Typing. A skill most of us started learning in 1st grade. With the help of Typing Ninja, we were speeding away on the keyboard at 7 and masters of Google Drive the following year. By the time we were in 3rd grade we had long surpassed the technological knowledge of our teachers and parents. Typing essentially became second nature as the wave of utilizing tech in schools strongly rolled in during the 2010s. Google determinedly grew its app ecosystem of spreadsheets and calendars, and as iPhone became increasingly influential to the general public, technology as a whole began to be viewed as an effective tool for all ages.
What was something we were not learning in our early school years? Cursive. Taking physical notes. Writing quickly enough to keep up with a rushing teacher while still absorbing information. Skills that slowly became irrelevant were put less into the spotlight as school systems—especially universities—realized the potential of using online systems for efficiency and resource conservation. “I think digital note-taking to be a more effective method for me because of its time-efficiency,” says sophomore Mahya Ghofrani.
As students at LOHS have realized, high school teachers are recently pushing back against the use of technology for taking notes in class. When justifying this, adults often vaguely reference studies and insist that physically writing increases information absorption. I believe this to be true, but only to a very slim extent. In order to fully retain notes, “you must be very aware of what content you are writing down,” according to a paper done by the University of Wisconsin. However, it can be extremely difficult for a student to be conscious of what they are writing when slideshows are flying by and the teacher is rushing their lecture against the clock. The reality is, our generation is not trained to write quickly and legibly, while still being fully aware of the lesson given.
Physical notes are a thing of the past. Our parents and teachers were some of the last people to grow up using solely pencil and paper for all of their note-taking needs. They now must move on from their past learning experiences to make way for advancements in the education system and the development of skills applicable to the workforce today. University, jobs and personal life all require strong typing skills, thus the usage of digital notes in high school is highly reasonable and frankly necessary. “I think typing is a really beneficial skill to have as we pursue further education and become more involved in a society reliant on technology,” says sophomore Koko Zemsky.
