall and recognition of the term has shown that when people write them by hand, people remember lists of vocabulary words better than when they type them on a computer.
A study of note-taking in the classroom indicated that students who take notes by hand usually perform better in lecture assessments than those who put the notes on a computer.
Uses Of Paper Notes Method
You can use numerous note-taking procedures without dipping your laptops or other technological devices. You can complete the following with pen and paper, laptop, smartphone, or tablet.
Cornell Method
This approach requires students to start with a template that allows them to specify keywords and questions.
This strategy also encourages the participant to check their notes after a lecture to produce a summary. This strategy is suitable for all kinds of lectures and conferences.
Charting Method
Students can use a table or insert a table for this strategy in a word processing paper. Here, you can utilize columns to distinguish key concepts and the cells below to provide supporting material and data. This is best utilized for lectures with plenty of material, particularly data and figures.
Uses of Digital Notes
Many digital note-taking apps are available, but Evernote, Google Docs, and Microsoft OneNote are three of the best known among students.
All of them are available to iOS, Android, and PC users and offer free membership alternatives. Each tool lets you choose from various templates or you can choose to make your own.
Why is Paper Better Than a Pen For Digital?
Research on note-taking showed that taking notes and reviewing them in classroom lectures has a favorable impact on learning. At this point, that longhand note-taking surpasses laptop note-taking was previously established.
While classical style and paper can be regarded as ideal, the influence of technology in the modern learning environment cannot be ignored. Students must make use of notes by hand and technology, methods and practices that combine both.
How Students Digest Their Notes is More Important
Notes, whether written digitally or manually, have long proved to be a significant element of the learning experience. In the end, though, the most crucial thing is how students absorb notes.
In addition, as digital devices and programs continually improve, stakeholders should maximize the chance to develop interactive techniques and applications that integrate the benefits of long-range and digital note management efficiently.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Yes, an iPad is worth noting, especially if you make the most of your iPad and employ other capabilities. It is worth it since you can carry all your notes on one device, share digital notes quickly and you can rearrange and update your notes easily.
Now, let us see below about taking notes on iPad pro vs paper notebook using criteria.
Researchers are saying that it is better to take notes by hand than digitally. Researchers Pam Mueller and Daniel M. Oppenheimer discovered that pupils remember more via longhand notes rather than on a laptop. It has to do with what occurs if you have to slow down.
The Microsoft Surface Go 2 is a multifunctional 2-in-1 tablet designed to meet any note and educational demands. A gold processor with Pentium for lots of juice to complete ordinary office chores powers this tablet. The tablet may also be configured with 4 or 8 GB of RAM and a solid-state storage drive with either 64 or 128 GB.
What used to be before a pen, tablets, and touch equipment now replace paper. You can take notes on a tablet simpler.
However, few types of research have explored the difference between writing a digital pen on a tablet and writing with a conventional pen on paper. No significant changes in understanding and memory tests were made after notes on a tablet vs. paper.
Final Words
You don’t have to choose between iPad vs paper notes. You should check what is crucial for you and try both options. You should visit a store and try the iPad option. For me, I’ve moved more and more of my writing on the iPad, but sometimes I find myself using real notebooks.